MORE ALL BLACKS GOING ON TOUR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17865, 5 June 1926, Page 1

MORE ALL BLACKS GOING ON TOUR.

TRIPS TO AUSTRALIA ARE YEARLY EVENT. 'ONLY ONCE HAVE THE ••ASHES” BEEN LEFT BEHIND (Written for the "Star.”) j' T*or the third season in succession a Steam of New Zealand Rugby players pay a visit to Sydney this year. In pre-war days such a thing would have been unheard of. Visits of All JBlack teams to Sydney then were few and far between. Now they seem to be becoming events of yearly occurrence. Some followers of the game consider that these overseas visits are being overdone. This may be so. Certainly one result has been a remarkable increase in the number of All Blacks and ex-All Blacks still taking am active part in the game. The first All Black team to visit Sydney after the war was in 1920. On this occasion three tests were played and New Zealand won the lot. The following season New South Wales sent © team to tour New Zealand. On this tour only one test match was played and it was won by the visitors by 17 points to nil. The game was played at Lancaster Park, but only a second All' Black team was engaged, the first being lined out the same da}©gainst the Springboks.

In 1922 a New Zealand side was sent bver to Sydney, and that party has the rather unenviable distinction of being the only New Zealand team to lose two out of three tests in Sydney. They won the first test but lost the second and third.

The “ashes," however, were regained the following year when a New South Wales Rugby team toured the Dominion. New Zealand won the three tests that year, the second and third very decisively. In 1924 the All Blacks paid a visit to S’- dney before leaving for their tour of the Old Country. Much to the surprise of followers of the game here the}' lost the first test, New South Wales winning by 20 points to 16. However, the team were suffering from the effects of a particularly stormy passage across the Tasman and naturally failed to produce their best form jn their first game after landing. In the second and third tests they showed something of what they were capable and won both games comfortably, the third test by 38 points to 8. The 1925 All Black team were made tip of players who did not make the trip to England the previous season and that they succeeded in winning the three tests was ample proof of how strong Rugby football is in New Zealand. East season, also, a New South Wales team toured the Dominion. Only one test match was played and it was won decisively by the New Zealanders by 36 points to 10. Following are the results *of the matches plaved between New Zealand and New South Wales since the war;—

1920 New Zealand won 26-15. New Zealand won 14-6. New Zealand won 24-13. 1921 New South Wales won 17-0. 1922 New Zealand won 29-19. New South Wales won 14-S. New South Wales won 8-6. 1923 New Zealand won 19-9. New Zealand won 34-6. New Zealand won 38-11. 1924 New South Wales won 20-16. New Zealand won 21-5. New Zealand won 38-8. 1925 New Zealand won 26-3. New Zealand won 4-0. New Zealand won 11-3. New Zealand won 36-10. Since the war 17 matches have been played between New Zealand and New South Wales and of these New Zealand have won 13 and New South Wales 4. In these games the New Zealanders have scored 350 points and 167 have been score 1 against them. -JP.