They were 10-man rugby experts. At five eighth was Laurie Haig from Otago, whose rugby was based on a similar pattern. In 1950 Haig's tactics behind a dominating pack had beaten the touring Lions, although the British team fielded superior backs. Such was the power of the All Black pack that seldom was it beaten. It was held in certain matches however and it was then that the team looked inadequate. In Wales the All Blacks were beaten by both Cardiff (8pts to 3pts) and Wales (13pts to 8pts). Swansea held them to a draw and in all three games the All Blacks found their match in the opposition's pack. Defeats in France at Bordeaux against the South West{11pts to 8pts), in Paris against the National XV (3pts to nil), and a draw against Ulster in Belfast had followed a similar pattern.
At the end of the tour, however, the record was to be:-
Played 36; Won 30; Drawn 2; Lost 4; Points for 598; Points against 152 England (5pts to nil) at Twickenham, Ireland (14pts to 3pts) in Dublin, and Scotland {3pts to nil) at Murrayfield had been beaten.
From the match programme:-
"WELCOME TO THE FOURTH ALL BLACKS"
"Welcome to the fourth All Blacks to Rodney Parade! That is the theme of these Programme Notes, and right royally will that welcome be echoed by all who witness the New Zealand side take the field this afternoon. Many will have welcomed the preceding three All Black sides at Newport, for all four Tours are in the compass of a generation - the oldest or youngest of whom can never forget the greatness of these occasions."
"Because it is a great occasion when a New Zealand Rugby side tours Great Britain, and there is no disrespect for the grand Rugby sides of the other Dominions, if we add the general regard that the New Zealand type of play has, in its greatest day, no equal in the world of Rugby football. This regard was built up firstly on the 1905 side who came over, and richly endorsed by all who were fortunate enough to see the equally great 1924 team in action. Those two sides alone by the greatness of their play, the quality of their football, rightly gave New Zealand pre-eminence over all in the arts of the game."
"It may not, of course, be so to-day. During the last twenty years the character of the game has changed. Of that none will deny, but many may argue whether or not to its betterment. Certainly there has been a levelling-up process both at home and in the Dominions. Now it is more the team of the day rather than of the age - whether it be Club side, Wales or the Home Countries,or the Dominions. Perhaps it is better so; there again one can only conjecture and leave the past with its comparisons, for the game that is about to take place this afternoon."
"If history repeats, itself, to-day, Newport may well rise to the occasion and, if not emulating the triumphs, of Cardiff and, to only a lesser degree, Swansea, come very near to so doing. In 1924, following Jack Wetter's Invincible season two years earlier, Newport were having a, comparatively lean time, but they still had some very great players, and the way they responded to that occasion is, of course, history. After the triumphs of a few seasons ago the Newport of to-day similarly find consistent success-hard to achieve, but as with the 1924 side we repeat the great talent in the Newport ranks to-day who will be eager to respond to the lead of their illustrious captain."
"Although the All Blacks have met with two defeats in Wales, the Tour itself is still one of great success and achievement. A team must certainly have full fortune with them to avoid defeat in a programme so exacting as undertaken by a Touring side. The bounce of the ball, the fate of a kick - and so often victory or defeat is decided - as the All Blacks well know!"
"Like the three New Zealand and Newport games of the past, we want to-day's match to be remembered, to go into the treasured annals of the game which Rugby football has in such rich abundance."
"And now it is the turn of these thirty players. They will all give of their best. What more of them have we the right to ask? On with the game!"
The match itself:-
An exciting game with lots of opportunities at both ends was finally secured by the All Blacks who took their opportunities to kick at goal more successfully.
A crowd of 22,000 packed into Rodney Parade for the all-ticket game on Thursday afternoon. All week the rugby public in Newport (and probably the rest of Monmouthshire) had faced a "will he, won't he situation" concerning the auburn-haired idol of the town - Roy Burnett. The biggest money-spinner to don a Newport jersey in the post-war times had been injured the previous week. There was talk of pain-killing injections for a strained Achilles tendon, but to the delight of the supporters the so-talented outside-half took the field but Newport were hampered from early on when he soon broke down again and was unable to play much of a role from then on.
Newport had in their three-quarters British Lions Ken Jones and Malcolm Thomas; top try-scorer John Lane; and an 18-year-old at centre who was to become as famous as his colleagues - Brian Jones. With Onllwyn Brace and Burnett at half-back it had been felt that if the Newport forwards could get a share of possession victory was certainly possible. Onllwyn Brace covered for Burnett fantastically but he was unable to get the Newport three-quarter line moving fluidly.
There followed a most relentless forward struggle, on a ground made heavy after prolonged rain, between the All-Black juggernaut and the home pack, superbly led by Leighton Jenkins, a student at Caerleon College. Also in the pack, playing at prop, was another student, Bryn Meredith, who was to become the most capped hooker in the history of Welsh rugby. His team mates in the front row were approaching the veteran-stage - Lyn Davies the hooker, and Harold Davies, who had spent much of his career as an excellent blind-side wing forward. Gordon Morris and John Herrera formed a solid second row and flanking Jenkins were Doug Ackerman, now fulfilling the great promise of his schooldays, and Malcolm Quartley, who with Ackerman gave the New Zealand backs a torrid time. Behind this magnificent pack Brace was superb. With Burnett limping, the scrum-half took on both positions. He scuttled from the scrum leaving the ball between the feet of Leighton Jenkins and won vital penalties, alternatively he probed the blind side; he kicked in front of his forwards in attack; he plugged the touchline in defence. Although Newport dominated the scrums throughout the game they found themselves five points down at half time after a try by Dixon who had collected a cross-kick to score near the posts for J.W. Kelly to convert. Earlier full-back Peter Smith had missed two kickable penalties and at half-time the New Zealanders had an undeserved lead by 5pts to nil.
John Lane scored soon after the break to reduce the deficit but Malcolm Thomas missed the kick at goal. Within minutes the Newport forwards were to offend at a scrummage and Kelly kicked a simple penalty which was afterwards replied to in kind by teenager Brian Jones, who with absolute coolness, slotted over a 35-yd kick and only two points separated the teams.
Disaster then struck when Malcolm Quartley had to leave the field with a cut head. The All Blacks half-backs took advantage of his absence and Doug Wilson dropped a goal from a scrum to clinch the victory.
NEWPORT- P. Smith; K.J. Jones (Capt.), B.J. Jones, M.C. Thomas, J.E. Lane; R. Burnett, O. Brace; B.V. Meredith, L. Davies, H.A. Davies; G. Morris, J. Herrera; D.A.G. Ackerman, L.H. Jenkins, M. Quartley.
NEW ZEALAND- J.W. Kelly; J.M. Tanner, J.T. Fitzgerald, M.J. Dixon; D.D. Wilson, R.G. Bowers, V.D. Beavan; I.J. Clarke, C.A. Woods, K.L. Skinner (Capt.); K.P. Bagley, G.N. Dalzell, W.H. Clark, W.A. McCaw, P.F.H. Jones.
Newport would exact revenge the next time the All Blacks were to visit the banks of the River Usk!