AFTER THE TEST

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 55, Issue 3941, 18 August 1937, Page 11

AFTER THE TEST

NEW ZEALAND ONE UP. TREVATHAN EMULATES MARK NICHOLLS. (By “Te Awamutu Onlooker.”) New Zealand is now one up in the results of Test matches against South Africa. Eight games have been played, three in 1921, four in 1928 and one in 1937. New Zealand has won four, South Africa three, and one has been drawn. A coincidence is that when the All Blacks squared the rubber with a victory at Capetown in 1928, their 13 points were scored in exactly the same way as the 13 were scored on Saturday. Then Mark Nicholls kicked two penalty goals and dropped a goal. On Saturday D. Trevathan matched the feat. In 1928 J. P. Swain brought the other three points with a try, and this time it was J. Dick who brought the total to 13. South Africa in the 1928 match scored a converted try. Thirteen points to five was also the score in the first Test at Dunedin in 1921. The Test matches between the two countries have resulted as follows

New Zealand has never begn beaten in an international match at Athletic Park. Two matches have been drawn, v. Anglo-Welsh XV. 1908, 3—3, and v. South Africa, 1921, o—o. “GREAT FORWARD STRUGGLE.” Last Saturday’s match will go down in the annals of the game as one of the greatest forward struggles in the history of Rugby. Of the more than 45,000 spectators who followed the fluctuations of the play with the closest attention were many veterans of the game who had carried the silver fern in past international Rugby battles. STANDARD HIGH AS EVER. Naturally the Veterans were keenly interested to see how modern form compared with that prevailing in their day and generation. It can be said right away that the forward play at Athletic Park on Saturday was of a higher standard than has been revealed in a Test match in this count'— at any time in the past. The South African team which is with us this year possesses a magnificent set of forwards and their pack on Saturday averaged 14st 81b per man against New Zealand’s 14st 3ilb, but the All Black forwards, to the surprise and delight of the big crowd, not only held their own in the set scrums but were superior in the loose. This New Zealand pack was much superior to the eight who wore the silver fern for New Zealand in the first Test match against South Africa at Dunedin in 1931. In the Ne.v Zealand vanguard on that occasion, one of the hookers was the late E. E. Hughes, who A’as 43 years old. There was no-place in the New Zealand pack on Saturday for a man of 30 years of age, let alone 40. ' The New Zealand pack in 1921 contained splendid forwards such as E. A. Kellis, J. Richardson, J. E. Moffitt and R. Fogarty, but none of these were superior to the eight who played throughout the entire game with rare dash and devil on Saturday. SAFETY FIRST. The rain which fell on Saturday morning, and the showers which swept the ground during the match, largely discounted back play and the game resolved itself into a defensive contest as far as the backs were concerned. In this, the two Otago representatives, H. Simon, the half-back, anj D. Trevathan, the first five-eighth, played a conspicuous part. Trevathan did not handle too well at the commencement of the game, but once ne settled down he could scarcely be faulted in his fielding, gathering and kicking. He donned the mantle of Benny Osler, the famous South African fly-half, in repeatedly gainingground with kicks to the touch-line, potting a goal, and putting’ over two penalty goals, 10 of New Zealand’s 13 points coming from his boot. Trevathen may not have the pace of Bert Cooke to step it on a dry ground, but he is soundness personified on a wetweather field. FEW HIGHLIGHTS. The defence was too sound to admit of highlights such as Jack Steel turned on in th?’ first Test match against South Africa in 1921, when he fielded a centring kick by C. Badcley, about the New Zealand twentyfive, and raced away to score a spectacular try between the posts. True, D. O. Williams gave the crowd a thrill on Saturday when he raced round Ward to hurl himself over the line in the corner for South Africa’s only try. D. G. Cobden, the Canterbury wingthreequarter, who scales 13st 41b, and is 6ft lin in height, appears to be a player without a fend to tacklers. He had two good ehancfes in the first spell when the ball came out to him, and gave him only the full-back co beat. On each occasion he. was resolutely stopped by Turner, the South African full-back. BRAND’S DEFECTION. The inability of Gerry Brand to take the field on Saturday was a severe handicap to South Africa. It was not to be expected that Turner, who has been occupying the wingthreequarfar position for South Africa, could be expected to take the full-back position with anything like Brand’s ability. He was frequently out of position on Saturday, and many times failed to find the line with his punts. Had Brand been in his usual position on Saturday, it is pr’etty certain that South Africa would have notched at least two penalty goals. Turner’s place-kicking was not at all impressive. Had Brand been playing, Turner would have been at right wing - threequarter, whene he is a much better player than Lyster, who filled the position on Saturday. The South Africans did not have a giant on the side on Saturday to compare with “Baby” Michau, who played

in the first Test match in 1921, and scaled 17st, but tHey had a hefty eight, who averaged 14st 81b per man. The race, however, is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, and the New Zealand forwards came out of the gruelling duel with the honours.

N.Z. S.A 1921 At Dunedin — .... 13 At Auckland ..... 5 9 At Wellington 0 J 1928 At Durban ... .... 0 17 At Johannesburg ..... .... 7 6 At Port Elizabeth . ... 6 11 At Capetown .......... 13 5 1937 At Wellington .... 13 7