1913 New Zealand rugby union tour of North America explained

Team:New Zealand
Yearstart:1913
Yearfinish:1913
Destination:North America
Manager:G.H. Mason
Captain:Alex McDonald
Top Point Scorer:James Graham (66)
Top Try Scorer:Tom Lynch (17)
Matchplayed:16
Matchwon:16
Matchdraw:0
Matchlost:0
Testplayed:1
Testwon:1
Testdraw:0
Testlost:0
Played1:1
Won1:1
Draw1:0
Lost1:0
Previous:1910 Australia
Next:1914 Australia

The 1913 New Zealand tour rugby of North America was the second tour by the New Zealand national rugby union outside Australasia. Sixteen matches were played (all won) along with a Test match against United States sides.

The tour had a relevance for American rugby because it came at a time when the local code, American football, was widely criticised prompted by worries over violent play, serious injuries and evidence of sharp practice by college coaches. That dispute, originated in 1906, had led some colleges (such as Stanford and California, Berkeley Universities) to switch from football to rugby. The All Blacks (which had toured in North America for the first time in 1905) had already made their contribution to the spread of the sport in the west coast.

New Zealand took the tour seriously, with a squad led by veteran player Alex McDonald that won all their matches in North America with large victories, conceding only 6 points in 16 games. The only test was played against the United States, which included players from Stanford and Berkeley.

Such hard defeats were a depressing result for the hosts, with the media emphasizing the skill difference between Californian players and the New Zealand side.

As a result, the University of California returned to football in 1915, although Stanford would remain in rugby. Several players competed in the national team in the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games where the US won the gold medal on both occasions.[1] However, the medals were only contested by 2-3 countries, with New Zealand absent.

Squad

NamePositionProvinceTour matchesTour points
John CuthillFull-backOtagoalign=center 14align=center 31
George LoveridgeThree-quartersTaranakialign=center 8align=center 20
WingSouth Canterburyalign=center 11align=center 50
Dougie McGregorWingAucklandalign=center 10align=center 45
Dick RobertsCentreTaranakialign=center 12align=center 60
Jack StohrThree-quarterTaranakialign=center 9align=center 59
Doddy GrayFive-eighthCanterburyalign=center 11align=center 9
Jock McKenzieFive-eighthWellingtonalign=center 12align=center 39
Frank MitchinsonFive-eighthsWellingtonalign=center 12align=center 44
Teddy RobertsHalf-backWellingtonalign=center 5align=center 18
Henry TaylorHalf-backCanterburyalign=center 10align=center 15
Harry AtkinsonLockWest Coastalign=center 8align=center 3
Alex BruceLoose forwardAucklandalign=center 2align=center 3
Mick CainHookerTaranakialign=center 14align=center 11
Henry "Norkey" DewarForwardTaranakialign=center 14align=center 3
James DouglasLoose forwardOtagoalign=center 8align=center 21
Albert DowningLockAucklandalign=center 14align=center 18
James GrahamLoose forwardOtagoalign=center 11align=center 66
Alex McDonald (captain)Loose forwardOtagoalign=center 13align=center 35
Toby MurrayWing-forwardCanterburyalign=center 12align=center 33
George SellarsHookerAucklandalign=center 14align=center 6
Peter WilliamsHookerOtagoalign=center 8align=center 3
Jim WylieLoose forwardAucklandalign=center 11align=center 18

Match summary

Complete list of matches played by the All Blacks in North America:[2] [3]

Test matches

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4 October St Ignatius Field 19–0
8 October 31–0
Barbarians Club 11 October St Ignatius Field San Francisco 30–0
15 October Stanford Park 54–0
18 October Stanford Park 56–0
22 October Golden Gate 42–0
25 October California Field 38–3
29 October University Ground 55–0
3 November California Field 33–0
5 November St Ignatius Field San Francisco 26–0
8 November Boyard Field Los Angeles 40–0
12 November Golden Gate 33–0
15 November California Field 51–3
Victoria (B.C.) 19 November Oak Bay Ground 23–0
Victoria (B.C.) 22 November Oak Bay Ground 35–0
Vancouver 24 November 44–0

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://en.espn.co.uk/newzealand/rugby/story/204045.html The tour that killed American rugby
  2. http://stats.allblacks.com/asp/tourbreak.asp?IDID=16 Match centre - In North America
  3. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/rugby-union-football/page-2 New Zealand Teams Overseas