ALL BLACKS-MAORI MATCH

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXVI, Issue 7910, 3 October 1929, Page 3

ALL BLACKS-MAORI MATCH

PAKEHAS ULTIMATELY WIN BY 37 TO 18 POOR DISPLAY IN FIRST HALF 3y Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, this day. A beautiful spring day favoured the meeting of the All Blacks and Maoris and there was a large attendance, which would have been bigger still but for the excessive prices charged. The natives, with a light wind and the sun behind them, played with great dash in the first spell and made sorry sights of New Zealand s picked pakeha champions. Rarely can an All Black team have played so badly. Not only did the burly Maori forwards smash through them right and left, but their backs were perfectly helpless and could neither pass properly nor hold the passes when they did come smartly, which was Yoj*y seldom. But for some nippy kicking by Cooke matters would have been still worse. At the end of the spell the score was 13 points to nil against New Zealand. On, resuming for a while they did little better. In the first ten minutes on two occasions they had a clear run in and dropped the ball on the line, and later on something of the same sort occurred again, but helped by the breeze and kicking into touch discipline and cohesion came at last and the first couple of tries. Then a tine goal potted by Hazlewood gave the All Blacks a lead of one point. After that the Maoris could not keep up the pace and some of the big All Black forwards began to get their own back, and bustled over for tries. The rearguard also got their touch at last, flung the ball about freely and try after try was scored, mostly converted by Hazlewood. It was a quite extraordinary reversal of form. The Maoris in the last live minutes began to get their second wind and scored a dashing try, and very nearly repeated it. They had. however, left their run too late and left the field defeated by 37 points to 18, but they had certainly managed to give their opponents an unpleasant surprise in the first half of the game. It is said that the selectors administered a stern lecture to the New Zealand side at half-time. Elvy, Mill, Hazlett, Stewart. Mclean, Cooke and Olliver scored tries and Hazlewood converted six of them besides potting a goal. Foi the natives tries were obtained by Leech, Mackay and Pelham, Nepia converting one. Jones kicked a penalty and Hohaia potted a well-judged goal.