THE AIL BLACKS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16671, 26 February 1925, Page 10

THE AIL BLACKS.

THEIR TWENTY-NINTH SUCCESSIVE WIN. FRANCE DEFEATED: 37 TO BAT CGLQMBES STADIUM. (By. Herald representative, G. C. Jones). LONDON, January 13. When the New Zealand football team met the chosen fifteen of leading French Rugby Clubs at the Colombes Stadium, near Paris, yesterday, they easily proved their superiority by building up a score of 37 points to 8, and iron their twenty-ninth successive ictory of the tour. ' Though the game was interesting and spirited, there was iittle doubt, once over the first quarter of an hour, ae to which was the better team, and so sparklingly was the play of the tourists that the French crowds, who in the past have not always remained as calm and good-humored in the prospect of defeat, took the New Zealanders to their hearts and cheered ffiem ecstatically. As the attendance at the stadium was estimated at from SO,COG to 60,000, every point of vantage being thronged and all Rugby spectacles of the past being eclipsed from the point of numbers involved, the impression created! was remarkable. There can be little doubt that the celebrated All-Blacks had made their appeal to the enthusiasm of the French before ever they landed on the soil o) France. The average Frenchman is something of a hero worshipper, and the unbroken success of the tour in the United Kingdom had shown the team to be a very great and very worthy object for the outpouring of Gallic laudation. On top of their distinction as Rugby players, the touring team repre seated a country which to the full of its resources hacii sent its men to fight on French'soil; and though many New Zealand tourists, travelling privately, have been somewhat disgusted at the offhand treatment of tho Britisher m France, the visit of the All-Blacks provided an occasion for something in tho nature of a mass demonstration of regal’d for an overseas ally. One other thing mn.v have had something to do with the" wonderful reception of the' team. The Inter-Allied Commission was sitting in. Paris during the week, and the recrudescence of complete harmony between Britian /find France in diplomatic circles had its reflection in an increased cordiality between the private citizens of both nations. The AllBlacks arrived on the crest of a wave that carried them to the highest plane of popularity; and tho defeat they inflicted on the champions of France was cherished as an honor. Tho Union Jack and the Blue Ensign shared posts of honor over the field', and the British National Anthem welcomed the players on tho ground. Their haka was rapturously received, and wave on wave oi cheering rocked-the stands as the opposing teams took up their respective positions.

FRENCHMEN OPEN THE SCORING. The opening stages of the game bore a striking resemblance to thoso of the historic match at Twickenham. The tourists did not immediately develop their attacking formation, and with the French sid'e getting the ball from the scrums, the All-Blacks found themselves forced to a defence. Within three minutes that dofenco was pierced, by tactics eimilar to those which threatened the New Zealanders’ lead at Twickenham. Dui Manoir, cutting through the centre, cross-kicked to Besson on the wing, and the latter’s wonderful pace enabled him to evade Nepia and score a try, wide out. It was a great moment for'the French crowd, for although the try was unconverted, its accomplishment served to show that their side had enough pace to score if the opening occurred. The triumph was shortlived, however, for the All-Blacks now settled to their work, and steadily beat back the sustained attack of the home side by line kicks of great accuracy. The Frenchmen were not allowed to develop their passing rushes, for their opponents specialised' in interceptions and hard, crisp tackling. The play was brisk, but entirely good-humored, ana hal’d knocks were given and taken in the best of spirits. The big All-Black pack, heaving solidly in the scrummages and breaking quickly to quell the threat ol! French aggression, were showing their best form, and though the ball was still going to the home side, the advantage was lost in face of the splendid placing of the to-urists. When the All-Black tactics had advanced the play to French territory, the game took on another complexion, for instead of depending on the forwards, the tourists reverted to their skilled back-play. Porter secured New Zealand’s first try, taking a neat pass from Cooke when the latter had completely baffled the French defenders, and this was the start of what proved a procession. Cooke had previously almost scored from an opening made by the forwards, when he received from Donald, and Porter’s try was remarkable for the anticipation whicli made the opportunity. The New Zealanders now had things a good deal their own way, and' sent in man after man in swift dashes, which only the utmost determination in tackling succeeded in holding. Hart was tackled and stopped on the line by Laborderie, but a minute afterward attained hig object, going in from a line-out followed by smart passing among the backs. The French rallied-, and looked dangerous, but a wild pass went astray when Voysse seemed certain of a try, and next moment the AllBlack rearguard were in action, machine-like for their precision. The forwards took up the burden of the advance in the last few strides, and Cyril Brownlie plunged in for a fine try. A minute after the renewal of play, Cooke’s pace and elusiveness again effected an opening from which Lucas was able to score the fourth try, and before another five minutes passed, Cyril Brownlie was again put in the way of scoring, well out from the posts. Tries were now coming with monotonous regularity, and tho forward's seemed to have quite gained mastery over the Frenchmen, whose spirits had drooped with the rapid change in their prospects. Cooke was a tower of strength to his side, and his impish evasions, his capacity for going into full stride in a flash, and above all, his keenness in anticipating the movements of the ball, were superb. Svenson gained) great applause for a wonderful run which found the F'rench defence away out of position. He was not allowed to pass without some clever dodging, but at each Stage of the run he was just out of reach of tho tacklers. Maurice Brownlie was the hero of the succeeding try, scored in a very handy position. The conversion should have

been easy, but White missed Badly; then, with the clock showing that the half was about- to close, Cooke rounded off a remarkable performance, by going in himself, and scoring tho eighth try. The failure of tho place-kickers was very disappointing, but this was more than made up for by the general teamwork which throughout the tour has been remarked as the secret of the success of tho side. FRENCH MOMENTARILY RECOVER After the brief spell, the French players showed some recovery of their spirits, and for a while flattered their supporters. Perhaps the tourists were concentrating on.attack, with detriment, to their defence, for the attack that resulted in the second score for Franco started in midfield, and was carried through with great elan to its successful conclusion. Dupont-, Lasserre, and Du Manoir were the most prominent of the home side, and the last-mentioned finalised the offensive with a fine dash, Pelty converting. Encouraged by tho episode, the Frenchmen continued to play with plenty of initiative, and the crowd sat entranced through several minutes, while play swayed back and forth in a wonderful display of Rugby. The passing rushes of the New Zealanders were typical of their repeated performances, and the French rose to splendid heights, disputing the ascendancy with a vigor and enthusiasm which contrasted strangely, with the coolness and method of their opponents. It could not last; the homo side lacked the condition to continue indefinitely play in which tho greatest strain was thrown on physical fitness. They could not maintain an enthusiasm which had fired them to the point of holding their famous adversaries; the New Zealand play was masterly, the positioning cutting o-ut all unnecessary effort and conserving their stamina for the moment at which the French showed weakness. Then came tho onslaught, and a try by Maurice Brownlie, followed by the first All-Black conversion of the day. Nepia was to convert another, that of Cyril Brownlie, and! the final points of the game were notched by Svenson, after a splendid dash

NEW ZEALAND BRILLIANCE. The victory was one of team-work, plus individual cleverness, against mere individual cleverness. The French had ample pace, but they were not in the same class as a team. The passing and reverse transfers were a feature of tho New Zealand play, and the unvarying height and well-judged speed of the transfers had a very great deal to do with the success of the" movements. There were many instances in which tho bail was handled by as many as eignt men, and backs and' forwards combined in tins type of attack with fine effect. It was hopeless for the French to combat offensives launched in this manner. They had not the gift of anticipation developed! to the same degree as their opponents, and repeatedly they were baffled by the dummy pass and) by the cool side-stepping of their tackles. Svenson and Lucas worked well together, and on one or two occasions were seen to pass through the whole of tho French defence, fron one end of the field to the other, without losing pos session. Little wonder that the wearers of the French colors despaired of holding the score down. The only periods during which the New Zealanders were not clearly in the ascendant wero at the start of the respective halves, when the French, by most determined running and tackling, stopped the rushes and put the All-Blacks on their own guard. The energy consumed in these fierce minutes of glorious equality was not capable of being sustained, however, and by collective work the tourists got and held the upper hand. The work of the All-Black forwards, in the loose and the tight, was of high standard, and at times spectacular. They were not always top dogs, but their efforts never eased up, and as in so many of their engagements in the United Kingdom, they eventually established a complete mas tery. Both the Brownlies with Donald and White were ever prominent and tho . others were triers all the time. Porter’s ! reappearance in command of the side! was welcomed: and he gave his observers a very competent display of leadership. His tactics were sound and his personal effectiveness was always apparent. One serious casualty attended -he game, Provost breaking his leg in two places. He bad played a sound game, | and had taken a good part in the tremendous activity that had checked the New Zealanders. His injury occurred just as the All-Blacks began to regain their balance, in the second half. Mr. Llewellyn refereed the game with ' marked impartiality and with satisfaction to both sides. NEXT, SATURDAY’S MATCH AT TOULOUSE. A number of changes are, I understand, to be made in the composition of the French team, when the New Zealanders make their second appearance on a French Rugby ground. This engagement will be at Toulouse, the big military centre in the South of France, where plans are being made to accommodate a record crowd. Besson, a very fast back, will not be available, and’ the three-quarter line will suffer for lack of his speed. Jauneguy and Piquiral, the former a back, will possibly be unable to appear, and as they are both among the best French players in their respective spheres, they will be hard to replace. The Toulouse team will in all ( likelihood be weaker in individual talent than the Paris fifteen, hut some attempt is being made to induce a degree, of team-work among the components. TWICKENHAM’S AFTERMATH. The incident in the international match between the All-Blacks and England has not been allowed to die in the public memory. A new lease of life has been given to the discussion by two statements, made respectively by Wake field and Voyce. The English captain was reported to have remarked, after the game, that he had! seen the incident for which the New Zealander had been ordered off, and had formed his own opinion about it, which opinion, however, he refused to reveal. As there was little doubt that any opinion that would make the New Zealanders feel better about I ho disaster would have been given, it. was inferred 1 that Wakefield had agreed with the referee's action. Now the English skipper has come forward and 1 refuted the remarks ascribed to him. Ho says that he did not see what happened, and had no inkling of trouble until lie turned and saw the referee actually giving his command. On tho other hand, Voyce, who was alleged to bo the player who received 1 the kick, has declared that he was not touched while on tho ground, though in a line-out lie received a blow that blackened his eye. He did not state, however, that it had been delivered with the fist. Though these statements throw little light on the true facts of the case, they serve to eliminate other statements which hart been intercepted to the support of the referee’s action. The justice or otherwise of the actual orderingoff promises to become one of the historic queries of the game, as did the

dispute concerning the defeat of the otiginal All-Blacks by Wales. BRITISH TOUR OF ANTIPODES. Though it is difficult to gain any concrete information anent the proposed visit of a team from the United Kingdom to Australia and New Zealand next year, there are plenty of veiled references to if flying about. For instance, W. W. Wakefield is contemplating the possibility of securing an early sitting | of the examiners in chemistry in 1926, when lie will bo taking his finals. Unless he can arrange for such an early sitting, lie will not be available for any team which may undertake the tour. Jlis inclusion or exclusion would greatly j affect the .prospects of the .team, for ha j is acknowledged to be one of the finest leaders unearthed in the history of the game in tho British isles. He will make his second appearance as captain ol England this year when the Welshmen come to Twickenham. This international, by the way, looks a fairly euro thing for England. Wales have made a number of changes in their team, and England, too, has had to find some new blood to fill the gaps left by tho match against the All-Blacks. The chief interest in the match, for New Zealanders, lies in the fact that both teams have been defeated by our tourists, and both may bo expected to profit by the lessons learned in their respective encounters with those masters by Rugby. I hope to deal later with the prospects of a British Rugby invasion of the southern seas, and l the capacities of some of the men whom we may see in action out there.