1911 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia
The 1911 New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia was a tour by the New Zealand national rugby league team. It was the first tour organised by the New Zealand Rugby League.
The trip earned the NZRL ₤3000 profit, thanks to ₤4000 from gate takings.[1] The tour served as a selection for the 1911-12 Australasian tour of Great Britain and resulted in the selection of George A. Gillett, Arthur Francis, Charlie Savory and Frank Woodward on that tour.
Squad
The touring party included backs; Ernie Asher, Ernie Buckland, Sid Kean, Ronald MacDonald, Frank Morse, Roy Siddells, George Smith, Reg Sprague, Barney Winder, Frank Woodward, forwards; Charles Dunning, Tom Cotterill, Bert Feary, Arthur Francis, Dave Mason, Walter Milne, Jim Rukutai, Charles Savory, Alex Stanaway and utilities; George A. Gillett and George Seagar.[2]
Jim Gilmour and former All Black Billy Mitchell joined the team while in Australia. Mitchell had been bought over to Australia to play in the Queensland Rugby League competition.[3] Gilmour played for Queensland before joining the New Zealand side.[1]
Fixtures
Before the tour New Zealand defeated Auckland 16-14 at the Takapuna Racecourse.[4]
They lost three matches to New South Wales, defeated Newcastle by 21-20, defeated Queensland two games to one and defeated Hunter River by 40-8.[5]
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Attendance | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Loss | 10-35 | 46,000 | ||
| New South Wales | Sydney | Loss | 10-26 | |||
| Newcastle | Newcastle | Win | 21-20 | |||
| Queensland | Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane | Win | 24-13 | |||
| Queensland | Brisbane | Loss | 13-23 | |||
| Queensland | Brisbane | Win | 18-14 | |||
| Hunter river | Newcastle | Win | 40-8 | |||
| New South Wales | Sydney | Loss | 7-39 |
The first match against New South Wales was the first match of rugby league held at the Sydney Cricket Ground and netted the New South Wales Rugby League a record gate receipts of ₤2551 and 10 shillings.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 John Coffey and Bernie Wood, The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League, Hodder Moa, Auckland, 2007, p.p. 42-45.
- ↑ W.J.Davidson Rugby League Annual - 1949, New Zealand Rugby League, 1949
- ↑ Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987.
- ↑ Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN 9781869693664.
- ↑ When Blues & Maroons Saw Black 1908.com
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