The Original All Blacks
The Original All Blacks (also known as " The Originals " known) were the first New Zealand rugby union team that played outside of Australasia and the first official crew of a British colony, was visiting the mother country Great Britain. The players were traveling in the years 1905 and 1906 to the British Isles, France and the United States. The first game took place on September 16, 1905 instead, the last on 13 February 1906. During this tour, the New Zealanders contributed 35 games out of which they lost only one, the international against Wales.
In the history of Rugby Union, this tour has attained legendary status. In the course of the five month journey of the still ubiquitous nickname was coined All Blacks and the New Zealanders won her a reputation of being one of the best teams in the world.
History
Background
After the founding of New Zealand Rugby Football Union ( NZRFU ) in 1892 New Zealand representative teams were set to stage matches against foreign teams. The first "tour" led the New Zealanders in 1894 to New South Wales, where she competed against various teams. The first international match in the modern sense took place on August 15, 1903 held in Sydney and ended with a 22:3 victory over the New Zealander Australia. The first home game of the New Zealander was on 13 August 1904 at the Athletic Park in Wellington against Great Britain, New Zealand won with 9:3. The British were previously remained undefeated in Australia, but lost three of their five matches against New Zealand. The British team captain David Sedell - Sivright said after the matches, he did not believe that the New Zealanders could win on their tour of the northern hemisphere, the major games. However, he admitted that he thoroughly credited with victories in most games against county teams.
Preparation
The New Zealand selection committee appointed 53 players, from whose ranks the end of 1904 the final team should be nominated. On February 25, 1905 16 players were nominated, that would definitely be there ( one of these players eventually could not make the trip because of an injury ). The last opportunity to qualify for the team, offered the game against the North Island South Island on 3 June 1905. According to this game, 25 players have been nominated for a further two players met just before leaving the team.
Before the tour through the northern hemisphere 18 players came in three matches in Australia for use, two of which were won and ended in a draw. Another four preparation games there were in New Zealand, with two wins and a draw, while the last game against the Wellington Rugby Football Union with 0:3 lost.
The team left the home on July 30 in the direction of England. Your ship Rimutaka made two intermediate stops in Montevideo and Tenerife and met in Plymouth on September 8 a. The day after the arrival of the team traveled to 24km Newton Abbot, where during almost the whole tour was the training camp.
The first games
The first game of the tour was held on September 16, 1905 instead of before 6000 spectators against Devon, the runner-up of the last English county championship. Ten Devon player belonged to Devonport Albion, the best team in England. For this reason, the hosts were considered favorites. But the English were completely overwhelmed by New Zealanders who achieved twelve attempts and the game won clearly with 55:4. Alone Billy Wallace scored 28 points ( including three trials) and there should be 51 years to pass before a New Zealander surpassed this record. The result created in the UK for quite a stir and some newspapers even reported erroneously, Devon won with 55:4. The reports, however, were quickly corrected and the New Zealanders returned to Newton Abbot, where they were welcomed by a brass group and a cheering crowd.
Five days later, New Zealand occurred on the Recreation Ground in Camborne against Cornwall. At half time, the result was indeed only 12:0, but the New Zealander ended the game with twelve experiments and a 41:0 victory. The team then played on September 13 against Bristol Rugby, the game ended before 6500 spectators also 41:0. After a stopover in London we went to Northampton, where the New Zealanders were able to celebrate a 31:0 victory. In the four previous games they had scored 169 points and only four received.
The next match was on September 30 at the Welford Road against 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 won yet clear with 28:0. After the subsequent match against Middlesex ( 34:0 for New Zealand) wrote the newspaper The Daily Chronicle, "These New Zealanders go with such astonishing speed of the defense in the attack, as if they wanted to prove that the crowd was merely a minor issue. There is nothing in the game where they are not outstanding. " ( " These New Zealanders turn defense into attack with seeking bewildering rapidity as to prove did scrummaging is a mere detail. There is nothing in the game in Which They Do not excel. " )
The hardest game so far in the Tour was that on October 7 against Durham County. Durham was the reigning English county champion and was the first team that was able to achieve against the New Zealanders a try. Although at half time the New Zealanders had a minimum 6-3 lead, but then they scored ten more points and eventually won with 16:3. Immediately to the closest victory so far followed the clearest. The game against Hartlepool clubs, one of the strongest teams from the north of England, ended with 63:0. After this game, the nickname " All Blacks " was coined, which is ubiquitous today. (see origin of the nickname " All Blacks " )
The next three games against the All Blacks were Northumberland, Gloucester and Somerset. None of these county teams scored only a single point. Four days after the Somerset game met the All Blacks on Devonport Albion, the English club champions and runners-up of the British club championship. 20,000 spectators saw another significant victory for the All Blacks, this time with 21:3.
17,000 spectators, including some representatives of the Welsh Association, watched the game against Midland Counties in Leicester. Although the hosts were able to achieve a try, the All Blacks with 21:5 remained victorious. This was followed by a 11-0 victory over Surrey, a 32:0 victory over Blackheath and a 47:0 victory over the University of Oxford. As soon the game against the Scottish national team was on the program, some of the better players were rested. For this reason, the victories were against the University of Cambridge and Richmond with 14:0 or 17:0 are far less clear. The last meeting before the Scotland international match against Bedford XV ended with 41:0. The All Blacks had achieved in the course of their tour over 600 points.
Scotland
At the time of the All Blacks rugby tour was in Scotland as a game of the upper classes and the Scottish Rugby Union ( SRU ) was very conservative. The SRU officials were convinced the game should be exercised exclusively by amateurs and is for the players, not for crowds. The Scots appreciated the great public interest in the All Blacks and not prepared for their guests a cool reception. They took a letter from the All Blacks, after which the team did not want a big celebration, quite literally, to the banquet SRU after the game, the New Zealanders were not even invited.
For the New Zealand Association, the international game proved to be a financial success. The NZRFU had requested at the SRU to a guarantee in the amount of 500 pounds. In their arrogance, the SRU decided to leave the total ticket revenue (net of expenses) the New Zealanders. Since the game was extremely well attended, scored the NZRFU revenue of over 1700 pounds, which, however, seemed not to disturb the Scottish Association particularly ( the same offer they made in 1906 the South African " Springboks "). The SRU was also concerned that any All Black received three shillings per day compensation. Later it was announced that the English Rugby Football Union had approved the payments, said the Scots in protest from a game to the Calcutta Cup.
Almost the match against the Scottish national team on 18 November would be canceled: the game board in Edinburgh was frozen because the night before, no straw had been spread. The All Blacks dominated the first ten minutes of the game, but then went the Scots 4-0 lead. It was the first time ever that the New Zealanders came on their tour behind. At halftime, the Scots led 7-6, and also four minutes to play. It almost seemed as if the All Blacks lose for the first time. But then you get two tries in quick succession and the game ended 12:7 for New Zealand.
Four days after the international match met the All Blacks in Glasgow on a westschottische selection. The secondary schools in the city granted a free afternoon, so that students could watch the game. This ended with a 22:0 victory of the New Zealanders. After that, the team traveled to Ireland.
Ireland
The reception by the Irish Rugby Football Union ( IRFU ) was very warm in contrast to that in Scotland. As the New Zealanders arrived in Belfast in the early morning, they were invited by several IRFU officials for breakfast. The arrival in Ireland was also a return for captain David Gallaher, he was born in County Donegal, and emigrated at the age of four years to New Zealand. Thousands received the All Blacks, as they got off the train in Dublin. On the day before the game, both teams went to the theater.
The match against Ireland on 25 November at Lansdowne Road was sold out with 12,000 spectators. Gallaher could not play because he had suffered an injury, other players had to step on items on which they had previously never been used. During the first 30 minutes dominated the Irish attack, but without points. Just before the half time whistle the All Blacks went 5-0 in the lead. In the second half they scored two more tries and won by 15:0.
Then it went on to Limerick. Not all players made the trip to the game against Munster Rugby on and team manager George Dixon had even tried to cancel the match. On 28 November, the All Blacks won before 3000 spectators with 33:0.
England
After the Munster game the All Blacks returned to England to play against the English national team. Because of the great interest the international match has not been played in London in Blackheath, but in Crystal Palace. The seating capacity of the stadium was officially 50,000, but it is estimated that up to 100,000 people watched the game ( not even half to have paid admission). It was the largest crowd of spectators that there had been until then a rugby or football match in the capital. Guest of honor was the Prince of Wales, later King George V
In this international game scoring winger Duncan McGregor four tries for the All Blacks. This performance was only in 1987 leveled. The New Zealanders won with 15:0. The English sportsman CB Fry said after the game: "The notion that these men have smitten us because of our physical inferiority, is nonsense. They beat us with organization and tactics. " (" The notion did thesis men beat us Because of our physical degeneracy is nonsense. They beat us by organization and by tactics. " )
Before traveling to Wales the All Blacks wore make three more games against Cheltenham, Cheshire and Yorkshire, who won it all clearly. The last game in Leeds took place in an area dominated in the Rugby League. Many scouts tried to convince players of the All Blacks to change to advanced game, albeit in vain.
Wales
The match against Wales was held on 16 December in the Arms Park in Cardiff. When the All Blacks Haka aufführten her, silenced the 47,000 spectators initially, but then responded by singing the Welsh national anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau to compensate for the alleged psychological advantage of the Haka. It was the first time ever that before a sporting event, a national anthem was sung. For the first time ever the All Blacks on their tour had to accept defeat, they lost 0:3.
The four consecutive games against the Welsh clubs Glamorgan Wanderers, RC Newport, Cardiff RFC and Swansea RFC won All Blacks extremely scarce. Several players fell out with minor injuries and other not played on the same high level.
France and California
On New Years Day 1906, the All Blacks were in Paris against the French national team. Around 10,000 spectators watched the first international match of the French, which ended with a 38:8 victory of the New Zealanders. When the All Blacks returned to London on January 4, they learned that the New Zealand government would pay for the trip home, but with a trip across North America. The Executive Board of NZRFU accepted the offer, although not unanimously.
After two weeks of vacation in London, the All Blacks sailed to New York and then by train to California. In Berkeley and San Francisco, they carried out the last game of the tour, they won twice against a team from British Columbia. On 6 March 1906, the team arrived in Auckland, where she was officially received by the Prime Minister, the Mayor and the Association President.
Origin of the nickname " All Blacks "
Billy Wallace, the last surviving player of the original All Blacks, said 1955 in an interview, a journalist from the Daily Mail to the New Zealanders after the game against Hartlepool have referred to as "all backs". He meant the usually heavy and big players in the front side (English forwards) are in contrast to their opponents fast and agile and dominated the passing game as well as the back line (English backs). So you would play as if they were all defenders ("as if theywere all backs" ). Wallace also claimed that due to a printing error in an article before the next match against Somerset was the team was referred to only in the sequence of spectators and media as the " All Blacks ". Wallace's presentation is now widely rejected because can not find a single English newspaper from the period 1905-06, the writing of "All Backs " (without l).
The term " All Blacks " (with l) actually appeared for the first time after the encounter with Hartlepool in a game report the regional newspaper Northern Daily Mail, which was subsequently taken over by the national edition of the Daily Mail. Author of this article is J. A. Buttery, rugby correspondent for the Daily Mail during the tour of New Zealanders who took on the entirely black uniform of the team with the nickname reference.
Results
( Caps are dark background)
Squad
- Manager: George Dixon
- Coach: Jimmy Duncan