The intense rivalry between the Rugby Union and the Rugby League and the vigorous efforts of the former to prevent the League game from securing a footing in Dunedin have been closely watched by the public and the trend of sympathy has swayed backwards and forwards. Whatever the final verdict of popular opinion tween the two codes it was quite evident that the public would go to see the first League match. When it broke bright and fair on Saturday with a fresh northerly breeze all doubts as to the success of the fixture were gone. Tahuna Park, the ground eventually secured by the League authorities for the match, proved eminently suitable for the players, and with the weather so fine it was quite satisfactory for spectators too. The playing area, which was firm and dry, and in excellent condition, came exactly in front of the grandstand. Each end of the field was barricaded off and the public allowed alongside to view the game from that aspect. The invitation so widely extended to school boys was very generally accepted, and the inner side of the rails on the far side from the grandstand was lined with thousands of youngsters, whose keen eyes followed every move of the game. The traffic presented a problem to the Tramway department, which, however, succeeded very satisfactorily. The drift to Tahuna Park set in before 1 o’clock, and by half-past one the crowded tramcars were following one another in quick succession. The attendance was generally estimated at from 12,000 to 15,000. The match to be played was the third of a series of Tests between New Zealand representatives and the English League team now visiting this country. The result was to a certain extent robbed of its interest from the fact that by winning the first two matches New Zealand had already gained the rubber. However, the result in the second Test was very close, and as it turned out on Saturday, the Englishmen proved to have decidedly the superior team on the day’s play. In such an exhibition as Saturday’s the differences between tho two codes are very obvious. The entire absence of line outs, which are replaced by scrums, is one of the most noticeable. Then there are only 13 instead of 15 men a side. There is no wing-forward, and procedure after a tackle is very different from that in the old Rugby game. Under the League code if both players go down with a tackle, the tackler must immediately get up without interfering with his opponent, who must also get up with the ball and immediately put it on the ground in front of him. The general tendency of all the variations from the old code is to speed up the movement of the game and the rapidity with which event followed event on Saturday must have been a revelation to the spectators. In the first spell the visitors scored 20 points to the New Zealanders three, but in the second they put on 11 while New Zealand added 15. The kicking of both fullbacks, Duffy and Sullivan, was remarkable both for power and accuracy, and was an outstanding feature of the game. In the first spell the sudden snappy passing of the visitors seemed quite too good for the opposition and frequently left the All Blacks standing. The All Blacks’ tackling, too, was distinctly ineffective, and the crowd was not seldom annoyed to see one of the nippy Englishmen elude two or three or even four tackles in succession. The All Blacks made a much better showing in this department during the second half. It was noticeable that the great majority of the penalty kicks came the way of the All Blacks. The final scores were England 31, New Zealand 18. Mr Stevens, of Christchurch, was the referee, and Messrs J. Watt and E. Watson the line umpires. —
ODT, 11.8.1924
