France Humiliates Australia In A Riot Of
Football Scoring
by Jim Mathers
Australia and France had some of their most memorable battles
in World Cup encounters. While the French today are a shadow
of their best, they arguably had their finest moment in a Test
in Sydney in 1951.
Yesterday France humiliated Australia in a riot of scoring to
win the Third rugby league Test match, and the Ashes, by the
stunning margin of 35 points to 14 by the locals.
The gate was the colossal sum of more than £11,000. Sydney
Cricket Ground was almost choked to capacity with the season's
record crowd of 67,009 spectators, who long before the struggle
was over had wrapped themselves in crepe at Australia's astonishing
debacle.
Australia was not beaten. Australia was thrashed. Never in the
long history of rugby league has an Australian Test team left
the field so completely overwhelmed as yesterday.
The Frenchmen decimated and then pulverised Australia. Our pipsqueak
defence was torn to shreds. The Frenchmen started an unrelenting
storming of the line with delightful chain-passing movements
that left our players standing as though hypnotised. At no time
did Australia ever appear to have a chance.
Australia, indeed, played a losing game from the first blow
of the referee's whistle. The Frenchmen deserved full honours
for their magnificent victory. Clearly and decisively they were
the better team on the day's play. Unfortunately they were aided
and abetted by happenings during the week which brought forth
bitter invective and violent recrimination among officials later
on in the dressing room.
Australia did not play Test football yesterday. We played a
sort of kiss-in-the-ring more befitting the ring-a-ringy-rosy
of a Sunday school picnic.
There was not a single spark of life, snap or action about anything
Australia did. Our players took the field in an apologetic,
begpardon spirit. This was because of an asinine policy of the
Australian Board of Control. Without authority, members of the
Board visited the training camp of each team on Thursday morning
and preached a policy of appeasement, fearing that yesterday's
game might develop into a riot or something.
This "peace-parley' was wholly unwarranted. The decision
to act in this outrageously kindergarten manner was never put
before the full Board of Control. Queensland members disclaimed
all knowledge of the action. Our players were importuned on
Thursday to be "nice boys" on the field, to "kiss
the Frenchmen and make it up" sort-of-thing. They were
given a grandfatherly lecture by the famous octogenarian-mind
section of the Australian Board of Control, on the gentility
match football.
Is it any wonder that our boys indulged themselves in their
kindergarten game with the speedy, clever Frenchmen, into whose
hands the Australian Board's childish policy played with such
consummate effect. Test football is, or at least should be,
hard. It is upon that tradition that Test football, which is
a trial of strength between two national teams, has flourished.
This does not mean that Test football should be brutal. But
it should never descend, as did Australia's anaemic effort yesterday
against France, to the namby-pamby of the dressing room.
Several Australian selectors were disgusted. One of them, Mr
Cyril Connell, a solid-thinking Queensland official, did not
mince matters. After paying France a graceful tribute for its
victory, Mr Connell said: "I am now satisfied that Australia
will have to build up a new team for the tour of England and
France next year. There should be a great opportunity for young
players."
Australia's coach Vic Hey was obviously upset. He had planned
that possession of the ball would win the day. Despite Australia's
overwhelming win in the scrums by 29-17, the Frenchmen scored
no fewer than seven dazzling tries, of which Jo Crespo the halfback
scored three. And it was not until the dying stages of a one-sided
struggle that Australia managed, more by the grace of France
than its own sustained effort, to score two tries.
Vic Hey said: "Australia was beaten by the better team
which played good, clean football. Our players allowed France's
forwards to go through." That comment is the pith of the
whole match. Our players tackled so badly that the Frenchmen
simply bolted through to an open field, and raced to a well
deserved victory.
Big Elie Brousse, champion French second row forward, only had
to get the ball for a vigorous helter-skelter through the jaded
ranks of his opponents, time after time. Brousse brushed off
Australians as though they were offending flies.
The Frenchmen sometimes raced out to an open field for 40 yards.
One of these tornadic bursts resulted in a magnificent try.
Brousse was tackled by Wally O'Connell two feet from the line,
but recovered and shot himself across for a crowning effort
of individualism against a disjointedand disunited front. Brian
Davies, who careered into the big fellow, was sternly cautioned
by the referee Tom McMahon.
Australia yesterday was not a shadow of the rugged team that
licked the speedy French in Brisbane a few weeks ago. But it
may be said for the Frenchmen that they played the games of
their dear lives. Certainly they kept the game clean. There
was nothing to fight about. The Australians were oh, so genteel
they dared not offend the polite Frenchmen, whose spectacular
displays had endeared them to the Australian public.
Every one of the seven tries scored by the Frenchmen resulted
first from mistakes by their opponents. Two tries in the first
half were obtained through Australians, who had possession of
the ball, allowing it to be neatly taken from them in an attacking
position. To capitalise on the mistakes of an opponent is, of
course, good football. And for this achievement the Frenchmen
are to be congratulated. But when the din of yesterday's battle
has ceased in the years to come, the Third Test will be remembered
surely as the Australian team's contribution to the peace of
the rugby league world. Peace, peace, at any price.
Puig-Aubert, France's brilliant goal-kicking captain, played
a dominating part in the victory. He kicked seven goals to break
Dally Messenger's record of 11 for a Test series in 1910. His
positional linekicking and general play were also deciding factors.
Brousse and Ponsinet, the "terrible twins" of France's
second row, also triumphed.
But two other players who figured greatly in the picture were
Jo Crespo, halfback, and Rene Duffort, the five-eighth. Crespo
scored three magnificent tries through backing-up in the breakthrough,
two of which were engineered by Duffort. Duffort made other
tries possible by his clever switching of the attack.
As to the Australians, we must regrettably offer brickbats in
place of bouquets.
The forwards, who were to have been the pivot of success, cavorted
like dainty ballet dancers who were up and down in the same
place. Schubert, the hooker, alone deserves mention for the
efficient manner in which he won the ball, aided by Denis Donoghue.
Among the backs Hawke was sound in defence. There was such misunderstanding
between the halves, Holman and O'Connell, that no vestige of
a plan of concerted attack among the backs ever materialised.
O'Connell penetrated the defence brilliantly at times. He did
not always tackle with the same soundness. Hazzard was sometimes
sound in defence. But his combination with the wingers, Flannery
and Pidding, was clod-hop and slip-shod. Churchill battled along
like an orphan in the storm, despairing of the lukewarm attempts
his team-mates made to get through. He ran and kicked well,
but the Frenchmen never gave him any latitude. They were on
him like a pack of wolves.
As to the details of the game, the pendulum quickly swung France's
way. Two minutes from the start, Puig-Aubert kicked a fine penalty
goal. France were never headed afterwards. Less than 20 minutes
from the kickoff, France was away to a lead of 7-0, aided by
a dazzling passing move which Puig-Aubert began. Comes shot
ahead and Crespo, running in support, took the pass to go over.
When Duffort made Australia look silly weaving in and out of
weak tackles to send Crespo over for his second try, Australia's
stocks already were at a low ebb. France 12-4 (two goals by
Pidding) was already racing away to victory and the Ashes.
Shortly before halftime the Frenchmen rubbed salt into the wounds
with two rapid-firing tries, one by Brousse, who made mincemeat
of the opposition to run 40 yards, and the other by winger Contrastin
after lock forward Calixte had made the opening. At halftime
France had what was accepted as an unbeatable lead of 20 points
to 4.
It was exasperating.
The big crowd had not long to wait in the second half to realise
that Australia was not going to unwind a paralysing effort to
bridge the wide gulf. The Frenchmen went further ahead. Contrastin
barged through Churchill's tackle after a superb passing movement
to make the score 25-6 in France's favour. The crowd was already
satisfied. So was the Australian team, which had thrown in the
sponge before the Frenchmen's dazzling speed and clever handling
of the ball.
Brousse raced through again to send Crespo over for his third
try. France 30-8. Australia raised a splenetic effort for Hall
to barge over in the corner for our first try. Then Brousse
and Duffort sent Comes across. Right on the fulltime bell Hall
passed to Davies, who scored Australia's second try. Final score
was France 35 to 14.
From "The Sydney Truth" July 22, 1951 |
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