One good way to test the mettle of a touring team was to put them on the old inter-island ferry between Wellington and Christchurch, especially when a southerly wind was blowing.
That's what happened after the Springboks' victory over Wellington, a game they felt should be regarded as a fourth Test. The inter-island ferry's departure to Lyttelton [Christchurch's port] was delayed to allow the South Africans to attend the post-game dinner. But, the sailing conditions were so rough that when daylight broke, the boat was still in sight of Wellington. They eventually arrived at Lyttelton, at 5 pm. They headed by train and bus through the Southern Alps to the West Coast where the home team were no match for the Springboks who won 33-3 with wing Bill Zeller scoring a hat-trick of tries.
Canterbury were next up, and while they had been through some tough times since the end of the First World War, they already had an outstanding record against touring teams, since their first international scalp against New South Wales in 1886. The NSW teams of 1894 and 1901 were similarly beaten while the Queensland team of 1896 and the Anglo-Welsh side of 1908 were also beaten. A Canterbury-dominated combined side, with South Canterbury and West Coast pushed the Great Britain team of 1904 all the way before the tourists won, while a combined Canterbury-South Canterbury side beat the touring Australian team in 1905.
Lancaster Park turned on a slippery surface for the game that suited the bustling work of the Canterbury forwards, especially the fashionable dribbling with the ball from lineouts. South Africa kicked for touch as often as possible rather than the centre field kicks they had used earlier on tour. Halfback Harry Mullins had an outstanding day in containing Jackie Tindall's thrusts around scrums, making tackles and then getting quickly into place to take another. That was enough to see him selected for the All Blacks to play NSW later in the season, only to be dropped before the game.
NZ Army team wing 'Jockey' Ford, renewed his acquaintance with the South Africans he played in 1919 and celebrated by scoring Canterbury's winning try. Ford was a home town favourite showing plenty of speed and he drew support from the crowd whenever he touched the ball. It was early in the second half when down 3-4, South Africa's points coming from a dropped goal on the run by centre Sarel Strauss, that the Springboks launched an attack from a scrum in midfield. Wing Charlie Meyer got the ball with room to set sail for the corner only to be lowered in a copybook tackle by fullback Cyril Evans, a sportsman good enough to also enjoy a 10-year cricket career with Canterbury. Canterbury won the ball and centre Jim McCormack ran through a gap and cross-kicked to Ford. He centre-kicked the ball and regathered it and scored in the corner.
This was an inspiriting phase of the game, for the ball hard travelled from one corner to the opposite corner in the twinkling of an eye. Defence had been converted into attack by an individual Canterbury dash, which outrivalled anything that the visitors with their big reputation had so far exhibited.[1]
The Canterbury and South Africa teams before the game. Back row, from left, N.J. du Plessis, H.F. Mullins, M. Ellis, W.A. ‘Jockey’ Ford, R. Evans, J.A. Morkel, E.H. Ellis, J.M. Michau, E. Cummings, G.W. van Rooyen, W. Cummings, S.S.F. Strauss, K.D. Henderson, W.A. Clarkson. Front row, P.G. Morkel, G.R. Wilson, J.P. Michau, H.G. Munro, F.W. Mellish, C.E. Evans, T.B. Pienaar, C.R. Murray, W.H. Morkel, L.C. Petersen, W.C. Zeller, N. Carnegie. In front, J. McCormack, J.C. Tindall, C. Deans, C du P. Meyer. (Weekly Press photo)
Canterbury were not quite home as Evans left the field injured, unable to return, with 15 minutes remaining. He had been one of the stars of the backline through his defensive play. As The Press noted,
One could write a column in praise of C.E. Evans at fullback, and then leave much unsaid. It is safe to say that no finer exhibition of fullback play has ever been seen at Lancaster Park. His tackling and line-kicking were superb, and he made not a single mistake, while frequently he got his side out of trouble in miraculous fashion. It was most unfortunate for Canterbury that he should injure his shoulder a quarter of an hour from time, for thereafter they had to play a man short.
Another Cantabrian who distinguished himself was veteran forward Bill Cummings, who had debuted for the side in 1912, playing two Tests for the All Blacks in 1913, and playing for the All Blacks later in 1921, against New South Wales. He had never played better. He was always on the ball, sometimes going the length of the field with his dribbling rushes and he was in the midst of both the attacking and defensive play.
Springboks captain Theo Pienaar said Canterbury deserved to win. They had disregarded the wet conditions to play as if it was hard and fast, suiting themselves to the conditions. The only drawback to the effort was hooting from a section of the crowd, the first time they had heard that in New Zealand. Manager Harold Bennett said the wet ground had nothing to do with the loss. Canterbury would have won on a dry ground and were the best team they had met so far in New Zealand.
In an editorial, The Press rebuked Canterbury supporters for their lack of faith in the side that had been through tough times since the war.
As a matter of fact, the result of the match against the South Africans was a sharp rebuke to the pessimism regarding this province, and its capabilities in sport and in other matters, that is far too general an attitude of the public mind. Of late years Rugby football in Canterbury has been commonly regarded as being of poorer standard than that of any of the chief provinces, and the defeat last year of our representatives by Southland and by Wellington gave some ground for the belief. What the public seemed to forget in estimating Canterbury's chances against the visitors was the provinces, like the big secondary schools, have their bad as well as their good periods of prowess in sport, and that it was just possible that the province was emerging from a succession of bad years into a period in which she may regain her former place in the football world. At all events, the Canterbury team on Saturday, whose selection, much criticised before the match, was amply justified by results, displayed admirable pluck and untiring vigour and dash in attack.[2]
The Press' rugby writer was a little more emphatic in recording that Canterbury, generally regarded as the weakest of all the provinces had managed to secure the first win over the tourists. And they did it when they couldn't get a player in the All Blacks and when they had three Test players, the South Island first five-eighths Dan McCormick, their right-wing Jack Mullins and hooker Brian McCleary, out of action.
Much better conditions were available for the South Canterbury game that followed in Timaru. Captained by one of the stars of the NZ Army tour of South Africa in 1919, Percy Storey, the home side had no answers for the tourists who were, as captain Pienaar said, looking to make up for their loss to Canterbury on Saturday. Fine weather and a fast surface in Timaru allowed the chosen XV free rein with wing Harry Morkel and centre Billy Sendin scoring a brace of tries each in the seven-try haul for the Springboks in their 34-3 win. Gerhard Morkel landed five conversions and a penalty goal to suggest his goal-kicking was on song for the Test series.
So to Southland, the Ranfurly Shield holders, as they were also to be in 1930 when the British & Irish Lions toured, and in 1937 when South Africa toured again, where the game was described by one former All Black as the 'Battle of Muderloo'. The game was played at the Invercargill Showgrounds, the more familiar Rugby Park ground not coming into use until a year later.
Southland v South Africa at Invercargill’s Showgrounds. (Otago Witness photo)
Former All Black E.E. Booth, the coach of the Southlanders, said the surface was 'a clinging entanglement of mud'.
Clean, honest slime or mud a player can wade through, but a playing ground with a surface as adhesive as actual fly-paper reduces football to a mere unattractive spectacle of brute strength and weight. Speedy men attempted to spring and ran like old cob horses in the street.[3]
It was the same for the kickers. Eleven attempts were made at goal and all failed.
Winning 12-0, by scoring four tries to none, two of them to wing Attie van Heerden, South Africa demonstrated again that the provinces, Canterbury excepted, didn't know what had hit them. Booth maintained the Springboks were the most under-rated football combination that had ever been assembled.
They win by small margins, they win by methods and styles strange to us in New Zealand, but they win and will keep on winning.[4]
Against Southland, they enjoyed an overall weight advantage in the pack of 21st 5lb heavier while the average weight difference in the backs was one stone per man.
The home team surprised when skipper, and wing-forward, Don Baird allowed the opposition to feed every scrum. It left Booth baffled. He said it was the 'most untoward action I think I have ever seen in football'.[5]
However, Booth also felt there were aspects of the Springboks game that were going unpunished. The dummy running by the halfback from the rear of the scrum was dangerous while the 'flying wedge' they employed from lineouts was similar to that which originated in American football and which had been ruled illegal by that game's authorities because of the number of fatalities suffered in its application. Booth felt the South Africans were also testing the line of off-side rulings.
Without wishing to unduly infer that the Africans play unfairly or adopt tactics adverse to the rules of the game, I certainly think they have been lucky in the referee department. So far they have not encountered one of stoic temperament who will consciously oppose some of their own new and original workings. A lenient allowance to visiting teams is not always met with in referees. Both the All Blacks and the First and Second Springboks struck some 'snags' in England and Wales.[6]
A series of action shots from Southland v South Africa at the Invercargill Showgrounds. (Otago Witness)
Next it was Otago's turn in Dunedin, the last before the first Test. Both games being played at Carisbrook. Otago, similarly outweighed up front, looked to move the Springboks around. Otago led 3-0 at the turn, courtesy of a penalty goal landed by centre Reg Bell. The game proved a niggly affair and early in the second half Boy Morkel, the captain for the day, made a threat that he would take South Africa from the field if the fighting continued. It took referee, and 1903 All Black to Australia, Jack Stalker to deliver a warning to both teams for rugby to resume. The Otago Daily Times said Stalker had spoken to both sides late in the first half after some effective spoiling play by wing forward Sid Cabot hindered Springboks halfback Townsend.
The game in the first half-hour was more vigorous than scientific. It lacked interest as a result. A lot of bad feeling between the opposing packs was apparent, and the referee at last blew his whistle and told the captains of both sides to exercise control over their teams. The warning had its effect. Both sides assert that it was the other fellow who started the rough work. Whoever started it, the Otago players seemingly got the worst of it. Morkel, the captain of the Springboks, stated on the ground that if the rough play was not stopped, he would take his men off.[7]
Stalker, from Otago originally, was living in Southland at the time, said afterwards that it was the hardest game he had refereed. He said he spoke to the captains and had a heart-to-heart with them and that seemed to have a good effect as the play toward the end of the game had been spectacular.
Eventually, the superior South African weight took its toll, and, in the final quarter, the power game emerged for South Africa to run in three tries by achieving their fastest passing game of the tour to date, to win 11-3. Their strong finish suggested they were nearing their peak for the Test series, while the Otago forward effort had been outstanding.
There is nothing spectacular in their play. There were no dashing dribbling forward rushes such as the spectators of interprovincial matches in New Zealand expect to see, no 'corkscrew' runs by the backs, no cutting-in – not one South African back tried the 'cut-in' yesterday. The game, indeed, as an exhibition of high-class football was very poor indeed. It resolved itself into a forward tussle – massed play, scrums, and line-outs.[8]
Morkel was ill and unable to attend the after-game dinner, so Pienaar spoke on his behalf, offering a critique that Otago had developed their forward play at the expense of their backs. The South Africans were disappointed with the back play they had seen in New Zealand in the run-up to the first Test. A province producing players of the type South Africa had met in Dunedin would be able to play a splendid style of rugby, he said.
NEXT: The first Test.
References: [1] The Star (Christchurch), 30 July 1921
[2] Editorial, The Press, 1 August 1921
[3] E.E. Booth, The African Invasion, Christchurch Star, 12 August 1921
[4] ibid
[5] ibid
[6] ibid
[7] Otago Daily Times, 11 August 1921, p.2
[8] ibid