ALL BLACKS’ NEW RUSE

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1928, Page 5

ALL BLACKS’ NEW RUSE

SCRUM TACTICS ADOPTED SOUTH AFRICANS WORRIED. MANOEUVRING OF STEWART. PLAY IN THIRTEENTH MATCH. Pretoria, July 26. Elated by their victory in the second test match the All Blacks produced their best Rugby of the tour to date in their thirteenth match against the combined Pretoria clubs, which fielded one of the strongest packs the tourists have encountered. It was generally anticipated they would suffer defeat, but, settling down to bright, open football, the All Blacks had the result safe after a thrilling first hour, in which they dominated the play. It was the splendid work of the forwards that paved the way to victory. For the first time in the tour the pack proved itself superior to a solid scrummaging pack opposed to it, and its success was largely due to an astute scrum manoeuvre which had been secretly practised and introduced with success in the second test. R. F. Stewart, the rover, was deputed to come up on the inside of his two hookers and so obtain the loose head which gave his hooker the first hook at the ball. This had previously been the advantage of opponents. The rover did not pack himself alongside his own front line, but packed sideways, and as the ball was put in the scrum he thrust his leg forward and across the scrum to prevent the Pretoria hooker from hooking with his inside foot. The legality of the manoeuvre was challenged by a number of old Rugby men, but the referee did not prohibit its use, and the result was that in the first half the All Blacks secured the ball 18 times to nine. BACKS’ BRIGHT MOVEMENTS. This scrummaging advantage was turned to good account by st irt heeling, which allowed the touring backs, well served by Dailey, to initiate a series of bright open movements. These were more spectacular than even those displayed at Bulawayo and Maritzburg, though, on account of the quality of the defence, not quite so successful.

Johnson had fully recovered from his off day in the test match the previous Saturday, and was an excellent link, but is was the sharp penetrative play of Mark Nicholls at second five-eighths that made the chief difference to the side. On several occasions he made real openings which should have led to tries, but once again S. R. Carleton showed the strength of his play was defence rather than attack. He joined with speed and dash into a movement, but more than once at a critical juncture he dropped his passes. On one occasion he failed to hold the ball a yard from the line when Nicholls had drawn the defence. After all, it was in opportunist play, rather than in cleverly executed back movements, that the visitors obtained their score. Forward passes also spoilt several probable tries. The tourists’ tries in the first half came from Grenside, who was fed in the loose by Dailey; McWilliams, after a dribble by Swain and a smart passing movement in which Hore participated; and Swain, after a blind side movement initiated by Dailey and a crosskick by Grenside, which was fielded and miskicked by Ortsh, the Pretoria fuli-back. Two of these tries were converted by Lindsay. Pretoria’s sole try was the result of a punt upfield by Kotze, de Wet gathering the ball and going over. CHANGE OF TACTICS. The All Blacks thus led by 13 points to 3, and had so much the better of the play that they seemed sure to more than double their tally in the second half. So for from this being so, however, the Pre torians had by far the better of the game after the change-over, find the main reason seemed to be because the tourists changed their tactics and utilised Stewart mainly as rover to stultify the work of the two halves. Stewart did seme remarkably fine work and frequently smothered movements near the scrum, but nevertheless could not stop the -backs occasionally getting away. Unfortunately Mclntyre, one of the Pretoria centres, was suffering from an off day and did not hold his passes. The only score in the second half was a real ly fine try scored by Geyser, a forward, who got the ball from the loose after a number of forwards had handled and beat Lindsay with a sidestep worthy of a crack wing three-quarter. The outstanding men in the AU Black back division were Dailey, Nicholls and Grenside, but it was mainly the forwards who were responsible for the improved showing of the side. McWilliams in this match was the oustanding orthodox forward on the field, and, together with his fine play in the test match, has definitely proved himself one of the outstanding tourists. P-. Ward was another who enhanced his reputation, as did J. Swain, who was more prominent in the loose than usual and showed fine speed in several movements. Cyril Brownlie was fitter and better than he had been in his previous appearances, and Maurice Brownlie and Alley were very solid. THE DOMINATING FIGLRE, But the dominating man of the match was Stewart, who largely controlled the play with his scrum tactics in the first half, and in the second half played a remarkable game as an orthodox winger. He simply worried the opposing scrum half off his game. The success of the All Blacks* scrum manoeuvre has nonplussed the South African critics. There is no doubt whatever that it played a decisive part in the result of the Johannesburg test match. What it means to the tourists was clearly shown in this game when with its assistance the All Blacks secured the ball 18 times to 9 from the scrums in the first half, whale in the second half, when it was not persevered with, the Pretorians had the advantage of 19 to 9. T. IL. Kruger, the -Springbok hooker, was playing in the Pretoria match, and, as he has been generally regarded as the best hooker in the country, it is evident the best of South African players are unable to cope with the strategy cleverly exploited by the AU Blacks’ rover. Whether South Africa can devise a counter is left to the remaining test matches to show, but it is evident the 1928 All Blacks have devised something new in Rugby scrum tactics.—Auckland Herald correspondent. |