ALL BLACKS HOME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27212, 15 October 1949, Page 8

ALL BLACKS HOME

Enthusiastic Reception At Wellington TEAM BRONZED AND FIT PA - • WELLINGTON, Oct. 14. “Home,” remarked one All Black as he extended his palm to catch the rain that was falling when the Dominion Monarch, carrying the team, berthed this morning. The players as a whole looked bronzed and fit. The wharves were completely jammed with enthusiastic friends and well-wishers of *the team. The public was not allowed alongside the vessel, but was held back by a strong contingent of police. The Mayor of Wellington, Mr W. Appleton, was one of the first to welcome the team, going out in the pilot boat. The president of the New Zealand Rugby Union, Mr D. S. Max, and members of the council were waiting on the wharf.

N " We have had a most interesting and strenuous tour,” said the manager, Mr J. H. Parker. “As a matter of fact, the tour was as strenuous as any sporting team could undertake. We are not bringing very much home with us—l am more concerned about what we left behind. “I am delighted to know that we left in South Africa a jolly good name. Before we left 1 received hundreds of letters and telegrams from all over South Africa, expressing pleasure at having met the All Blacks.

Great Success

VI feel that the tour has been a very great success. The receptions we have had wherever we went were simply wonderful, and I hope the people of New Zealand will also appreciate the excellent games these boys put up against South African teams, even though they lost the'tests.” “We are going to • benefit very greatly from the experiences we. had in South Africa,” continued Mr Parker. “We certainly are not going to make a habit of losing test matches every time against South Africa. When the time comes for them to visit New Zealand they are going to have an experience similar to what we had, and i am sure it will be of great benefit to them.” _ Referring to the strength of the opposition encountered, ,Mr Parker pointed out that in three visits to Great Britain New Zealand teams had lost fewer matches than in the course of two tours of South Africa. The results, however, could not be considered completely unfavourable. The general run of play right through South Africa was stronger than it had been in the past, even if the Springbok test sides did not differ greatly in strength from those of previous years. ■- '' .£ Strong Unions In South Africa to-day there, were at least a dozen strong unions, and every one of the 24 matches played by the All Blacks was a tough one, said Mr Parker. He pointed out that defeats had usually been suffered by a margin of only about two or three points, and that in almost every game the tourists played the final result was in doubt right until the end. it was extremely interesting football all the way. Mr Parker- expressed the highest praise for the South African people, and said the actidn of a section of the spectators could not alter the fact that South Africans were wonderful sporting people. Remarking that the New Zealanders had been selected for the tour on the strength of their 1948 form, Mr Parker said that if the Africans had had to i confine their test selections this year to the 30 players chosen last year they would have been in a very different position. Another Tribute Mr Parker ended wita still another tribute to South Africa as a sporting nation. He said that over there Rugby was an even greater religion than in New Zealand As to his own players, he said that Bob Scott was accepted in South Africa as an outstanding full-back. Most of them considered Scott to be the best fullback they had seen. They were most emphatic about it. He then expressed his appreciation of the assistance he received from his co-manager, Mr.A. Macdonald, and from the captain and vice-captain, F. R. Allen and R. A. Dalton respectively, and of the members of the team as a whole, who had never caused him the slightest trouble.