"The Great Rugby Match at Wellington" ... could be the newspaper headlines for the second test match between All Blacks and France next Saturday, but actually relates to the British Lions touring to New Zealand in 1904.
Title (not on my picture) reads "Popular Interest in the Rugby Game"... 20,000 people gathering at the stadium (the total population of New Zealand was then around 800,000...) to witness the New Zealanders beat the British team captained by Mr Bedell-Sivright by nine points to three... the rise of colonial rugby... and possibly a trigger to set up the famous 1905 tour in Europe of Gallaher's All Blacks...
The picture above (larger pic available here) comes out of a four pages article published in London some three months later (errr... can't remember the name of the newspaper...) which brings some thoughts about the tour and team pictures as well (page 1 2 3 4 )
This other view of Wellington stadium belongs to John @ ovalballs.com (Thanks, Master !). John has some fine and rare postcards, incl. team pictures, of the 1904 Lions tour on his website - don't miss them...
Many cartoons were also issued after the game... here are two very collectible postcards (and some others in my drawers for future postings...)... from a time when neither the kiwi nor the "All Blacks" brand were established as a New Zealand "trade marks"...
