Original All Blacks
The Original All Blacks (also known as " The Originals ") were the first New Zealand national rugby union team to play outside of Australasia and the first official British colony team to visit motherland Great Britain . The players traveled to the British Isles , France and the United States in 1905 and 1906 . The first game took place on September 16, 1905, the last on February 13, 1906. During this tour, the New Zealanders played 35 games, of which they lost only one, the international against Wales .
This tour has achieved legendary status in the history of rugby union. During the five-month journey, the nickname All Blacks , which is still ubiquitous today, was coined and the New Zealanders established their reputation for being one of the best teams in the world.
history
background
After the founding of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) in 1892, New Zealand national teams were set up to play games against foreign teams. The first "tour" took the New Zealanders to New South Wales in 1894 , where they competed against various clubs. The first test match (international match) in today's sense took place on August 15, 1903 in Sydney and ended with a 22: 3 victory for the New Zealanders over Australia . The New Zealanders' first home game was on August 13, 1904 at Athletic Park in Wellington against Great Britain, New Zealand won 9: 3. The British had previously been undefeated in Australia but lost three of their five games against New Zealand. British team captain David Sedell-Sivright said after one of the test matches that he didn't think the New Zealanders could win the major games on their tour of the northern hemisphere. He admitted, however, that he trusted them to win most games against the county teams.
preparation
The New Zealand selection committee appointed 53 players from whose ranks the final team should be nominated at the end of 1904. On February 25, 1905, 16 players were appointed who would definitely be there (one of these players could not make the trip because of an injury). The last opportunity to qualify for the team was the game between the North Island and the South Island on June 3, 1905. After this game, 25 players were nominated, and two more players joined the team shortly before departure.
Before the Northern Hemisphere tour, 18 players appeared in three games in Australia, two of which were won and one ended in a draw. There were another four preparation games in New Zealand, with two wins and one draw, while the last game against Wellington Rugby Football Union was lost 3-0. The team left home for England on July 30th . Her ship Rimutaka made two stops in Montevideo and Tenerife and arrived in Plymouth on September 8th . The day after arrival, the team traveled to Newton Abbot , 15 miles away , where the training camp was located for almost the entire tour.
The first games
The first game of the tour took place on September 16, 1905 in front of 6,000 spectators against Devon , the runner-up in the last English county championship. Ten Devon players belonged to Devonport Albion, the best club team in England. Because of this, the hosts were considered favorites. But the English were completely overrun by the New Zealanders, who scored twelve attempts and clearly won the game 55: 4. Billy Wallace alone scored 28 points (including three attempts) and it would take 51 years for a New Zealander to surpass this record. The result caused a sensation in Great Britain and some newspapers even erroneously reported that Devon had won 55-4. The reports were quickly corrected, however, and the New Zealanders returned to Newton Abbot, where they were received by a brass band and a cheering crowd.
Five days later New Zealand faced Cornwall at the Recreation Ground in Camborne . At halftime the result was only 12-0, but the New Zealanders ended the game with twelve attempts and a 41-0 win. The team then played against Bristol Rugby on September 13 , the game in front of 6500 spectators also ended 41-0. After a stop in London , they went on to Northampton , where the New Zealanders celebrated a 31-0 victory. In the four previous games they had scored 169 points and had only just received four.
The next game was on September 30th at Welford Road against the Leicester Tigers . Leicester had four national players in its ranks, more than any other club. Although the New Zealanders could not score in the first 25 minutes, they still won with a clear 28-0. After the ensuing game against Middlesex (34-0 New Zealand), The Daily Chronicle wrote : “These New Zealanders are transitioning from defense to attack with such amazing speed as if they were trying to prove the scrum was a minor matter . There is nothing in the game where they are not outstanding. " (" These New Zealanders turn defense into attack with such bewildering rapidity as to prove that scrummaging is a mere detail. There is nothing in the game in which they do not excel . ")
The toughest game so far on the tour was that October 7th against Durham County. Durham was the reigning English county champion and was the first team that could score a try against the New Zealanders. The New Zealanders had a minimal lead of 6-3 at halftime, but then they scored ten more points and finally won 16-3. Immediately after the narrowest victory so far, the clearest one followed. The game against Hartlepool Clubs, one of the strongest teams from the north of England, ended 63-0. After this game, the nickname "All Blacks" was coined, which is ubiquitous to this day. (see origin of the nickname "All Blacks" )
The All Blacks' next three games were against Northumberland, Gloucester and Somerset. None of these county teams scored a single point. Four days after the Somerset game, the All Blacks faced Devonport Albion, the English club champions and runner-up in the British club championship. 20,000 spectators saw another clear victory for the All Blacks, this time 21: 3.
17,000 spectators, including some representatives of the Welsh Federation, watched the game against Midland Counties in Leicester. Although the hosts managed to get a try, the All Blacks remained victorious 21-5. This was followed by an 11-0 win over Surrey, a 32-0 win over Blackheath and a 47-0 win over Oxford University . As the game against the Scottish national team was soon on the program, some of the better players were spared. For this reason, the victories against the University of Cambridge and Richmond with 14-0 and 17-0 respectively were less clear. The last encounter before the test match against Scotland against Bedford XV ended with 41: 0. The All Blacks had already scored over 600 points during their tour.
Scotland
At the time of the All Blacks tour, rugby was considered an upper class game in Scotland and the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) was very conservative. The SRU officials were of the opinion that the game should only be played by amateurs and that it was there for the players, not for the crowds. The Scots did not appreciate the great public interest in the All Blacks and gave their guests a cool welcome. They took a letter from the All Blacks stating that the team didn't want any major festivities, quite literally: the New Zealanders weren't even invited to the SRU's post-game banquet.
The test match turned out to be a financial success for the New Zealand Association. The NZRFU had asked the SRU for a guarantee of 500 pounds. In its arrogance, the SRU decided to leave the entire ticket income (minus expenses) to the New Zealanders. Since the game was extremely well attended, the NZRFU achieved revenues of over 1700 pounds, but this did not seem to bother the Scottish Federation (the same offer they made the South African " Springboks " in 1906 ). The SRU was also concerned that every All Black would receive three shillings in compensation a day. When it later became known that the English Rugby Football Union had approved the payments, the Scots canceled a game for the Calcutta Cup in protest .
The test match against the Scottish national team on November 18th was almost canceled: the field in Edinburgh was icy because no straw had been spread the night before. The All Blacks dominated the game in the first ten minutes, but then the Scots took a 4-0 lead. It was the first time ever that the New Zealanders fell behind on their tour. At halftime, the Scots were leading 7: 6, and four minutes before the end of the game. It almost seemed like the All Blacks were losing for the first time. But then they got two attempts in quick succession and the game ended 12: 7 for New Zealand. Four days after the test match, the All Blacks faced a West Scottish selection in Glasgow . The city's secondary schools gave a free afternoon so that students could watch the game. This ended with a 22-0 victory for the New Zealanders. Then the team traveled on to Ireland .
Ireland
The reception by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) was very warm in contrast to that in Scotland. When the New Zealanders arrived in Belfast early that morning , several IRFU officials invited them to breakfast. Arriving in Ireland was also a return for team captain David Gallaher , who was born in County Donegal and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of four. Thousands received the All Blacks when they got off the train in Dublin . The day before the game, both national teams went to the theater together.
The test match against Ireland on November 25th at Lansdowne Road was sold out with 12,000 spectators. Gallaher could not play because he had sustained an injury, other players had to jump in positions in which they had never been used before. During the first 30 minutes, the Irish attack dominated without scoring. Shortly before the half-time whistle, the All Blacks took a 5-0 lead. They made two more attempts in the second half and won 15-0. Then it went on to Limerick . Not all players made the trip to the Munster Rugby game , and team manager George Dixon had even tried to cancel the game. On November 28th, the All Blacks won 33-0 in front of 3,000 spectators.
England
After the Munster game, the All Blacks returned to England to play against the England national team. Because of the great interest, the test match in London was not played in Blackheath, but in Crystal Palace. The stadium officially had a seating capacity of 50,000, but it is estimated that up to 100,000 people watched the game (not even half are said to have paid admission). It was the biggest crowd that had ever seen a rugby or football match in the capital. The guest of honor was the Prince of Wales , who later became King George V.
In this test match, winger Duncan McGregor scored four attempts for the All Blacks. This achievement was not equalized until 1987. The New Zealanders won 15-0. English sportsman CB Fry said after the game: “The idea that these men beat us because of our physical inferiority is nonsense. They beat us with organization and tactics. " (" The notion that these men beat us because of our physical degeneracy is nonsense. They beat us by organization and by tactics. ")
Before continuing to Wales , the All Blacks played three more games against Cheltenham, Cheshire and Yorkshire, all of which they clearly won. The last game in Leeds took place in an area where rugby league dominated. Many scouts tried to convince All Blacks players to switch to the professional version, albeit in vain.
Wales
The test match against Wales was played on December 16 at Arms Park in Cardiff . When the All Blacks performed their haka , the 47,000 spectators initially fell silent, but then responded by singing the Welsh national anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau to offset the haka's supposed psychological advantage. It was the first time ever that a national anthem was sung before a sporting event. For the first time ever, the All Blacks suffered a defeat on their tour, they lost 3-0.
The four subsequent games against the Welsh clubs Glamorgan Wanderers, Newport RC, Cardiff RFC and Swansea RFC won All Blacks extremely narrow. Several players dropped out with minor injuries and others did not play at the usual high level.
France and California
On New Year's Day 1906, the All Blacks competed against the French national team in Paris . Around 10,000 spectators watched the first test match of the French, which ended with a 38-8 victory for the New Zealanders. When the All Blacks returned to London on January 4th, they learned that the New Zealand government would pay for the trip home, albeit with a detour via North America. The board of the NZRFU accepted the offer, albeit not unanimously.
After a two-week vacation in London, the All Blacks took the ship to New York and then took the train to California . In Berkeley and San Francisco they played the last games of the tour, twice they won against a selection from British Columbia . On March 6, 1906, the team arrived in Auckland , where they were officially received by the Prime Minister, the Mayor and the Association President.
Origin of the nickname "All Blacks"
Billy Wallace, the last surviving Original All Blacks player, said in an interview in 1955 that a journalist for the Daily Mail reportedly described the New Zealanders as "all backs" after the Hartlepool game. He meant that the usually heavy and tall players in the front team ( forwards ) were, in contrast to their opponents, fast and agile and were just as good at passing as the back team ( backs ). So they would play as if they were all defenders ("as if they were all backs"). Wallace also claimed that because of a typographical error in an article ahead of the next game against Somerset, the team was subsequently referred to as "All Blacks" by viewers and the media. Wallace's account is largely rejected today, as there is not a single English newspaper from the period from 1905 to 1906 that writes about "All Backs" (without l).
The term "All Blacks" (with l) actually appeared for the first time after the encounter with Hartlepool in a match report in the regional newspaper Northern Daily Mail , which was subsequently taken over by the national edition of the Daily Mail. The author of this article is JA Buttery, rugby correspondent for the Daily Mail during the New Zealanders' tour, nicknamed the team's all-black uniform.
Results
(Test matches are highlighted in color)
| date | place | opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 16, 1905 | Exeter | Devon | 55: 4 |
| September 21, 1905 | Camborne | Cornwall | 41: 0 |
| September 23, 1905 | Bristol | Bristol rugby | 41: 0 |
| September 28, 1905 | Northampton | Northampton Saints | 32-0 |
| October 1, 1905 | Leicester | Leicester Tigers | 28: 0 |
| 4th October 1905 | Stamford Bridge | Middlesex | 34: 0 |
| October 7, 1905 | Durham | Durham | 16: 3 |
| October 11, 1905 | Hartlepool | Hartlepool | 63: 0 |
| October 14, 1905 | North Shields | Northumberland | 31: 0 |
| October 19, 1905 | Gloucester | Gloucester RFC | 44: 0 |
| October 21, 1905 | Taunton | Somerset | 23: 0 |
| October 25, 1905 | Newton Abbot | Devonport Albion | 21: 3 |
| October 28, 1905 | Leicester | Midland Counties | 21: 5 |
| November 1, 1905 | Richmond upon Thames | Surrey | 11: 0 |
| November 4, 1905 | Blackheath | Blackheath RC | 32-0 |
| November 7, 1905 | Oxford | Oxford University RFC | 47: 0 |
| November 9, 1905 | Cambridge | Cambridge University RUFC | 14: 0 |
| November 11, 1905 | Richmond upon Thames | Richmond | 17: 0 |
| November 15, 1905 | Bedford | Bedford XV | 41: 0 |
| November 18, 1905 | Edinburgh | Scotland | 12: 7 |
| November 22, 1905 | Glasgow | West of Scotland RFC | 22: 0 |
| November 25, 1905 | Dublin | Ireland | 15: 0 |
| November 28, 1905 | limerick | Munster rugby | 33: 0 |
| December 2, 1905 | Crystal Palace | England | 15: 0 |
| December 6, 1905 | Cheltenham | Cheltenham | 18: 0 |
| December 9, 1905 | Birkenhead | Cheshire | 34: 0 |
| December 13, 1905 | Leeds | Yorkshire | 40: 0 |
| December 16, 1905 | Cardiff | Wales | 0: 3 |
| December 21, 1905 | Swansea | Glamorgan Wanderers | 9-0 |
| December 21, 1905 | Newport | Newport RC | 6: 3 |
| December 26, 1905 | Cardiff | Cardiff RFC | 10: 8 |
| December 30, 1905 | Swansea | Swansea RFC | 4: 3 |
| January 1, 1906 | Paris | France | 38: 8 |
| February 10, 1906 | Berkeley | British Columbia Rugby Union | 43: 6 |
| February 13, 1906 | San Francisco | British Columbia Rugby Union | 65: 6 |
| Total points | 976: 59 | ||
Squad
| Surname | position | Provincial Association | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Gillett | Enough | Canterbury Rugby Football Union | 18th |
| Billy Wallace | Three-quarter row | Wellington Rugby Football Union | 246 |
| Duncan McGregor | Three-quarter row | Wellington Rugby Football Union | 50 |
| Ernie Booth | Three-quarter row | Otago Rugby Football Union | 17th |
| George Smith | Three-quarter row | Auckland Rugby Football Union | 57 |
| Harold Abbott | Three-quarter row | Taranaki Rugby Football Union | 47 |
| Hector Thompson | Three-quarter row | Wanganui Rugby Football Union | 44 |
| Eric Harper | Three-quarter row | Canterbury Rugby Football Union | 24 |
| James Hunter | Interconnects | Taranaki Rugby Football Union | 129 |
| Simon Mynott | Interconnects | Taranaki Rugby Football Union | 49 |
| Bob Deans | Interconnects | Canterbury Rugby Union | 60 |
| Billy Stead | Interconnects | Southland rugby | 33 |
| Frederick Roberts | Crowd-half | Wellington Rugby Football Union | 48 |
| Stephen Cassey | Front team | Otago Rugby Football Union | 0 |
| John Corbett | Front team | West Coast Rugby Football Union | 0 |
| William Cunningham | Front team | Auckland Rugby Football Union | 22nd |
| Frank Glasgow | Front team | Taranaki Rugby Football Union | 37 |
| William Glenn | Front team | Taranaki Rugby Football Union | 0 |
| William Johnston | Front team | Otago Rugby Football Union | 9 |
| William Mackrell | Front team | Auckland Rugby Football Union | 3 |
| Alexander McDonald | Front team | Otago Rugby Football Union | 12 |
| Frederick Newton | Front team | Canterbury Rugby Football Union | 3 |
| George Nicholson | Front team | Auckland Rugby Football Union | 18th |
| James O'Sullivan | Front team | Taranaki Rugby Football Union | 3 |
| Charles Seeling | Front team | Auckland Rugby Football Union | 24 |
| George Tyler | Front team | Auckland Rugby Football Union | 18th |
| David Gallaher | Front team | Auckland Rugby Football Union | 5 |
- Manager: George Dixon
- Trainer: Jimmy Duncan
literature
- Ron Palenski: Century in Black - 100 Years of All Black Test Rugby. Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Limited, 2003. ISBN 1-86958-937-8
- Greg Ryan: The Contest for Rugby Supremacy - Accounting for the 1905 All Blacks. Canterbury University Press, 2005. ISBN 1-877257-36-2
- Christopher Tobin: The Original All Blacks 1905-06. Hodder Moa Beckett, Auckland 2005. ISBN 1-86958-995-5
Web links
- “All Blacks” - The Name . Rugby Museum,accessed December 25, 2015.
- Game statistics of the original All Blacks
- Gareth Williams, University of Glamorgan: The 1905 All Blacks Tour of Britain (PDF file)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Game statistics of the first test match on the All Blacks website
- ↑ Game statistics of the first home game on the All Blacks website
- ↑ The record was broken in 1995 when Marc Ellis scored six attempts against Japan .
- ↑ CB Fry was a member of the national cricket team, played football at the highest level and was a former world record holder in the long jump.
- ^ "All Blacks" - The Name. . Rugby Museum , accessed December 25, 2015 .
- ↑ ALL BLACKS - The Name? New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2001, archived from the original on October 14, 2008 ; Retrieved on July 23, 2015 (English, original website no longer available, contains additional information).