NOTED AFRICAN AUTHORITY HAS FAITH IN ALL BUCKS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27112, 21 June 1949, Page 6

NOTED AFRICAN AUTHORITY HAS FAITH IN ALL BUCKS

Written by H. B. Heartland for the Daily Times

By Air Mail.

CAPE TOWN, June 6,

The All Blacks have played their first two matches and had a taste Of the sort of opposition they, are likely to encounter at times in the stronger centres. .Only stubborn resolution in the flurry of unexpected adversity saved them in their first match but in their second encounter they made amends and beat the strong scrummaging Bolanders .on their merits. Danger of a quick defeat at the start of their tour has now passed and the team can be expected to settle down and play some good football.

; These two opening games have done little to make me change the high opinion I formed of your fellows when I saw them in training and Which I was unwise, perhaps, to express pretty freely in my previous article. A distinct improvement is needed at scrum-half, however, otherwise I’m afraid the team will have to endure a severe handicap in their rjiatches ahead—a handicap which may prevent the side realising its potentialities. ,

; Your fellows were a little lucky to avert defeat in their opening game in a match which most people thought Spu would win by fully 15 points. Just before the match, however, Danie Craven, who is in charge of Stellenbosch Rugby these days, warned me that the Universities, neither of which were wery impressive as separate Warns, would combine into a very good side. .“If the All Blacks win by, say, 15 points, I shall start to worry about bur prospects in the tests,” he told me. Well, the way your backs made the ipost of the least opportunity and piled up 11 points in 25 minutes before the University men scored at all ihade me think they were going to Win by 20 points at least. i Just before the match started. Fred Allen had specially asked for 40 minutes each way instead of the 35 minutes usual in the Union, since he doubtless thought that the New Zealanders’ weight and stamina would tell with every minute the match lasted.

J’ Imagine our surprise, therefore, i When we saw the big All Blacks '■ begin to fade even before the end Jof the first half. Frankly. I have never seen any touring forwards ■ play as badly as the New Zealand--1 ers in the second half.' They had . the advantage of 201 b a man In the -■ scrums, yet with only seven men, the University striplings beat them

for the ball and ran all over them ' In the loose. ' •There are brains in Western Pro-, vince University Rugger, and when Denis Fry, the Universities’ fly-half, saw that the New Zealand forwards vitere starting to flag, he invariably kicked away to touch on the open side to give the heavy totirists some niore running to do. In the last 20 mim utes the big fellows could scarcely raise a gallop, but with both Allen ahd Elvidge partially incapacitated, their resolution never wavered, so they scraped through. ; Only two All Blacks lived up to their reputation and their promise at practice. Bob Scott wafc the fine, Solished full-back we expected him to e, and Ron Elvidge, big-boned and powerful, using a terrific straight arm. ghve a grand exhibition of. physical energy and attacking Rugby. His grand irrepressible burst through ■wrhich led to the try had the stamp of a champion and until he tore a cartilage in his chest he did tackling for the immobile Allen as well as his own. Henderson and Botting were first class on the wing and, indeed, Henderson can be said to have saved the game when his great speed enabled him to catch Butler and get his hands near enough, to the ball to cause the referee to have doubts and disallow' a try. The university men played well in am extremely fast game but then university men are always apt to rise to an'occasion against a touring side. The display of the New Zealand forwards was a shock to me and to everybody connected- with the team. My Afrikaans newspaper colleagues, who know their Rugby as well as any critics in the world, did not fancy your forwards because of the small tech-

nical faults they thought they saw in' their methods. But, personally. I liked your fellows. They are' big and powerful: they have exceptional keenness and I felt sure their cohesive play would enable them to develop a grand scrummaging pack. I felt a little red in .the face when I thought of. those views I had expressed so freely in my syndicated articles. After the game, Boy Morkel, perhaps the greatest of all South African forwards and a keen student of forward play who really introduced the 3-4-1 formation to international Rugby as field captain in New Zealand in 1921, agreed with me that one of the troubles was that the scrum-half was inclined to throw the ball into the scrum before the forwards had starled their heave. But beyond that there Was'something amiss. IMy experience has taught me never to take opening matches too ’'seriously, particularly the form of the forwards, who generally have to play themselves into form. I remember the 1931 Springbok forwards gave a most depressing display in their opening match in England. Those who kngw our Springboks were just as aghast as the New Zealanders were at Newlands. Yet as that English tour progressed it was evident that ‘South Africa had perhaps its best pack in history. . j Whereas the backs were admirable at Newlands, the back division had a poor day in the second match at Wei-' lington. and here the New Zealand forwards won the game against a sound, strong scrummaging pack. The All Black forwards shaded the heeling 20-20. and in the line outs, in which they had been hopelessly outplayed at Newlands, they got the ball 26 to 9. And the Boland forwards are among the very best line-out men in the country. , i With this advantage, the All Blacks should have won easily, but this time Savage was very weak, and Delamore could not handle his short, slow passes. In the second half Jim Kearney changed places with Delamore. and from there on Savage got more confi- * dent. His clearing improved, and his passing obtained length. How queer it is that New Zealand, always famous for its scrum-halves, should have this weak link in what I think is an exceptional back division. The only thing is that Savage is an intelligent youngster and should improve. Jim Kearney showed himself a general and tactician, and was a dominating figure at fly-half and I shall be surprised if he does not establish himself in' this position. Delamore was more impressive playing outside him , Anyhow the second game did a lot to/cheer I the tourists There was such a ’tremendous improvement forward As I left the ground I ran into Bill Schreiner, chairman of the South African Selection Committee, of which be has been a member for nearly 30 yebrs “It looks as if these fellows are going to have a strong pack of scrummagers in a month or so. Keart,” he remarked to me. I was cheered to find a really good judge agreed with me.