15. Cambridge Cloisters
Match 06: Grange Road, Cambridge, England. November 8th, 1972
Cambridge University 3, New Zealand All Blacks 34 (Half-time: 0-8)
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For NZL: Batty 4T, Sutherland 2T, Wyllie T. Karam C, Going 2C.
For Cambridge Howard P
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Cambridge University: Ian Williamson (Sidcup GS & Fitzwilliam)(R: Adrian Walker (Luton GS & Emmanuel), 43'), Steve Page (Haberdashers Askes & Emmanuel), John Howard (Birkenhead & Trinity)(c), Norman Drummond (Merchison & Fitzwilliam)(went off, not replaced 65'), Graham Phillips (Cray Valley GS & Queen's), Chris Williams (Bridgend GS & Clare), Richard Harding (Millfield & St. John's), John Dickens (Oundle & Corpus Christi), Bill Jones (Campbell College, Belfast & Queen's), Bob Wilkinson (St. Alban's & Emmanuel), Richard Thomas (Llandeilo GS & Christ's), Toney Foley (Fettes & Christ's), Geoff Rees (Neath GS & Emmanuel), John Smith (Neath GS & Selwyn), Charlie Goodall (Sherborne & St. Catherine's)(R; Tim Lintott (Blundell's & Christ's), 36').
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New Zealand: Joe Karam, Duncan Hales, Ian Hurst, Mike Parkinson, Grant Batty, Ian Stevens, Sid Going (c), Alan Sutherland (R: Alistair Scown, 65'), Ken Stewart, Andy Haden, Ian Eliason, Alex Wyllie, Kent Lambert, Ron Ulrich, Graham Whiting.
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Weather: Sunny. Ground: Firm. Crowd: 16,000. Referee: Georges Domercq (France)
Penalties: Cam 12, NZL 7. Line-outs: NZL 22, Cam 14. Rucks: NZL 17, Cam 8. Tight-heads: Urlich 4, Smith 0
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"The All Blacks left Cardiff on Sunday for the cultural warmth of Cambridge. No doubt they were much relieved to leave the land of Dragons and Merlins, where there are rugby players as hard as themselves, coaches just as clever as their own and follower's who are just as 'one-eyed' as those in New Zealand...but with a far greater sense of humour..."
J B G Thomas, The Avenging All Blacks (1973)
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Ho, hum.
Bryn then spends the next three pages in his book deriding the New Zealand press, the fact that we take rugby too seriously and are humourless, that the 1959 British & Irish Lions should have won the test series in New Zealand and the state of British Rail. One can also sense in the language of his writing that he is rather agitated. This 'war of words' of his (and other Fleet Streeters) with the New Zealand press contingent was obviously niggling at him.
Following a very accurate, but undiplomatic and unnecessary, NZPA cabled report by John Brooks; "The All Blacks did rugby union a service in convincingly beating the punching, jersey pulling, early tackling Cardiff team", the legendary JBG asks; "does anybody honestly believe, as Mr. Brooks apparently did, that the All Blacks were not guiltless?"
Well, the answer to that quite simply is we are not morons down here in the antipodes. We just don't like be treated like cute little colonials. Guiltless? How can any team with Grizz and Keefy and Moose and Pole and Sully (for example), not be guilty?
They were lucky Alister Hopkinson had fallen from favour because of his fists and subsequently retired. I am certainly not condoning the knuckle, which was part of the game during these days - the world over - just pointing out there could have been worse critters selected.
Coming from down-under, also in the case of Australia, South Africa for that matter, the sun just shines more often. Anyone would be humourless if they found themselves in the depths of a British winter.
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The All Black entourage checked into the University Arms, ‘an excellent and comfortable establishment’, renowned for the historic and grandeur, complete with the finest dining and an impressive wine cellar.
At 4am on Monday morning, some of the non-players for the upcoming fixture against the Cambridge Blues were involved in some ‘shenanigans’, which resulted in some minor damage, attended to by hotel staff later that morning.
It was TP’s turn to have a grizzle. He was alarmed that the ‘culture in the cloisters’ was of little interest to these All Blacks. Only half a dozen plus management could be ‘dragooned’ for the official grand tour of the University.
The truth was though, most of the team were chilling out on their beds in the hotel. Bob Duff had given the All Blacks their toughest training run of the tour in the morning, because five of the team would be playing their first match in Britain. Desperate to build up some form of co-ordination, he ran the team 'flat stick' for two hours.
Grizz, Sully and Alistair Scown, knew a bit about or had vested interests in horse-breeding. So they and others went down the road to the thoroughbred industry’s ‘National Stud’, to have a look at Brigadier Gerard, a stallion whose ‘every erection was said to be worth thousands of pounds.’
Brigadier Gerard (1968-1989) was a son of the stallion Queen's Hussar, out of La Paiva, a daughter of Prince Chevalier. In a racing career which had ended literally weeks before in October, he had won seventeen of his eighteen starts.
His only defeat had come on August 15th, during the inaugural running of the ‘Benson & Hedges Gold Cup’, York Racecourse’s biggest event and regarded as ‘one of the classiest races of the calendar’. Brigadier Gerard was beaten, which produced one of the greatest shocks in European racing history.
The race was considered a possible stage for the great rematch between champion horses Mill Reef and the Brigadier, considered two of the all-time greats, who had battled it out earlier in the 1971 ‘2,000 Guineas’, with Brigadier Gerard winning by three lengths.
At the tote, race favourite Mill Reef’s main rival was expected to be My Swallow (2/1), he too unbeaten, making this the strongest six-horse line-up in the races history.
The early pace was a strong one on the good to firm ground, with My Swallow making the running down the middle of the course, Mill Reef with Brigadier Gerard just behind.
“Just as we were finding it difficult to decide which of the leading pair would last the better, Brigadier Gerard, set alight running into the Dip, responded most gamely to vigorous riding, took command on the rising ground and strode away strongly to win in very clear-cut fashion by three lengths from Mill Reef, who lasted slightly better than My Swallow.”
Racehorses (1971)
The new 'Benson & Hedges Gold Cup' race had ‘more plot-lines than a Shakespeare comedy’ according to Sean Magee writing for thoroughbredracing website in 2016. 35,000 enthusiasts packed into York that Tuesday afternoon. Among them was Queen Elizabeth II, the first reigning monarch to visit York races since Charles I, nearly three and a half centuries earlier.
The five runners were loaded into the stalls on the far side of the Knavesmire and the race had the feel of a coronation before the hot favourite, Brigadier Gerard, won his 16th race in a 16-race career.
As they swung into the long York straight, Roberto, who had led from the start, was showing no sign of flagging and with a half mile to go, Bright Beam had been burned off and Rheingold was struggling. But the Brigadier was starting to close on the leader, who was still barrelling along relentlessly.
With under a quarter of a mile to run, Brigadier Gerard had cut the deficit to little more than a length and it looked to his legions of supporters that he would catch Roberto and go on to a hard-fought, but decisive victory.
A few seconds later the unthinkable truth hit them. Roberto was finding more and seemed to be easily keeping Joe Mercer and the Brigadier at bay – a famous moment in English racing history.
Jockey, Joe Mercer (who died in 2021, aged 86) says that the Brigadier was sick on the day and that ‘mucus poured out of him’.
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“He was a freak horse with tremendous enthusiasm and speed the class to win beyond his distance. He was a horse you never thought about getting beat on.”
Joe Mercer, jockey.
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Brigadier Gerard was not a success as a sire, and much less successful than his contemporary and rival Mill Reef. But he did get a classic winner in Light Cavalry who won the St. Leger Stakes in 1980 as well as Vayrann, the controversial winner of the 1981 Champion Stakes.
Brigadier Gerard is now considered the best racehorse trained in Britain in the 20th century.
The University Rugby Club had offered the warmest of hospitality to the seventh All Blacks and some of the organisers were ‘affronted’ at the teams offhanded attitudes and lack of discipline. TP questioned the players ‘singular deficiencies as persons of intelligence’. They’d even shown little interest in viewing the Cavendish Laboratory, where their countryman, Ernest Rutherford had first split the atom.
It should also be remembered that they’d just spent a week in Wales, vilified by the press, booed and jeered at on the field of play and outside their hotel, defeated in one game and battered and bruised from a brace of very intense, physically hard rugby matches.
They, my favourite All Black touring side of all time, were constantly under scrutiny on this tour, with endless probes and ceaseless examinations and accusations which simply never let up. Just as the Lions had been by the NZPA the season before.
Seven of the team were 21 or under and arriving in Blighty from sleepy ol’ New Zealand in 1972, they’d never experienced anything like the public and media attention they were now receiving.
And some of the rugby writers - of the English and Welsh papers particularly - were like blood-thirsty vampires, hanging on Keefy snorting at some official, or grumpy Sid who couldn't put the ball in straight, or our misinterpretation of the 'rucking' laws to mean 'trampling was OK'. It was all too much for such an inexperienced touring side.
So even here, early in the tour, the shy kid was internalising his world and the best hope they had of surviving as a unit was to turn inward as a group.
Again, from my part, I'm not condoning the shunning of autograph hunters or the snobbing of gracious hosts etc, but perhaps stronger management or a more mature approach may have been beneficial or warranted.
Personally, I was delighted. These guys were now colloquially known at home as 'the hairy blacks', with anything but the traditional 'short-back-and-sides' of All Blacks past.
Although I was just eight, I thought this was a definitive move to get hip, especially as JPR was my true rugby hero - Nectar and Twiggy aside. I loved long hair. But most old codgers in Aotearoa site it as 'the beginning of the end', simultaneously as the locks and tresses arrived, the AB's turned a corner for the worst and I can understand that in them.
On match day morning some sightseeing was in order, in and around the beautiful town of Cambridge. Those same non-players, with Bob Duff joining in, played football (Keefy was the keeper) on the historic strip which ran adjacent to the hotel, known as ‘Parker’s Piece’ (made famous by the great English cricketer, Jack Hobbs).
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In naming the side to play Cambridge University, pointed out at painful lengths by the home press that they were 'no more than a bunch of schoolboys', Duff, Todd and Kirkpatrick had to first eliminate the injured. Trevor Morris; it was very near the eleventh hour and a phone call home for a replacement.
Probably the first cab off the rank was Counties, Bob Lendrum. He had played and well and kicked his goals in the final trial. Some learned folk had considered him the best fullback in the country at the start of the '72 season anyway and were surprised that Morris got the nod ahead of him for the internal tour and the Australian tests. He'd also played Hawke Cup cricket for Franklin during the 1970/71 season and was a most useful right handed batsman and right arm, medium pace bowler.
Bob Lendrum would get his chance in 1973.
Knowing the severity of Morris's injury, Super Sid may also have had the sulks over his brother, Ken, who hadn't even really come into the reckoning despite an outstanding season for North Auckland, especially in the Ranfurly Shield matches. But back in real time, Clock would play against Cambridge out of necessity, meaning he'd been the full back in all four matches since arriving in the UK.
George Skudder was still out with his hamstring injury and Bruce Robertson had joined the injury list, breaking his thumb in attempting to tackle or 'karate chop' Gareth Edwards as he scored a last minute try in the Cardiff match. He would have plaster on his hand/wrist for three weeks.
Jeff Matheson spent the night in hospital under observation following the same match. He had a sore jaw and slight concussion, but rejoined the team the following day. Even so, he was not considered for the Cambridge match. Neither was Keefy after his Yeoman's service in the first three matches in the UK, so it was a first run on start for Moose and a first start on tour (UK section) for 20 year old Kent Lambert.
The same for Balfour Stewart and Legs Eliason in the pack and Nectar and Archie Hurst in the backline. Thus, the 'dirt-trackers' were rolled out for this one, principally to give those a rest who'd played three from three. Even Kirky was rested and Milt took over the captaincy for the match.
Bob Duff even gave the All Blacks their toughest training run on tour on the Monday morning, because he wanted to build up some co-ordination between the five debutants before the match on Wednesday.
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Batts was the only player then, to have played in all six matches thus far in North America and the United Kingdom. Selected to play against New York, Western Counties, Cardiff and Cambridge and coming on as a replacement in the games against British Columbia and Llanelli.
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Batts was the hero of the match against Cambridge University, running in four of the All Blacks seven tries. Balfour Stewart is the closest in support.
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It was Grant Batty that the Cambridge match will be remembered for. Amongst some fairly average rugby all round, Batts 'darted, ducked and dived' his way to a four try Batty Bonanza, which for once, had the critics raving.
Not since Grahame Thorne had New Zealand had a back with such cut loose razzle-dazzle and with the ability to step of either foot - and the acceleration of a moon rocket - even King John was impressed.
The Members stand at Grange Road, reminiscent of a Victorian cricket pavilion, broke into polite applause on each occasion as Batts ran in tries in the 26th, 37th, 46th and 77th minutes.
The blooding of the five players did little to help with any sort of real cohesion and Clock had a particularly poor day with the boot. He missed seven place kicks and a dropped goal attempt, before landing a conversion from dead in front, receiving an enormously ironic cheer from the crowd. Milt took over an landed two further conversions (from two attempts).
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"I knew what I was doing wrong - kicking across the ball - but I couldn't correct it. Maybe I was too casual. I sort of felt that in this match, the kicks weren't so important. . It really cheesed me off missing those two close penalties and the easy conversion."
Joe Karam, Rugby News Tour Book, Vol 1 (1973)
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While Clocks goal kicking was dreadful, his general full back play was near impeccable. For the first twenty minutes the Cambridge flyhalf, Chris Williams (younger brother of JPR) seemed compelled to bombard Karam with high kicks. All were fielded by Joe, a lot of them straight down his throat and each were despatched to touch in an efficient manner.
Legs and Andy Haden were 'lead footed' in the line-outs though. By contrast, a 'spring-heeled' young giant named Bob Wilkinson had looked good enough to play for his country. A superb physical specimen, he was an exciting prospect for the English selectors, something to think about at best.
He gave a masterly exhibition of jumping and catching during the first spell, but gradually ran out of partners as the injury toll mounted, by which time Eliason and Haden had gotten moving and the ledger was back in the All Blacks favour.
Nectar looked nervous in his first match on tour. He dropped the first pass he received and didn't seem to be able to settle. David Frost wrote in the Guardian that Stevens looked 'like a halfback playing at first five'. Parkinson and Hurst in the centre's seemed short on cut and thrust also and many tries went begging through what appeared to be simply over-eagerness.
In Nectar's defence, the majority of passes he received from Going were rotten apples, which in turn did affect the whole backline.
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"The performance of Ian Stevens at first five against Cambridge did not suggest that he could take over the top job in a test if Bob Burgess happened to be injured."
John Reason, Rugby News Tour Book, Vol 1 (1973)
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"Technically, it was a bad game from our point of view. Cambridge University won too much line-out and rucked ball that should have been ours. It was understandable that there should have been a certain lack of cohesion in our game today because so many new players were in the side. Sid Going threw out some bad passes and this didn't help Ian Stevens and the rest of the backline."
Bob Duff, Roy Williams, NZPA-Christchurch Press (1972)
The most impressive of the new bloods was certainly Kenny Balfour Stewart, his youthful exuberance and ferocious tackling a feature of his all round good play.
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Balfour (at left), watches with interest as Sully grounds the ball for one of his two tries in the Cambridge fixture. Ron Urlich too, has eyes on the ball.
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"The All Blacks midfield players were pedestrian by international standards. Even when creating overlaps they either kicked or passed badly. This is criminal when you have a world class player like Grant Batty waiting on the wing. He possesses a wonderful acceleration and can sidestep off either foot."
Barry John, Daily Express (1972).
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After the match, the All Blacks held a singing session in their 'allocated bar' at the University Arms, before going on to the after match function.
The story of NECTAR & TWIGGY continues by clicking on the link below.