Club Captain : Genny Gordon
Playing Record : P32, W22, D2, L8, Pts for 275, Pts against 109.
Leading Try Scorer : Billy Trew 16
Leading Points Scorer : Billy Trew 52
Capped v New Zealand : Dicky Owen, Will Joseph
Capped v England : Dicky Owen, Will Joseph
Capped v Scotland : Dicky Owen, Will Joseph, Billy Trew
Capped v Ireland : Dicky Owen, Will Joseph
Swansea RFC 1st XV 1905-06.
This photograph would have been taken in September as Dan Rees soon left to join Hull Kingston Rovers Rugby League side, yet appears here.
Swansea hosted the final match of the tour by New Zealand, The All Blacks having won 29 of their 30 matches, the only reverse being the infamous 3-0 defeat to Wales. Swansea lost the game by 4 points to 3 and by a drop goal to a try (Fred Scrine). It was the closest margin of victory for New Zealand over the Welsh sides. Swansea Scrum-half Dickie Owen had a try disalowed. Most observers felt Swansea had been very unlucky to lose the game. It is worth noting that under the modern scoring system, Swansea would have won by 5 points to 3!
The Swansea team on that day (30 December 1905) was :
George Davies, WJ Trew, W Arnold, F Gordon (captain), F Scale, F Scrine, RM Owen, P Hopkins, Ivor Morgan, DJ Thomas, W Cole, H Hunt, W Parker, Aubrey Smith and Will Joseph.
Dave Gallaher, the New Zealand captain, considered St. Helen’s to have been the best ground he had played on.
GLAMORGAN COUNTY v ALL BLACKS
The Glamorgan team that played New Zealand on 21st December 1905 at St Helens ground, Swansea.New Zealand beat Glamorgan by three tries to nil (9 – 0). Half-time: 0 -3.
Back Row (L to R): Mr A J Davies (WFU Committee), J F Williams (Cardiff), Dick Thomas (Mountain Ash), Dai Jones (Aberdare), Dai Westacott (Cardiff), Howell Jones (Neath), W H ‘Harry’ Hunt (Swansea).
2nd Row (L to R): W ‘Billy’ Pullen (Cardiff), J C M Dyke (Penarth), Will Joseph [captain] (Swansea), R A Gibbs (Cardiff), J L Williams (Cardiff), Jack Powell (Cardiff).
Front Row (L to R): J ‘Bala’ Jones (Aberavon), Phil Hopkins (Swansea), Willie Arnold (Swansea). (Club Archive).
GLAMORGAN COUNTY v ALL BLACKS – Original Movie footage
1905 movie footage of the All Blacks and Glamorgan County teams entering the field at St Helens on 21st December 1905 and action from the match.
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
Swansea players look on as the New Zealanders finish performing the Haka in front of a capacity crowd at St Helens. Gil Evans the referee is walking toward the grandstand and checking his watch before kick off. (Club Archive).
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
The All Whites and All Blacks scrum down with a suggestion that the New Zealand loose head is being lifted. (Club Archive).
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
A lineout takes place under the shadow of the grandstand. Both sides are pushing as the ball is put into play. All Blacks No3 Bill Cunningham sports his trademark white sock. Swansea player to the right of Cunningham is probably Will Cole and Will Parker is toward the back of the lineout. Swansea trainer Bob Dowdle is one of the touch judges – far right. Note the straw lying about due to the severe cold of the previous night.(Club Archive).
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
An All Black punts forward as the Swansea forwards chase him down. Players from both sides are on the ground. Dickie Owen is on the left watching to see where the ball will be kicked. (Club Archive).
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
At a scrummage, Dickie Owen speeds the ball out as the All Blacks forwards are already breaking from the back of the scrum. (Club Archive).
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
Another scrum and the All Blacks break as Swansea’s Fred Scrine (right) has freed himself to counter a probe by New Zealander Dave Gallagher. Dickie Owen (partially obscured) has just spun the ball out. The referee has seen Fred Scrine leave the scrum early as an All Black has a casual foot extended to impair Owen’s advance, should he choose to run instead of pass. (Club Archive).
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
The players await the put in at another lineout under the grandstand. Dickie Owen is poised on the right and D J Thomas is visible further down the line. The straw which increasingly littered the pitch caused a dispute over whether New Zealander Duncan Mcgregor had scored a try or not, the try line being obscured. (Club Archive).
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
Above: A match programme from the Swansea v New Zealand match and Billy Wallace who’s superb kick won the game for the All Blacks. (Club Archive).
SWANSEA v ALL BLACKS
A news cutting underlines the closeness of the result. In the Welsh part of the New Zealanders’ tour, they beat Newport by 3 points, Cardiff by 2 points and Swansea by a single point. Of the 7 tries conceded by New Zealand on the British Tour, 4 were against Welsh clubs. Swansea were the only opponents that New Zealand failed to score a try against. (David Dow collection).
WALES v ALL BLACKS
The Welsh team that achieved the impossible – a win over the All Blacks. A rehearsed move, the brainchild of Dickie Owen, undid the New Zealand defence in the first half for an unconverted try by Teddy Morgan. Owen feinted to pass to Percy bush, who the tourists were wary of. He then swung a reverse pass out to rover Cliff Pritchard and the ball went wide to Morgan who sped in at the corner. The game had everything as New Zealand claimed an equalising try by Bob Deans which referee John Dallas did not allow. Owen suffered rough treatment throughout and the little man was found to have a displaced cartiladge afterwards, which explained how his normally immaculate reverse pass had bounced before reaching Pritchard. He said afterwards: “I would have gone off the field in any other match than this”. (Club Archive).
WALES v ALL BLACKS
The match ball used in the 1905 game in Cardiff between Wales and New Zealand (Club Archive).
WALES v ALL BLACKS
A match programme from the Wales v New Zealand game of 1905 (Courtesy of Phil Owen – Grandson of Dickie Owen).
WALES v ALL BLACKS
The jersey worn by Swansea forward Will Joseph at the Wales v New Zealand match of 1905. (Courtesy of Will Joseph’s Great Nephew).