A Tradition of Rugby

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1041, 4 August 1930, Page 13

A Tradition of Rugby

BROKEN AT DUNEDIN Tests With British Sides PRIOR to the first Test, no Rugby team from Britain had ever beaten the full strength of the Dominion on New Zealand soil, and New Zealand had never been beaten in a Test with any country on the Dunedin ground.

Hie Dunedin ground lias been to New Zealand what Twickenham was for many years to England and Ncwlands was for an even longer time to Africa —the Waterloo of all visiting international teams. All Black sides have always been victorious when opposed to other countries in Dunedin. The Australian team was beaten there by 14-3 in 1905. The Anglo-Welsh side went down to a 32-to--5 defeat in 1908. Australia was beaten again, this time 25-13, in 1913. Even the Africans, who afterwards beat the New Zealanders at Auckland and drew level at Wellington, found the influence of the Otago ground too much, '« n P "ent down by 13 points to five. The New South Wales teams of 1923 and 1928 were both beaten in Test matches m Dunedin. . So, if tradition counts for anything in the footballing scheme of things. New Zealand will start with a useful ally in the Dunedin Test. In addition, of course, there is the equally comforting thought for the superstitious that New Zealand has never lost a Test to a team from Great Britain on New Zealand soil. Since A. E. Stoddnrt’s fine side toured the country in 1888 there have been four Test games between New Zealand and British sides in New Zealand. In three of these the Dominion was victorious and in the other a draw resulted. Curiously enough, no Test match between a British team and New Zealand has yet been played in Christchurch. The first was at Wellington on August 13. 1904, when New Zealand beat the British team then louring the Dominion, by nine points to three, after a great game. The New Zealand team ;qr this game was a fine combination of brilliant players, and many old followers of football class it as the finest that ever represented the country on home soil. It included the “Admirable Crichton” of the 1905 All Blacks, W. J. Wallace, D. McGregor, a fine Canterbury threequarter who scored 97 points in the hree seasons in which ho represented New Zealand; M. E. Wend, classed by some people as equal to Jimmie Hunter and Bert Cooke as the finest inside back New Zealand has had; J. W. Stead, another of the great five-eighths of the early days: and forwards whose names are household words in the annals of Rugby history—Dave Gallalicr, C. E Seeling, G. W. Nicholson, and Paddy McMinn, as well as Bernard Fanning. Canterbury’s great lock of those days. The Canterbury men in the team provided a goodly portion of its personnel. E. T, Harper, who was in the original All Blacks on their British tour in the following year, was centre three-quarter with McGregor on one wing and Wal#fice on the other. Wood (Canterbury) and Stead were inside, with P. Harvey (Canterbury) as half-back. Fanning w r as the only Canterbury forward. Peter Harvey is now a selector for the Canterbury Rugby Union. George Nicholson also maintains Ills interest

in the game he played so well. He is selector to the Auckland Rugby Union and one, of the “Big Six” that picked the New Zealand team for the first Test after the trial match on Wednesday. Wood now lives in Blenheim, where he is district manager for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd. and wicketkeeper in the Marlborough cricket team. W. S. Glenn, one of the forwards on that day, later entered Parliament. Seeling settled in . England. Tn the Britisli team was Dr A. B. O’Brien, an old boy of the Christchurch High School, who was studying medicine in England at the time. He is now in practice in Christchurch. Dr P. F. McEvedy was another Christchurch medical student. He is now' president of the Wellington .Bugby Union. A. F. Harding, captain of the team, has a farm near Taihapc. New Zealand won the match by two converted tries and a penalty goal to a penalty goal. Duncan McGregor, who had a wonderful turn of speed, scored both tries, and Billv Wallace kicked the penalty goal. A. E. Harding scored the British points. The next Tests were in 1908, wb

the Anglo-Welsh team was In New Zealand. Three were played, New Zealand winning the lirst 32-5 and the last 29-0. The second was drawn, three points each. The first was played at Dunedin on June G, Hie New Zealand team being a powerful one. Jimin\ Hunter, Billy Stead, and Freddy Roberts were the inside backs, and in the forwards were G. A. Gillett, C. E. Seeling. W. Cunningham (of the famous 1903 All Blacks), “Banji” Wilson, perhaps the finest forward Wellington cvei produced, and E. E. Hughes, a durable Southland hooker, late of Wellington, who was brought back again a dozen years later to go down in the front row of tile New Zealand scrum :in the Tests against the Springboks. New Zealand dominated the play right throughout the match, scoring frequently. Frank Mitchinson, a Wellington centre of fine pace and much cleverness, scored two tries, and F Roberts, also got over twice from th base of the scrum. Don Cameron, a last Taranaki wing, and Jimmy Hunter scored also, as did H. D. (“Mona”) Thomson, an old hoy of the Christchurch High School, hut then a Wellington representative. Later H. D. Thomson became a magistrate. George Gillett, who had also been a Canterbury player before he went to Auckland, converted two of the tries,, and A. H Francis and Roberts one each. B. Roberts also kicked a penalty goal. For the Anglo-Welsh team R. A. Gibbs, one of the three-quarters, scored a try, which F. Jackson, one of the forwards! converted. It was after this game that Canterbury scored its famous 13-to-S win over the tourists, and for the next match there was an agitation for the inclusion of more Canterbury players. In response to this demand the "selectors put F. C. Fryer on one wing, G. D. Gray at second five-eighth in place of Billy Stead, and P. Burns at half-back instead of F. Roberts. Frank Fryer was a wonderful schoolboy footballer, one of the finest ever

turned out at I Christ’s College, r He was extraordi- [ narily fast and f very hard to stop. Nowadays he is a * dentist in Hastogs. One of his » laughters is a oromising breast- (. stroke swimmer, and good judges consider that she \ "ill rise to New Zealand cham- | pionship stand-j ard in a few years.

(tray and Burns had remarkable Rugby records, each appearing in South Island teams six times. Gray represented the South Island in 1908-09-10-11-12-13, and Burns in 1906-07-08-09-11-12. No other player has achieved that record, except Jack Steel, who was capped seven times for the South Island between 1919 and 2925. The changes in the back line were not successful, for in the succeeding Test at Wellington the visitors managed to break even with New Zealand, the scores being three points each. Francis kicked a penalty goal for New Zealand, and “Polity” Jones scored a try for the Anglo-Welsh team. After that the selectors reverted to much the same team as had done duty in the first Test, Stead and Roberts being reinstated in their positions, while R. G. Deans, most fapious of Canterbury three-quarters, took Fryer’s place on the wing. a Brilliant play noth back and forward secured for New Zealand a 29-to-nil victory. Mitchinson had another happy day in the centre, and got three tries, and Deans and Hunter scored one each. Among the forwards the Auckland contingent was in rare form, and Francis, Gillett, and Hayward scored. This trio formed part of the formidable Auckland scrum that dominatel Ranfurly Shield matches in those days and established records which stood till Hawke’s Bay was in its hey-day nearlv 20 vears later. Frank Glasgow, a Sonthlander, also scored, J. D. Colman, a noted Taranaki full-back, converting one of the tries. New Zealand was helped in that victor by the operation of the international rule which forbids the replacement o:7 injured players during a game. Early in this match A. F. Hairdung, the captain of the tourists went efif hurt and was not replaceil. Quite apart from the handicap of playing one man short, the visitors sadly missed th* leadership of their able captain.