As a New Zealander myself, I understand this philosophy completely. It’s not just the All Blacks themselves, every rugby nut in the country hates it when the AB’s get beaten. In this explanation, to my mind, Bobby Duff is saying, no, stating, that they were beaten by a better team on the day, who played with the dominating aggression usually associated with the All Blacks, a pre-requisite of winning a rugby match. They would be better prepared for the remainder of the tour.
Needless to say, Duffs words were misconstrued by Thomas, or contorted to mean that the AB’s meant war when they took to the field in Cardiff. No doubt the Cardiff boys had been talking to the victorious Llanelli side about all manner of avenues that they might look down for success themselves. And there’s little doubt that ‘match their aggression’ would have been one piece of sage advice offered.
It was known that Carwyn James had shown them footage of the Llanelli game.
The media ‘war of words’ between the Llanelli and Cardiff matches was still basking, from the British press point of view, in rosy glow from the Scarlets deserved victory. That plus the dwelling on Lions success the previous New Zealand winter and an overall feeling of superiority the Welsh now believed they had over their Kiwi counterparts. A sort of cynical, chastising superiority.
Although Newport had beaten the 1963/64 All Blacks, it was almost 20 years since the national side had defeated New Zealand in Wales and they’d had taken two smashing’s in 1969, in Christchurch and Auckland.
Llanelli, with ferocious passion and pride, had shown the AB’s to be inexperienced and vulnerable…and anything they could do, so could Cardiff or Newport. Even Gwent or East Glamorgan must surely have fancied their chances and Wales, well, it was almost a formality that they’d win.
They’d waited for this a long time.
The All Blacks and management themselves, would no doubt have been resolutely determined that they were not going to lose two games in a row, come what may. That would be making history for all the wrong reasons.
So what transpired was called a ‘disgrace to the game’, when two sides - hell bent on winning - ended up brawling for most of the match, where very little constructive rugby was actually played. Or, depending on which press report one reads, the All Blacks attempted to play rugby.
PETER GEORGE BUSH CNZM QSM (16th October, 1930-)
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Veteran New Zealand photographer, Peter Bush or “Bushy”, has been taking pictures since the 1940s. He has built up a huge archive of historically important sporting and cultural images.
He is renowned as a rugby photographer and is as much a part of rugby in New Zealand as any of the players that he has photographed.
He has been capturing the All Blacks since his first assignment as news photographer for the New Zealand Herald in 1949.
In the early 1960s, covering rugby became his ruling passion, one that saw him covering the sport long past retirement age.
On the 1972 All Black tour to the North America, the United Kingdom & France, Bushy was the chief photographer for The Truth newspaper and lived in the Wellington suburb of Island Bay.
Seen here leaving Trentham Race course sometime during the 1960's...and looking like someone normally would be leaving the Trentham races after a skin full of the amber suds.
46,000 spectators packed into Cardiff Arms Park, one of the most historic of grounds throughout the rugby playing world, where one might safely say it must surely be a privilege to attend a match, beyond to actually play on the hallowed turf.
Of the 30-strong seventh All Blacks, only Kirky had previously played on the Arms Park. That was another occasion, five years prior, when ‘a hastily arranged’ East Wales side were ‘unlucky’, holding what was most definitely the best rugby side in the world in 1967, to a 3-3 draw.
The East Wales side included four backs who would tour New Zealand with the Welsh side in 1969 and return with the victorious 1971 Lions; Gerald Davies, Sid Dawes, Barry John and Gareth Edwards. Of course, East Wales should have won.
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Ian Kirkpatrick in 1967. Courtesy of the National Library of New Zealand.
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“Afterwards the All Blacks manager, Charlie Saxton, spoke to us, and said they were very, very fortunate not to have lost. It was a harsh lesson for a young player like me to learn, but the All Blacks absolutely never gave up until the game was over. Tony Steel went on a great run down the wing, and that was 3-3, it was just about the only chance they had. Even then, Barry John had a drop-goal chance at the death that just took the paint off the upright. Had we won it, against one of the greatest teams I ever played against, people would still be talking about it with great reverence. It was a wonderful performance by a side that had been put together literally in a week”.
Gareth Edwards, The Guardian, 2009
Clock, while enduring some slow hand-clapping, banged over two penalty goals in the 6th and 13th minutes and Welsh throats, usually graced with the voices of angels, fell silent.
Twig and BJ Robertson were involved in a fracas with - at one point - five Cardiff backs.
BeeGee took a kicking at one point, with an already angered Grizz quick to his aid and but for the intervention of referee Young, he and Roger Beard, who was ‘constantly looking for a showdown’, according to Mortlock, would certainly have come to blows.
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Twig and BJ Robertson, two of the nicest guys in the AB's come to blows with Cardiff centre, Neil Williams during the first half.
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Having taken control of the scoreboard, the All Blacks kept the pressure on with strong forward drives, some Super Sid darts around the fringes and some enterprising attacks, the name Batty to the fore. Valuable territorial gains were made through eager support of the ball carrier, as they searched for the definitive score which would give them that seemingly unassailable lead.
In the 37th minute, the tourists had the feed to a line out mid-way between the 10 and 22m lines in Cardiff territory. Batts threw to the line-out and Pole won a scrappy affair, not great ball for Going to deal with, but the half-back ducked back into the forwards to set up second phase.
Batts went into scrum half and fed a charging Grizz down a narrow passage on the left hand blindside.
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“Wyllie the flank forward, inside to Ian Kirkpatrick, he’s got 25 yards to go. He’s a giant of a man, what a try…what a try!! Well, we’ve seen this before. Ian Kirkpatrick doing what few forwards in the world have ever been able to do. Running like a colossus down this famous stadium and he must be very pleased indeed and the crowd loved it.”
Cliff Morgan, BBC match commentary, 4/11/1972
Ian Kirkpatrick scores his colossus try in the 37th minute, which took the All Blacks out to a 10-0 lead. Twig in support.
Back near the halfway line, while Kirky plunged himself in at the corner, Keefy and Batts were engaged in fisticuffs with three Cardiff players. Four moments after the restart, Burgess punted high and as the ball descended, Jeff Matheson met the full flush of an uppercut from Ian Robbo Robinson, which put him out like a light.
“I remember nothing about who or what hit me. Last thing I remember it was 10-0, then I woke up in the ambulance on the way to hospital.”
Jeff Matheson, Kirky’s All Blacks - Vol. 1 (1973)
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​ As Matheson was stretchered from the field, fearing reprisal, Robinson tore off the tape which was his headband. He received a verbal battering at all ensuing line-outs for the remainder of the match.
With all respect to the other major contenders, on tour or back home in New Zealand, Joe Morgan for example, Mark Sayers was the best inside centre option available to the selectors for the upcoming test matches.
Lungbuster Parkinson was a very fine player, of that there is no doubt. The same for 20 year old Archie Hurst, who was maturing at a great rate and could possibly be a future AB captain?
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Twig Sayers, obstructed by his opposite, Alex Finlayson. Should he have been given a run in at least one international or the Barbarians match?
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But Twig was without doubt the most creative option - in between the equally expressive Burgess and the dynamic Robertson - and in the best traditions of British rugby, the most Mike Gibson-like.
He had spent the 1970 season working and playing in the United Kingdom and upon his return to Wellington, reinvigorated the local backline, based upon the recent attacking ethos of the ’71 Lions. It was always a great shame to me that he was never given at least the Barbarians game, where, with the free-flowing rugby on offer, I’m certain he would have made a contribution to the game.
In fact, the Twig, was highly regarded as a disciple of attacking rugby at home and was out to dispel myths that New Zealand back play was stereo-typed and unimaginative.
“Our 1924 All Blacks were known to have run the ball at any opportunity. And I recall Bob Scott once saying that the art of rugby is evasion and the way to achieve that is the timing of the pass. The pass is critical for a centre, even more important than being able to kick. The Lions then reminded us of the potency of counterattack.”
Mark Sayers, Kirky’s All Blacks - Vol. 1 (1973)
It was Twig himself who opened the scoring after 15 minutes of the second half following a botched 22m drop out by Keith James. Going gathered in the kick and swung the ball left to Kirky, onto Bevan Holmes, with Twig up to take the final pass and race behind the posts for Clock to convert. New Zealand 14-0.
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It's a try for Twig Sayers on the Arms Park, which, once converted put the All Black's out to 16-0.
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From the restart, Kirky bolted clear and following the resultant ruck, with the AB’s in overdrive, Cardiff were walked back 20 metres. Super Sid chipped away behind his forwards ‘like a man with a rotary lawn mower, powered by a remote control’, according to Hedley Mortlock.
“With his (Going’s) instantaneous acceleration, his gathering of the ball on the run, his resilience, he remains a menace to any but the most tenacious defence.”
David Frost, The Guardian, 1972
Nine minutes later, Going again, with a weaving, dodging run, created enough space, via Kirky for Batts to dive in at the corner. New Zealand 20-0.
The crowd disagreed with the decision and took it out on Clock as he lined up the conversion. Two apples were thrown from the crowd, landing near the All Black full-back. Then a beer can, then a toilet roll.
The last scoring act belonged to the great scrum-half, Sir Gareth Owen Edwards. Cardiff No. 8, Carl Smith, sent flanker, Roger Lane, away down the blindside of a scrum, before captain, Mervyn John, lent a hand in setting up the score for Edwards.
Even then, an incident involving Bruce Robertson’s thumb and Edwards nose, ensured that the drama made it from the first scrum to the last whistle.
This was a very much improved effort by the tourists overall and one that R H Duff must have been very proud of. Not the game itself of course, but the underplayed All Black effort. New Zealand won the line-outs by 14-8 and the rucks by 11-3. Kirky, Keefy and Pole - all playing their third consecutive match since arriving in the UK, made ‘yeoman efforts in the tight’, Keefy even being further referred to as a ‘trojan’.
Pole and Toby Macdonald had excelled in the line-outs, Macdonald producing an excellent all-round display that saw his name hastily pencilled into one of the locking spots for the Welsh test. The entire All Black pack were surprisingly mobile and as promised by Mr. Duff, driving and rucking was carried out with vigour and spirit.
“What upsets British players is the difference in the interpretation of fair rucking. The New Zealander’s don’t care what they do to get a man out of the way if he’s gone down on the ball.”
Mervyn John, Cardiff captain.
Seemingly most affected by the torrid brawl that had masqueraded as a game of rugby was none other than Sid Going, sporting sprig abrasions of his own, all down his rib cage. In his recently acquired black beret, complete with sideburns, he looked very reminiscent of some Latin-American revolutionary as he stormed from the All Blacks dressing room, looking as black as thunder and refusing to sign autographs.
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Milt Going, didn't really see the funny side of all the brawling and left the All Black dressing room 'as black as thunder!'
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The after match function was friendly enough, but back in their hotel in Swansea, the NZ journo’s were filing their reports for various newspapers and magazines back home. The churlish ‘War of Words’ continued between the journalistic ‘alickadoo’s’ of both Blighty and the Shaky Isles and both were clearly at odds.
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“A touring team in any land must behave itself, come what may, on the field. It must accept the referee’s decisions and not ‘ask’ continually. The Lions of 1971 showed the way in this and one felt that the All Blacks of 1972 were unduly petulant and impatient, which may have been due to inexperience. If Cardiff lost friends, the All Blacks certainly gained no new ones.”
J B G Thomas, The Avenging All Blacks (1973)
“Cardiff were more interested in playing the man than the ball. Obstructive tactics, used blatantly, made the match a sour and sometimes bitter affair. Several flare-ups were sparked off by Welshmen tackling New Zealander’s without the ball…Cardiff’s approach to the game was deplorable. If this is what all the distinguished coaches counselled them to do during a week of brain-washing, then rugby in the Welsh capital is surely doomed.”
Roy Williams, Christchurch Press, (1972)
Bryn Thomas claimed it was ‘nonsense’ and refuted that there was a campaign in Wales to get an All Black, presumably Keefy the ‘caged gorilla’, sent from the field. He wrote that it mattered little who lit the fuse in this particular match, because the intent was already there - ‘victory at any price’.
Even King John had commented that he believed it to have been a worse exhibition of rugby than the famous Canterbury-Lions match from 18 months prior.
“I can recall little that happened in the match - in a rugby sense - but plenty of brawling, fighting, punching, wrestling and fouling, such as the karate chop upon Gareth Edwards after he scored his try and the left hook that KO’d Jeff Matheson.”
J B G Thomas, The Avenging All Blacks, (1973)
More Cardiff action in the gallery at left