LAST-MINUTE WINS

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXI, Issue 8835, 21 October 1942, Page 4

LAST-MINUTE WINS

INTERESTING RUGBY OLD MATCHES RECALLED ALL BLACKS AGAINST NEWPORT The last-minute sqore that pulls the game out of the fire is surely what fixes football matches in the mind and makes them memorable for onlookers. Usually these are associated with some outsanding individual feat by a player who pulls off something unexpected at a time when all the others are strung up by concentration on doing the obvious a little harder and better than usual. This “eccentric” do-or-die action comes to be expected from certain notable players who can bring to to bear a touch of genius to carry off difficult situations, but there are some club players marked by occasional Eccentricities that make them occasional match-winners. This season’s club play in Auckland has been made bright by several match-winning plays brought off in the closing stages of exciting games, particularly in respect of sudden brilliance in goal-kicking after an exhibition of erratic futility in this method of scoring. When Manukau first met M.T.P. the latter got in front at a late stage as the .result of a' corher try being converted from the sideline by Anderson, whose earlier goal kicking had been unreliable. Later these teams met again and the scores see-sawed till within the last 10 minutes, when M.T.P. led 14-12. Then D. Boryer flashed into the limelight by bringing off a brilliant “potted goal” for Manukau with a long drop-kick and following this up by placing a fine penilty goal that made the win assured for his side. Narrow Scrapes

Incidents of this nature recall that even the 1924 All Blacks, for all their unbeaten record, had a fair share of narrow escapes. One of the occasions when something extra was badly needed to turn defeat into victory was the sixth match of the tour, against the grim men of Newport, who were furiously resolved to give the New Zealanders the shock of their lives. It was a stirring, hammer-and-tongs battle all the way. Newport started with amazing 'ash—and kept it up. At half-time hey were leading 5-0, 'from a try by W. Friend, converted by Jack Wetter, .atcr to captain Wales. The second

spell' was a repetition of the first. About halfway through it Newport forged ahead again, after a shot by Wetter had send the ball wide of the posts. It rolled over the line, and a New Zealander failed to field. All Blacks In Danger

Andrews, a Newport forward, followed up in great style, dived for the ball and touched down not far from the corner. Fred Baker, with a splendid shot, placed the goal to put Newport ahead, 10-8. The crowd was delirious with excitement. The All (Blacks -were surely going to be beaten. Time drew nearer and nearer. It looleed as if npthing could save the I New Zealanders, though Porter, Svenson and Brown made desperate runs in turn. At last the ball came out quickly from a scrum. Again Svenson dashed away. This time he veered inwards instead of making for the corner, beat his man and crossed. Mark Nicholls. faced a difficult kick, ! but put it.neatly between the uprights. | Soon afterwards the 1924 All Blacks trooped off tlie / field victors by 13 to 10. It had been a close shave. “Newport were even better than the score indicated,” said a Welsh paper next day. “They ought never to have been beaten . . . Svenson ran cleverly and determinedly, but men have run as well before this and still been stopped.” Thrills at Johannesburg Having lost the first Test in South Africa 0-17 the 1928 All Blacks suffered a nasty hollow feeling when they were still trailing the Springboks, three points down, well towards the end of the second spell of the second Test, played in Johannesburg. The score was G-3 in Africa’s favour. Ten minutes to go, and it was still that. The All Blacks, however, snatched victory from a chance that almost came by luck. When a loose scrum formed Lance Johnson dashed ujS behind it, intending to work the blind side and go for the line. Instead the ball came out on the open side. There it was picked up by Ron Stewart who quickly hurled it further out to Arphie Strang. So deadly was the Springbok tackling that lie had little chance of cutting through. But Strang, well in his stride, let fly, and with a lovely kick the ball went straight between the -posts for four. Probably the most dramatic victory by a field goal in the history of All Black football was that recorded by the 1905 team in the match against Swansea—the last of its tour. The team had suffered but one defeat, by three points to nil—-an unconverted try by Morgan, of Wales—and it was suffering from many casualties by the time it had to field a side against Swansea, and which was determined to record a second defeat against the Nev. Zealanders.

The All Blacks put up a desperate defence, but were facing defeat by three points to nil when W. J. Wallace secured the ball near the sideline. It was a forlorn hope, but Wallace took the chance and potted at goal and the strong wind swept the ball between the posts.