THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM OF 1897.

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

THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM OF 1897.

pened: the N.Z.R.F.U. instructed Colonel Campbell, the manager, to arrange a “rubber game,” for which he cabled for reinforcements. F'our new players were dispatched, with the result seen in the previous article (New Zealand turned the tables by 16-nil, after being down 3-25 in the middle test. They won the first 17-8). The 1897 N.Z. Team. By 1894 the position had improved to this extent, that three Canterburvians—W. Balch, wing three quarter; A. E. Cook, half; and W. Humphreys, Canterbury, forward—were in the Dominion fifteen (in the first truly international game ever played in this country) that met New South Wales, and was beaten 8-6 at Christchurch (Humphreys and Alf. Bayly scored New Zealand’s tries). Even up to 1596 there was not a great deal of improvement in the “international” relationship in so far as the southernmost unions were concerned, no Otago representative being included in the New Zealand fifteen that faced the Queensland side (under the captaincy of S. G. Cockroft, of the 1893 and 1894 All Blacks) at Wellington. Canterbury, however, again supplied a quota, the national fifteen including Sid. Orchard (full-back), Auckland’s own Harry Frost (hooker) and A. Kerr (pack). Southland sent up its very first All Black, in the person of Neil M’Robie (of Remuera bowling fame). New Zealand won by three tries to nil, Kerr (Canterbury) being among the scorers. Otago’s defection along these years was particularly unfortunate, as that outstanding authority on New Zealand Rugby, Harry Harris, considers that Otago has rarely, if ever, been stronger than during the period from 1892 to 1897. Auckland was vanquished in 1895 and 1896; Canterbury in 1895, 1596 and 1897, and Southland in 1893, 1894, 1895, 1596 and 1897. In the lastnamed year, however, Otago once again, after a lapse of thirteen winters, was represented in its country’s team, for in the inaugural inter-island game at Wellington in 1897 the following Dark Blues wore the white jersey in the engagement with the North at Wellington and J. P. Firth, C.M.G., (referee), Barney Armit, Jimmy Duncan, Pat Harris, D. M’Laren, P. J. Priest, W. Smith, R. J. Stewart nad T. Wood. Priest scored South's solitary toy, North registering a 16-3 victory, the blacks’ markers being Bill Ilardcastle, Skinny Humphries and Cocky Roberts (tries), the Taranaki man converting two and finding the uprights with a penalty. Though Cocky Roberts, according to Press reports of the period, played a game out of the box, he was not in the ' original selection for the 1897 Australian tour. 11 is earlier exclusion was all the more remarkable because of his presence in the international side that was fielded against the Queenslanders in the New Zealand capital a season earlier. Getting Down to Tin Tacks. All this is, however, by tire way. The New Zealand team despatched consisted of: Full-back, Sid. Orchard (Canterbury): three-quarters, G. W. Smith (Auckland), L. Allen (Taranaki), W. Roberts

rangement let Roberts in at centrewhen the All Blacks won the rubber against the light blues, “Cocky” justifying inclusion by simply walking through all opposition to score three dazzlingtries. How the Poneke crack came to be on the scene of action is explained later. The itinerary provided for the opening match to be a Test against New South Wales at the Sydney cricket , ground on Saturday, July 3. After a fairly closely contested game the All Blacks won, 13-8, the score at lemontime being a try apiece. Stan Wickham opened the scoring, after a fine dodgy run. with an unconverted try: George Smith, with one of his cyclonic dashes equalised just before half-time. Hardcastle led the way to a try by Allen after the interval—Humphries was entrusted with the kick and placed a pretty goal amidst immense cheering. New Zealand 8-3. Duncan, , although injured early in the game, scor- j ed next, by clever anticipation, and Humphries made the tally 13-3. The J New South Wales skipper, too, had a mishap—Abbott put his ankle out and was replaced by Cribb. Henlen eventually added a try for New South Wales, and it being goaled by Wickham, the game ended, New Zealand 13, New South Wales 8. Twenty-five thousand people were present and the gate was £940 a goodly return in those days of low charges. Sydney comment was to the effect that, while it was too early to venture anydecided opinion, it could be said with certainty that conspicuous, almost brilliant players, were Smith and Allen at three-quarters, Humphries at half and Hardcastle on the wing, while the forwards were a grand lot, Murray, in particular, working like a Trojan. The initial New Zealand fifteen fielded was:—Orchard; Smith, Allen, Bayly ’(captain); Duncan (five-eighth); Humphries (half) ; M’Kenzie, Hardcastle (wings) ; Hancock, Blair, Harris, Pauling, Murray, Calnan, Wells. A cable from Bathurst on Monday stated that Saturday’s play had been sufficiently rough to prevent some New South Wales players taking part in the • second Test. William War brick (the ex-New Zealander) sustained an injury to his head, and with skipper Abbott (the New South Wales hero of 1893) •would be a definite absentee. New Zealand also “got it in the neck,” for on Monday, July 5, the secretary of the N.Z.R.F.U. received a chit from Ike Hyams, stating that Jimmy Duncan was disabled, and requesting that Cocky Roberts be put aboard the Monowai, sailing two days later 1 A Close Call. The Maorilanders nearly made history in their very next flutter, for they did not pass the Western Union representatives’ tally at Bathurst until time was up! And there is only one instance on record of an international Rugby side being beaten outside Sydney or Brisbane (the sole victory in the Tamar River city was 11—3 over the 1899 Britishers, captained by the Rev Matthew Mullineux, Military Cross, the present executive officer of the New Zealand War Graves Commission)—in 1908 Arthur Harding’s Atiglo Welshmen were vanquished by 15 points to 10 at the same town (Bathurst). The

port of the second Test by stating that the New Zealanders met their Waterloo in the return match with New South Wales from a precisely similar cause to that which brought about, their defeat in 1893--the folly of playing so many matches with too few men. (By the way, the game was the fourth in eight days!) The hero of the game was Curley, who scored repeatedly. It is on record that he met with a nasty accident in the last haff, otherwise (naively adds the chronicler) he would inevitably further increased the score!

Criticism of the New Zealanders was practically confined to Humphries and Orchard. The former, who played faultlessly the previous Saturday, frequently missed taking the ball from the scrums, while Orchard failed sadly in his tackling, and made no use whatever of his line shots. Eight up at half-time the Blues had added another three tries—one converted (N.S.W. 19— nil) before Allen scored for Humphries to convert; then Armit put on an unconverted try. Next, it is reported that Allen stopped a N.S.W. rush by cleverly kicking while lying on the ground (Mr M’Manamey must have been on the blind side). The Light Blues soon drove home their advantage, Walker scoring shortly before time and making the final tally, N.S.W. 28. New Zealand 8.

i r Now Zealand Scores Well. \ In their next live matches the All j £ Blacks totalled 138 points. Against | Northern Districts of New South Wa’es, | \ Armit, M’Kenzie, Smith and Hancock ‘ \ obtained tries, of which Wilson goaled i a couple—Northern failed to score, and | New Zealand thus won 16—nil. Roberts i played his first game here at Newcastle. In the first Test at Brisbane, Alf Bayly fielded full-back, in which posi- i tion he was tried out in the previous J fixture. To Queensland's goal (try by L. Dixon converted bv E. Currie), the visitors replied with four tries Allen 2, Murray and Mills—a brace being goaled —Humphries and Pauling. New Zealand 16, Queensland 5. Conceding the Queensland reservists an extra man, the Maorilanders beat the Next Sixteen by 29 points to 6 (try by T. Martin, penalty goal by A. j Gralton). The winners’ tally consisted . of tries by Allen 2, Pauling, Smith, j 1 Blair, Wilson and M'Kenzie. Prom these Humphries landed four goals. t Queensland suffered a seven points j * worse defeat in the second Test. A. | J Gralton and J. S. Anderson crossed for the Maroons, while for New Zealand the j 1 trv-getters were: Mills (2), Murray. | f Hancock, Wilson and Smith. Humph 1 ries boot was a fifty-per-center (21—6). ! (To be Continued.)

RECORDS OF OLD PLAYERS . AROUSE WIDE INTEREST. Mr Andrew Wiren, one of New /ca land’s greatest authorities on Rugby and cricket, writes that he was very much interested in Ponty s article on the 1893 New Zealand team m Australia, a copy of the “ Star ’ containing it having been Received from Mr

What remained of the launch was towed to shore. The boat, which was net insured, was valued at between £BOO and £9OO. Mir.s X was one of the fastest of her class on the harbour, and won many prizes. Lately she had been placed on scratch. On the last occasion that the launch was competing in the Auckland provincial championship for the Walker Hall Cup she caught fire. Struck His Wile. For striking his wife on Saturday night with her three months’baby in her’ arms and blackening her eye, Edward Scully was fined £5 or ten days by the Magistrate, Mr M’Kean, this morning. A Narrow Escape. A cleaning company's delivery van ran down Mt Eden Road towards the Symond Street junction this morning and narrowly missed hitting a tram and a motor-car. But for the fact that a telegraph post stopped its progress (wo women, who were admiring the contents of a furnishing establishment, would have been involved i;n a serious, if not fatal, accident. A Remarkable Escape. A remarkable escape from injury u;as | experienced bv live occupants of a new ' motor-car which, following a slight coli lision with another car in Robertson j Road yesterday afternoon, capsized | against a bank. There were three I women and two men in the car. After | the accident they crawled out little the ! worse for their experience. The car i was damaged and the hood, which was the means of saving the occupants, was twisted out of shape.