POOR RUGBY.

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17386, 11 June 1928, Page 5

POOR RUGBY.

ALL BLACKS DEFEATED.

FINLAYSON ORDERED OFF,

SCORE: SIX TO NIL. A great crowd of 30,000 spectators watched the All Blacks beaten by Transvaal by 6 pointg (two tries) to 0 on Ellis Park, Johannesburg, on Saturday. The ground was in good order and condition, and brilliant sunshine favoured the players. Starting a strong offensive early Transvaal had New Zealand on defence, but the New Zealand forwards retaliated with a fine sortie, and went almost the length of the field. A succession of scrums followed, from which the Transvaal backs got going in a series of ineffective runs. Lindsay, with a fine kick, put his men within five yards of the line, but the Transvaal defence was like a rock, and eventually the home side cleared its quarters.

Up Against It.

For the first twenty minutes the Transvaal backs were continually getting the ball from the scrums, but they made little use of it, as their attacking movements lacked sting. The New Zealanders were .;p against things for the next ten minutes. The local forwards dominated play in both scrums and line-outs and the All Blacks got very little of the ball. Punting high the opposing backs rushed Lindsay and husted him while attempting to clear. Unfortunately Robilliard bumped into Liridsay, tvhich allowed Raath to race up and dive over the line. Devine’s kick missed. Transvaal 3; All Blacks 0. No Good Football.

In the last five minutes New Zealand had the better of the play, but, taking the spell on the whole, the play was deplorable. There was not one fragment of good football by either side in the forty minutes, and the All Blacks gave their worst display of the tour so far.

Transvaal started the second spell with an electric dash among the backs which ended in Prinsloo dropping his pass when jn a scoring position. New Zealand, ip this half, reverted to the two-three-two scrum formation instead of the threefour as in the first spell, McWilliams acting as lock,

Ordered Off. A few minutes after startihg again Finlayson was ordered off for punching a player on the ground in/front of the stand, and he walked slowly from the ground with bowed head amid hoots and jeers from the crowd which caused him to receive police protection. Just after this incident the Transvaal forwards heeled the ball from a scrum to Kotze, who sent Devine away. He passed to Liebenberg and the winger dashed down trie line and ran over at the corner with Lindsay and Carleton hanging on to him. The kick at goal missed. Transvaal 6; All Blacks 0. Useless Efforts.

The New Zealand forwards pulled themselves together for a while and started on a task of recovery, hut their efforts were useless, as the South Africans were still getting possession from the scrums, and they kept their opponents continually on the run. Lindsay had a kick at goal from a penalty, but the ball hit an upright.

Good Work.

The New Zealand forwards then did obtain the ascendancy for a short time, Ward, McWilliams and Swain putting in some rattling work, while the defence and touch-finding were aecurThe Transvaal inside backs finally drove the attackers back again, and the home side’s three-quarters set. off for the line, but Lindsay saved. The All Blacks made one more effort, backs and forwards combining in a sustained dash upheld, but there was no result, and the final whistle sounded with the scores: * _

Transvaal 6 All Blacks 0 REGRET IN THE NORTH. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WHANGAREI, June 11. The news that Finlayson had been ordered oft came as a thunderclap to the people of the North, where his good temper and sportsmanship are universally recognised. It is thought that only extreme provocation would have caused the_big Northlander to retaliate.