THE ALL BLACKS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19373, 8 January 1925, Page 8

THE ALL BLACKS.

CLIPPINGS FROM HOME PAPERS. I have just heard a charming story about Nepia, the All Blacks full back, which is also a tribute to the play of the young Silloth fisherman Brough, full back for Cumberland (says a writer in The People). In the New Zealanders’ match with Cumberland Brough did splendidly tackling and kicking with absolute certainty. His play so impressed Nepia that after the match he asked young Brough to “swop” jerseys with him. Needless to say, this was done, to tho delight of both players. Tlie All Blacks recently paid a visit to the chocolate and sweet factory of Messrs James Pascall a.t Mitcham (reports the South London Express). They were conducted round the departments and all wore keenly interested. The visitors were entertained to tea, after which female members of tho Pascall staff gave a “gym” display. Mr Laurence Pascall, on behalf of the board of directors, expressed tho pleasure it had been to welcome tho All Blacks. Mr S. Dean responded, and the party broke up amid enthusiastic farewells. Asking the question “Is It Sporting?’ the World’s Pictorial News says:—“The football critics who have discovered that the All Blacks are ‘unscrupulous’ and worse, after seeing their eighteenth match, have delayed their discovery to rather a late hour. Tho fact is that the writers on Rugby football are a special class of sporting journalists; many of them players with known records. One scents partisanship in their criticisms, of which weakness the professional journalist has learned to howare. Their opinions, of course, are duly cabled to New Zealand. Are they altogether sporting?” The People says:—There were two of the All Blacks in our office during the week, who amazed me with stories of the fervour with which they play Rugby, which is almost a religion with them. A child is nurtured on tho game at school, and oven internationals have blackboard lessons as part of their training. Even if Wales do not boat the All Blacks on November 29, they ought to make mincemeat of the descendants of the present team who invade us in 1940 or thereabouts. Tiffs long-distance prediction, almost as far-flung as Macaulay’s concerning tho New Zealander on the ruins of London Bridge, is inspired by a discovery I made the other day (says a writer in tho Evening Standard). A former Welsh half back is training his sons, David Llewellyn, aged seven and a-half, and Adrian Lloyd Evans, aged five and a-half, to fill the two half buck positions. They already make the essential moves of Rugby with instinctive rapidity and'precision, and it is his theory that they ought to ho too good even for tho All Blacks when they are old enough. After their match at Cardiff tho All Blacks Rugby team broadcasted an impromptu concert from Caruilf Station, preceded by their Maori war cry. Tho All Black footballers spend their time sightseeing when they are not busy defeating our homo teams (says a London writer). On November 18 they visited Westminster, and were conducted over tho House of Lords and the House of Commons. They wore entertained to tea at the House of Lords. Tho Evening Standard learns that when tho Irish Rugby Union put forward tho name of Mr J. M. Tennant, a well-known Scottish referee, who has handled several recent. International matches, as the official to take charge of tho match between tho All Blacks and Ulster at Belfast on November 5. the AH Blacks intimated that they would not agree to a Scottish official handling the game. They intend to main tain this attitude in collection with any further names that may bo submitted to them as referees for the remaining fixtures of tho tour. Tho original stand Liken by Scotland, it should bo borne in mind, was against the English Rugby Union arranging tho tour without consulting tho Scottish Union, and the latest difficulties arise out of that protest.” Under no ciroumsances whatever,” said a leading member of tho team to an Evening Standard representative, “will wo have anything further to do with Scotland. Wo have undergone quite enough humiliation.” There are possibilities of a great future for W. R, Collins, of Taunton School (tho Evening Nows remarks). Ho has had the distinction of playing as fly-half for Somerset County for two seasons while still at school, and ho was on duty against the formidable All Blacks when they only heat Somerset by six points Tho action of Somerset in playing a. youngster of slight physique in that game was severely criticised at tho time, but young Collins cams through tho game with great credit, his fine kicking and handling being much in evidence. Tho “All Blacks” dominate the mind of tho sporting world (states a writer in the Edinburgh Evening News). 'Their first, visit to London attracted one of the biggest crowds I have over seen at Twickenham. I see tho game has been described as "great” and “thrilling.” I was not impressed. 1 have seen many greater games at Twickenham. Tho first thing to note about the “All Blacks” is that they are not all black. It in only their sporting rig that is entitled to that distinction. For the rest, they aro big and strong and swift, and can pile on huge scores against inferior teams. They are, very fond of making ground by punting into touch. This saves their reduced forwards a lot of hard woik, but does not add to tho attractiveness of the game. The much-debated question of their famous five "throequarter” formation will remain unsettled until they meet England and Wales. 1 thought the lino became congested at times, but a Welsh friend who saw them nearly beaten by Newport told me that Newport played them at their own game, and that this is the only way they can be lieaten. Wo shall see. But 1 don't like all this tampering with the traditions of our time-honoured games. Tho restless Bolsnevistic spirit has not yet been exorcised completely from our national life. I suppose next wo shall be importing from Australia tho eight-ball over, when we cannot bring the “ashes.” Clem Lewis writing with regard to tho Cardiff match’in tho Liverpool Daily Post and Mercury, says; Tho New Zealand team I saw" on Saturday was many por cent, inferior to tho sida that just beat Newport. I could not but corno to tho conclusion that they were a somewhat stale team. Pride of place goes very easily to the Cardiff forwards, and not one of them spared hirnsolf a jot. They were eight stalwart men and true, and were full of fight right up to the end. It was not that tho All Blacks could not heel from tho scrums. They did that quite as often as Cardiff did, but somehow the whole side scorned rattled, and we seldom saw tho spoodv backs on the, nm. New Zealand won because they seized the opportunities which came their way. There never was anything spectacular about their scores, but they were worth points. The New Zealand back who saved his side was Nicholls. no is not a player who sheds great lustre, but I think no'is the “brain box” of tho team. Cooke is a far more spectacular player, but ho could not go far because of the thorough way in which the Cardiff men tackled As a secondary point I should think the tackling of tho Cardiff Bide was a most important phase of the game. They played so much on top of tho New Zealand backs that the latter seldom got into their stride. What is the secret of the magnificent physical condition of these great athletes from New Zealand, the All Blacks, whose feat in going through the first half of their programme with £tn undefeated record lias only been equalled once before by a touring w jclo—their predecessors, the 1&05 All Blacks.'’ The answer (saws tho Evening Telegraph and Post) would appear to be £hat there is none. , , . , , Cyril Brownlio the biff forward, says; “Except that wt, get as much fresh air as possible and avoid sitting about in stuffy rooms wo lead a perfectly normal existence, eating and drinking prettv well what wo like, and not overdoing our training. Those of us who play pretty regularly are content with tho weekly or bi-weekly match, and except perhaps for an occasional run with the others do no training apart from the actual play. One or two matches a week in a tour lasting nearly four months are quTre sufficient training for anybody, and there is always a danger of a side going stale at tho end of a strenuous tour. For this reason we are allowed a reasonable amount of diversion by our manager, and as most of the fellows are r,l • tho theatre they spend a good deal of their time going round the various shows. Special arrangements aro made before the big international games. The team for these games is generally chosen a few days before the rnatcli, and tho players are kept together, a plan of campaign mapped out, and the tactics very carefully sketched out in advance. None of tho players chosen for the international games is allowed to go out with the rest of tho team, and, a s was tho case in Dublin a fortnight ag>. the 15 live apart from the team and concentrate entirely on tho task of winning the game in advance before they go on to the field.