Former All Blacks In Many Lands

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31379, 26 May 1967, Page 13

Former All Blacks In Many Lands

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. After a search that has taken in Afghanistan, Rhodesia, South Africa, England, and the United States and Australia, the New Zealand Rugby Union has now completed its guest list for its seventy-fifth anniversary celebrations in Wellington on August 19.

Addresses were required for 380 All Blacks, seven life members, 13 pastpresidents, seven former councillors, 12 selectors, and 23 referees.

The search, conducted by the union’s secretary, Mr G. Geddes, and an executive member, Mr F. Kilby, in conjunction with 28 New Zealand unions, has been 100 per cent successful.

All are assured of receiving their Invitations to the celebrations within the next couple of weeks. In South Africa they found L. B. Stohr (Taranaki) the man who sensationally won retribution for the 1905 All Blacks’ loss to Wales.

Playing for the 1919 New Zealand Army teain against Wales at Swansea, Stohr kicked a fantastic goal from far out near half-way and touch, to give Army a 6-3 win.

Other All Blacks living in South Africa are the Wellington wingers N. Ball (1931-32-35) and T. Mason (1947). There is another piece of history in E. Jessep (Poneke) who was one of several All Blacks traced in Australia. Jessep was a hooker in the

last of New Zealand’s famed 2-3-2 scrums against Australia in Auckland in 1931. His cohooker was A. I. Cottrell (Canterbury).

The next season Jessep played In New Zealand’s first three-fronted scrum after the change—propping for Cottrell on the Australian tour.

In Afghanistan, of all places, they found Mr E. D. Hill (Auckland) who refereed a test between Australia and New Zealand in 1949. Mr Hill is in a United Nations post They found one of New Zealand’s unluckiest All Blacks, R. N. Williams, in Southern Rhodesia. Williams, a winger from Hawke’s Bay, was selected to tour Australia in 1932 but was injured in a preliminary match against Wellington and was unable to tour. He was not selected for New Zealand again. In England they found Dr. D. Oliver, of the 1953-54 New Zealand team which toured Britain and France. He was practising in the Radcliffe Infirmary at Oxford. Another in England is the 1921 representative, P. S. de Q. Cabot At the Mayo Clinic in New York is Dr. G. Moore, who played for the great Otago teams, and then for New Zealand against Australia in 1949. A notable name in All Black “top brass,” J. Richardson, who played 42 matches in 1921-22-23-24-25 is another who has turned up in Australia. Richardson captained the 1924 team in each test in the British Isles.