Wellington against International teams: versus South Africa 1921

Above: Petone, Wellington and All Blacks halfback Harry 'Ginger' Nicholls making a break in the Dunedin Test between the All Blacks and the Springboks in 1921.

Match details:

South Africa 8 – Wellington 3
23 July 1921 at Athletic Park. Weather: showers and fine, cold southerly wind. Crowd: 29,000

The tour:

The years immediately following World War 1 were golden ones for Wellington’s representative rugby team. As Ranfurly Shield holders since 1914, Wellington famously took the log ‘o Wood on tour in 1919 and 1920 and defended it 15 times before eventually losing it to Southland in Invercargill (regaining it later in 1921). Rugby was on a high and the entire country was at fever pitch when the inaugural South African tourists berthed in Auckland on 12 July.

After defeating New South Wales three times in succession in Sydney, the Springboks showed their mettle in New Zealand over two months, losing just twice in 19 matches.

The three-Test series was drawn 1-1, New Zealand winning 13-5 in Dunedin, South Africa coming out on top 9-5 in Auckland and the two countries battling out a 0-0 draw in Wellington in extremely wet and difficult conditions.

The match:

This match was the South Africans’ fourth of the tour, after previous games all in the space of a week against Wanganui, Taranaki (another 0-0 draw) and Wairarapa-Bush. For Wellington, it was just their second match of the season after a 6-12 defeat back in May to the New Zealand University team.

After resting most of their top players in Masterton a few days before, South Africa fielded their first choice side against Wellington. All of Wellington’s backs were or were to become All Blacks, and likewise four of the forwards, so they were taking no chances.

The ground was in good condition and the weather was fair despite a cold southerly wind. But according to the Dominion in its post-match analysis on the Monday the wind “didn’t deter a big proportion of inhabitants of the city making the pilgrimage to the Athletic Park…to pay homage to Rugby, king of winter sports.” The report went on: “By noon, thousands were surging around the gates, clamorous for admission.”

What followed was a strong display by the Springbok pack, out-muscling Wellington’s around the park and at scrum time. The Dominion said that “the Springboks won on their merits, this was no chance victory.” South Africa won by two tries to nil.

Wellington had first use of the wind and a tough clash quickly developed. The South Africans opened the score with a 25th minute try to wing W.A Clarkson. Wellington wing forward E.W king replied with a late first half penalty and it was 3-3 at halftime.

The run of play remained tight and willing throughout the second spell, but was South African halfback J.P Michau who scored the match-winning try with a bamboozling run from an attacking scrum. Michau’s try under the posts was converted and the visitors won 8-3. This try also summed up the difference between the sides, with a more solid South African scrum and a Player of the Match performance by its conductor, Michau.

The players:

Seven Wellington players who played in this match went on to play one or more of the Tests that followed against the Springboks.

Three of these players, halfback Harry ‘Ginger’ Nicholls, first five-eighth Teddy Roberts and second five-eighth Mark Nicholls, were all legends of Wellington rugby.

Petone Second five-eighth Mark Nicholls was the most accomplished of the three. He was a leading All Black and played 51 matches and 10 Tests spanning 1921-30.?Mark even later wrote a book documenting the All Blacks’ 1928 tour to South Africa.

For the purposes of this story, it was Mark’s brother Harry ‘Ginger’ Nicholls who was at the forefront of proceedings for this tour. Ginger Nicholls had just been selected for the first Test in Dunedin, but was outplayed by his opposite Michau in this match and this problem was raised in the post-match report in both the Dominion and Evening Post. At 5 foot 5 and 59 kg and up against the big Springbok forwards, had the selectors picked the wrong man at halfback?

Was that man they should have picked none other than his Wellington teammate Teddy Roberts? Roberts, out of the Athletic club, had been representing Wellington since 1910 and was vastly experienced. He captained Wellington at first five-eighth in this match against South Africa.

But Ginger, who had made his Wellington debut in 1917 aged 17, had a big heart. After all, he had been competing with Roberts for the halfback duties throughout the golden two years of 1919 and 1920. Roberts was the first choice halfback in 1919 and Ginger Nicholls played at scrum half throughout most of the 1920 matches, with Roberts at pivot.

Ginger had a blinder in the first Test in Dunedin and was Player of the Match. Strangely, he was then dropped for the second and third Tests, replaced by Roberts who also captained the team in the 0-0 drawn third Test in Wellington. This was Ginger’s only Test, although he toured Australia the following year and captained an All Black side against NSW in Wellington in 1923.

The captain of the All Blacks for the first and second Tests was another Wellington player appearing in this provincial match against South Africa, centre George Aitken. Out of the University club, Aitken was a former New Zealand Universities captain who went on to gain a Rhodes Scholarship and later play Test rugby for Scotland between 1924-1929.

The three other Wellington players that represented their province in this match against South Africa who also played in the Test series were Jim Moffitt, Ned Hughes and Keith Siddells.

Moffitt, out of the Oriental club, played 42 matches at lock for Wellington over 17 seasons. He had played for the All Blacks in 1920 and played in all three Tests of this South African series.

Like Moffitt and Roberts, Hughes was a long servant of All Black and Wellington rugby. From Southland, he first played for the All Blacks in 1907 and also played against the Anglo-Welsh in 1908 (see last week’s story). Representing Poneke in this game, he was over 40 when he played hooker for the first two Tests of this first ever series against South Africa.

Fullback Siddells was a University teammate of Aitken. He also represented Wanganui and Bush. A very good defensive fullback, Siddells was selected on the wing to stop Springbok danger-wing Van Heerden to play his one and only Test in the 0-0 international in Wellington.

The teams:

Wellington:
S.K Siddells, E. Ryan, P.F Markham, G.G Aitken, M.F Nicholls, E.J Roberts (Captain), H.E Nicholls, E.W King, S.D Shearer, A. Parker, T. Price, J.E Moffitt, J.A Bruce, S.J Standen, E.E Hughes

South Africa:
I.B de Villiers, W.C Zeller, W.A Clarkson, C.U de P. Meyer, A.J van Heerden, J.C Tindall, J.P Michau, J.M Michau, H. Scholtz, J.S Oliver, P.J Mostert, H.W Morkel, T.B Pienaar (Captain), F.W Mellish, T.L Kruger

References:

The Evening Post and Dominion newspapers, July 1921

Arthur Swan and Gordon Jackson. Wellington’s Rugby History 1870-1950. A.H and H.W Reed for the WRFU, 1952.

The Visitors - The History of International Rugby Teams in New Zealand by Rod Chester, Neville McMillan. MOA Publications, Auckland, 1990
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The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Rugby
By Ron Palenski, Rod Chester, Neville McMillan. Hodder Moa Beckett, Auckland 1998

Men in Black
By Ron Palenski, Rod Chester, Neville McMillan. Hodder Moa; 7th edition, Auckland 2006

Photo credit: Men in Black