1897 Rugby Tourists Lost Second Test.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18186, 20 June 1927, Page 4

1897 Rugby Tourists Lost Second Test.

NEW ZEALAND FAILED TO HEED LESSON OF PREVIOUS TOUR, AND HAD TO CALL REINFORCEMENTS. (Written for the “Star” by “ PONTY.”) OUR CONTRIBUTOR deals with the trip of the 1897 New Zealand Rugby team to Australia. Rv 1897 Canterbury, Otago and Southland had come into the N.Z.R.F.U. fold, and after the first inter-island match had been played at Wellington a thoroughly representative New Zealand team was chosen. Chief criticism centred on the exclusion of W. Roberts, the Wellington centre, who, after the debacle in the second test at Sydney—where 1893 history repeated itself—was hastened lo the front for the final N.S.W. test. He played a truly magnificent game, scoring three tries, and was the central figure in New Zealand's impressive victory.

Formation of Union. The New Zealand Rugby Football Union was not formed until 1892, and even then no united front was presented. Canterbury, Otago, and Southland stood out, and although an international side was not fielded until the fall of 1893, the recalcitrants had Hot come into the fold. As those unions constituting the parent body chose their own representatives for the side being sent to Australia in 1893, the upshot was that anything but a representative team was got away. For instance, when vacancies arose, the union concerned found a substitute, despite the fact that an infinitely superior player may have been available in another centre whose original quota was intact. The weakness was eventually disclosed when New South Wales severely thrashed the New Zealanders in the second test. Then things hap-

(Wellington), A. M. Armit (Otago); five-eighths, Alf Bayly, captain (Taranaki), James Duncan (Otago) ; halves, A. L. Humphries 1 (Taranaki), E. Glennie (Canterbury); wing-forwards, 11. Mills (Taranaki), W. M’Kenzie (Wellington) ; forwards, R. A. Hancock (Auckland), F. S. Murray (Auckland), Alec. Wilson (Auckland), W. Wells (Taranaki), J. Blair (Wanganui), J. Calnan (Wellington), W. Ilardcastle (Wellington), T. Pauling (Wellington!, F. J. Brooker (Canterbury), W. “Pat” Harris (Otago). Manager, Mr Ike Ilvams (then treasurer, N.Z.R.F.U.). Glenpie played in the forwards against Western Districts of New South Wales and Queensland’s second sixteen. Bayly, after the Waterloo at Sydney, took over the duties’of custodian (Sid. Orchard was practically a failure), and Allen went up five-eighth. This ar-

All Blacks were down 5—15 at the interval. and it may be as well to let the cable man finish the story. “The local men pressed the Maoris, but from a good rush Pauling got the ball and passed to Glennie, who scored. 1 Murray failed to place a goal; N.Z. 8 —ls. The New Zealanders now kept the local men in their 25, and pressed hard. Then, with a great rush, the home team ran all over the Blacks, and were only prevented from scoring by Murray, who with a magnificent run got back in the White's ground, but a fine bit of work by Henley and Manchee relieved. However, the New Zealanders worked the Bathurst men up to the home line, and compelled them to force. They maintained the pressure until Brooker secured and passing to Pauling, enabled that player to score. Humphries missed; N.Z. 11— 15. The New Zealanders worked desperately to retrieve the position, and from a scrum the ball came out to Bayly, who passed back to Humphries for his fellow Taranaki-ite to score. Everything depended on the kick with which Wilson was successful, and the Maorilanders won an exciting game, right on time; 16—15. The play of the New Zealanders was far from good, and their narrow win was a very lucky one indeed.” New Zealand's scorers in the first spell were: M’Kenzie (try) and Humphries (goal). The Queensland Rugby annual 1902 credits Barney Armit with the final try, and that very fine record of Maurice Baldwin’s (the Q.R.F.U. secretary) is much more likely to be correct. History Repeats Itself. After Central and Western had been disposed of by a margin of nearly a quarter of a century. The All Blacks were overwhelmed by a “ score " in the second Test. The Cornstalks rang on 28 points (tries by Curley 3—a forward—S. Wickham 2, and Walker. 3 —wing-three-quarter; one conversion apiece by Wickham and A. Gardiner) to 8 (tries by Allen and Armit, one goaled by Humphries). The first four matches of the tour had, so far, been controlled by that great Australian master, J. F. M'Manamev. The cablegrammer introduced his re-

Xieholls, father of the three All Blacks (he was a famous Poneke player, of which club Mr Wiren is now president, in succession to the late Dr A. K. Newman). Mr Wiren says he showed the article to Job Wynyard and Sam Cockroft, who are both in Wellington. They think that both C. N. M’lntosh (South Canterbury) and H. C. Wilson (Canterbury) have both “crossed Great Divide,” whilst Reddie Gray (Wairarapa) and J. H. Gardiner (South Canterbury) are alive in the district which gave them their international caps. Tom Ellison had to give up the game because of water on the knee, but for this he retained his form to the end. The last Mr Wiren heard of Angus Stuart (of the 1888 Britishers who remained in Wellington -to play for Poneke, Wellington and New Zealand) was W. J. Wallace meeting Stuart at one of the 1905 All Blacks’ matches in the North of England. Angus placed himself near the gate as the team filed out of the ground, and Billy sent Mr Wiren a newspaper photograph of Angus shaking hands with him (Wallace); though the figures weren’t very large, as all the New Zealanders were in the picture.