St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
Seven (End)
Transcript:
This is the final part of the audio trail following the tours of the New Zealand All-Blacks to the UK, Wales and especially St Helen’s. This trail has covered the years between 1905 and 1989, with those final years - from the 1980’s onwards contained within this final part. Concluding this trail will also see this part explore the reasons why this trail ends here, a detail shared between the sister trails that were discussed in the opening part, one each for South Africa and Australia. Put in short however, the following decade in the 1990’s saw a change to the rugby union game, and brought about an end of an era - ensuring that no such New Zealand tour of the UK would quite be the same again. Listen on to find out more.
The first of New Zealand’s tours in the 1980’s was in 82’ by the New Zealand ‘Māoris’. This short tour of Wales and Spain saw New Zealand finally return to St Helen’s, just in a slightly different form. The ‘Māoris’ have been known by different names, at this time being as stated, the New Zealand Maori, at their earliest the New Zealand Natives before being named the Maori All-Blacks in the modern day.
The ‘Māoris’ side were also the first side to perform a ‘haka’ (or war-dance) in rugby, the first instance being performed nearly a century prior to this 1982 game, in a match in England against Surrey, in 1888. The haka is, as New Zealand Rugby’s own description states, ‘a traditional Māori posture dance with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet, to the accompaniment of rhythmically shouted words’. Whilst it is now expected to see all New Zealand rugby sides perform a haka it was only later adopted by the other sides, including the All Blacks who performed their first in their ‘Original’ tour that opened this trail. A haka was only performed before away matches however up until 1986.
The New Zealand Maori’s team, as previously stated, played only a short tour in 1982. They played a number of Welsh club sides, and were somewhat unsuccessful in doing so. They lost to Swansea and Llanelli, 12 to 15 and 9 to 16 respectively, as well as to Wales, in the first of their two test matches, 19 - 25 on the 13th of November. They also drew with Maesteg 10 to 10. The Swansea game is represented in this part of the trail by a jersey worn by hooker New Zealand Maori player Bruce Hemara in the match held on the 30th October 1982. In the game itself, Swansea player, Mark Wyatt kicked 5 penalties. Māoris centre Steve Pokere scored a try which scrum-half Richard Dunn converted. Dunn also kicked 2 penalties, but it was not enough and Swansea won the match. This was the Māoris' first loss of the tour, having beaten Cardiff and drawn with Maesteg. The jersey was presented to Swansea RFC by Waka Nathan, who had played for Auckland, New Zealand Māoris and the 'All Blacks' before becoming Maori’s Tour Manager for 1982.
Like the All-Blacks, and the Expeditionary Force explored in part four of this trail, the New Zealand Maori’s also play in the expected black. This jersey is almost identical to those explored in the latter half of this trail, with the only exception being that the word ‘Māoris’ is beneath the fern leaf on the left breast, whilst the letters ‘NZ’ are above, for New Zealand of course. On the rear is a large white number two.
The following New Zealand tour in 1984-85 was also not by the All Blacks side. Instead, a secondary schools team toured the UK and Ireland, also playing against similar schools or youth teams. The New Zealand team, coached by future Wales senior coach Graham Henry, had a very successful tour losing just one match out of nine played. Their only loss was to Wales, 12 to 9 in Cardiff, on the 22nd December 1984. The team featured future 'All Blacks', including Jon Preston and Robin Brookes. The Wales Schools team included future Swansea players Ian Bucket and Simon Davies.
As a part of the display at St Helen’s, there is once again a jersey representing this tour. This jersey is once again black with a white collar, but as with the Maori’s jersey explored earlier, the differences are found on the left breast. The silver fern leaf is significantly smaller here, smaller than any other example found in this trail. Underneath the motif are the words ‘N.Z. Secondary Schools Rugby UK’ followed by the date of the tour 1984-85. Given the size of the motif it makes the whole jersey look quite understated from the front, although the rear bears a large number 22.
The final object, and tour, in this trail is that of a jersey from the final All Blacks side to come to St Helen’s. In the 1989-90 season the All Blacks undertook a short tour of fourteen games between October and November 1989. Only two test matches were played, one against Wales on the 4th of November and another against Ireland on the 18th of November. The All-Blacks won every match of the tour, beating Wales 34 to 9 and Ireland 23 to 6. It can be confidently said that the tourists were one of the strongest sides ever to tour the UK, a worthy legacy given the changes that were to follow the tour. Swansea RFC once again met the tourists at St Helen’s on the 21st of October, where the All Blacks led at half time by 21 to 3. But they were outscored by Swansea in the second half and had to dig deep for a 37 to 22 win. Kevin Hopkins, Paul Arnold and Ian Davies all crossed the try line for Swansea and Mark Wyatt kicked 2 penalties and 2 conversions. Future Wales coach Warren Gatland played in this match and scored a try of his own for the tourists.
The jersey itself is, as to be expected at this point in the trail, a black All-Blacks jersey. It was worn by New Zealand prop Ron Williams in the previously detailed game against Swansea at St Helen’s. The fern motif is once again large, but unlike the other All-Blacks jerseys in this trail is now accompanied by text, simply reading ‘New Zealand All Blacks’. Given the two other different kinds of touring New Zealand rugby sides this decade the extra identifier is completely understandable and helpful for this archive. Other, more expected, details are the white buttoned collar, and large white number 1 on the back. Whilst the colour of the jersey is well maintained and unaffected by ultraviolet damage, unlike many of the others in this trail, there is some damage caused by the pinning of the jersey to a board in the act of its display - that is to say there’s permanent damage from pins in a rectangular shape around the jersey front and rear. At a glance the damage is only minor, but close up it is unfortunately rather noticeable.
This part in the trail has explored three jerseys from the final decade of this form of New Zealand rugby tours in the UK. What made it the final decade? As also explored in the two other sister trails to this one, the rugby union game turned professional within six years and the monetary value of players and the commercial demands on the game at international level reduced any inclination to play against leading club sides, and so most international touring sides have now since abandoned these traditional club fixtures. Swansea would go on to play against South Africa in 1994, prior to that nation claiming the title of World Champions in 1995. But within months the game had turned professional – entering a new era.
This marks the end of the audio trail following the story of the tours of the New Zealand rugby teams. This trail opened by sharing the historic milestone of Swansea RFC’s wins over the ‘Big Three’, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, with each of the three represented at St Helen’s by a display, one of which this trail has explored through the shared objects. While the successes of the Swansea side against the All-Blacks and the other touring sides from New Zealand were mercurial, this trail goes a way to show that the challenges posed by the touring sides were always met with powerful responses even at the club level. With the professionalisation of rugby union in 1995, it was this 1989 tour that gave us the last response the side could give. Given the consistent strength of the All Blacks sides, finishing on such a potent final half of that game only proved why Swansea RFC were deserving of their unique accolade, and why the historic St Helen’s ground deserves its place on the world rugby football map.
Please don’t forget the display this audio trail records is part of a set of three, and so the trails continue with Australia and South Africa’s history at St Helen’s. Thank you for listening.