Happy New Year with the All Blacks

Club Rugby | 27 December 2015 | Steven White

Above: Billy Wallace opens up on his rugby career later in life. Photo courtesy of the Evening Post.

 

 

On international tours up to the 1970s it was commonplace for the All Blacks to play matches between Christmas and New Year.

 

The All Blacks have played 17 matches in this week in history whilst on tour in Europe, including playing their only New Year’s Day Test in 1906 on arguably the most famous tour of them all.

 

The 1905-06 All Blacks tourists to the UK, Ireland, France and North America are better known as the ‘Originals’, and three Wellington players took part: Poneke utility back Billy Wallace, Ories halfback Fred Roberts and Petone wing Duncan McGregor.

 

The Test against France on 1 January 1906 was the 33rd and final match of the European leg. They won every match in the old world except the Test against Wales in Cardiff on 16 December 1905, which they lost 0-3. Prior to the defeat to Wales, the All Blacks had beaten Scotland 12-7, Ireland 15-0 and England 19-0.

 

The tour was at its zenith in late December 1905, with a final flurry of five fixtures in 10 days – a run of matches unheard of in today’s modern game. Following the defeat to their Test team, they remained in Wales for four matches against local opposition.

 

They played Glamorgan on 21 December (winning 9-0), Newport on 23 December (winning 6-3), Cardiff on Boxing Day (winning 10-8) and Swansea on 30 December (winning 4-3).

 

Wellington’s greatest fullback, Billy ‘Carbine’ Wallace, had his name etched on the scoreboard in all four of these matches, scoring a try against Glamorgan, kicking ?a penalty against Newport, two conversions against Cardiff and potting a dropped goal against Swansea.

 

Outside of the Tests, Swansea was widely picked to be one of the All Blacks’ toughest opponents of the tour. At the time Swansea were the Great Britain club champions and in the 1904-05 season they had remained unbeaten in 37 matches, scoring 521 points and conceding 55.

 

To make it tougher for the All Blacks, the game was played in front of 15,000 Welsh fans in Test match intensity and in conditions that were described as gale-force winds. The crowd burst into full singing voice when the home team scored a try to put them ahead 3-0.

 

The contest remained on tenterhooks until well into the second half when Duncan McGregor thought he had scored the equalising try only to be called back for stepping into touch.

 

Instead it was Poneke’s Wallace who saved the day, fielding a kick near halfway, making a dart up field and then launching a successful left-footed dropped goal that was perfectly judged for the cross-wind to take it and send it through the uprights. Dropped goals were worth four points, so Wallace’s pot was the match winner.

 

Wallace and the All Blacks had no time to celebrate, jumping on the train that evening for London and then on to Paris to play France.

 

After arriving in Paris late in the day and then heading out to celebrate New Year’s Eve, the All Blacks lined up in sleet and rain the next afternoon in front of 10,000 spectators to meet the French, who were mere rugby minnows then and playing in their inaugural Test.

 

Wallace played at centre in this Test and scored a try in the first half as the All Blacks cantered to an 18-3 halftime lead. He crossed for two more in the second spell to complete a hat-trick and he kicked two conversions in the All Blacks’ 38-8 win.

 

Wallace himself returned home a hero from the Originals tour having scoring 230 points in 25 games, a record that still stands. From making his debut in the All Blacks’ inaugural Test against Australia in 1903 and scoring 13 of 22 points until his last Test against the Anglo-Welsh at Athletic Park in 1908 he played 51 matches and 11 Tests for the All Blacks.

 

Domestically, Wallace also played 51 first-class matches for Wellington and captained Wellington to their inaugural Ranfurly Shield win over Auckland in 1904 from first five-eighth. In subsequent 1904 defences Wallace scored both tries in Wellington’s 6-3 win over Auckland then another brace in a 15-3 over Otago. He played for Wellington between 1897-1908 except for a season at Otago in 1900, and finished with 527 points in 112 first-class games.

 

After his retirement Wallace had a lengthy career as a rugby administrator and was All Blacks manager. He was a life member of the WRFU and was the last member of the Originals to pass on in 1972, aged 93.

 

 

• 26 December 1905 v Cardiff (won 10-8)

• 30 December 1905 v Swansea (won 4-3)

• 1 January 1906 v France (won 38-8)

• 27 December 1924 v London Counties (won 28-3)

• 3 January 1925 v England (won 17-11)

• 26 December 1935 v London Counties (won 24-5)

• 4 January 1936 v England (lost 0-13)

• 26 December 1953 v Combined Services (won 40-8)

• 30 December 1953 v Midland Counties (won 18-3)

• 2 January 1954 v Ulster (drew 5-5)

• 26 December 1963 v Combined Services (won 23-9)

• 28 December 1963 v Midland Counties (won 14-6)

• 31 December 1963 v Llanelli (won 22-8)

• 4 January 1964 v England (won 14-0)

• 26 December 1972 v Combined Services (won 31-10)

• 30 December 1972 v East Glamorgan (won 20-9)

• 2 January 1973 v South-Western Counties (won 30-7)

 

 

Billy Wallace of the 1905 All Black team. Negatives of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP/1958/2523-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22863342