1973 England rugby union tour of Fiji and New Zealand
Encyclopedia
The 1973 England rugby union tour of Fiji and New Zealand was a series of matches played by the England national rugby union team
in Fiji
and New Zealand
in August and September 1973. England played five games, including a test match against the New Zealand national rugby union team and a match against the Fiji national rugby union team
for which England did not award full internationals caps. England beat Fiji by only a single point and lost all three matches against New Zealand provincial teams but completed the tour with a first win against New Zealand since 1936.
This tour was hastily organised at very little notice when the originally planned tour of Argentina
was cancelled due to terrorist theats against the players. A squad of 25 was selected, all but three capped, and nine of whom (six in the pack) had played in the match against the All Blacks
at Twickenham
nine months previously, in January 1973. David Duckham
and "Stack" Stevens
had been, with John Pullin
, on the 1971 Lions tour
.
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in August and September 1973. England played five games, including a test match against the New Zealand national rugby union team and a match against the Fiji national rugby union team
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
for which England did not award full internationals caps. England beat Fiji by only a single point and lost all three matches against New Zealand provincial teams but completed the tour with a first win against New Zealand since 1936.
This tour was hastily organised at very little notice when the originally planned tour of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
was cancelled due to terrorist theats against the players. A squad of 25 was selected, all but three capped, and nine of whom (six in the pack) had played in the match against the All Blacks
New Zealand national rugby team
New Zealand national rugby team may refer to national teams in the different varieties of rugby:* New Zealand national rugby union team, better known as the All Blacks, administered by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union....
at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
nine months previously, in January 1973. David Duckham
David Duckham
David John Duckham MBE is a retired English rugby union player. He played 36 games for England from 1969 to 1976 and scored 10 tries. Duckham made his debut at centre, partnering John Spencer against Ireland in 1969...
and "Stack" Stevens
Brian 'Stack' Stevens
Claude Brian 'Stack' Stevens is a former English rugby union player who played prop for Penzance and Newlyn, Harlequins and represented England 25 times at international level between 1970 to 1975. He also toured with the British and Irish Lions to Australia and New Zealand in 1971.-References:...
had been, with John Pullin
John Pullin
John Vivian Pullin is a former England international rugby union player. A hooker, he played club rugby for Bristol RFC and captained the England national rugby union team for which he played 42 times between 1966 and 1976...
, on the 1971 Lions tour
1971 British Lions tour to New Zealand
In 1971 the British Lions toured New Zealand, also playing two matches in Australia. Despite losing the first match to Queensland the tour was a great success, the Lions winning the test series against the All Blacks. They are still the only Lions side to have won a test series in New Zealand...
.
Matches
- Scores and results list England's points tally first.
Opposing Team For Against Date Venue Status Fiji Fiji national rugby union teamThe Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
13 12 28/08/1973 Buckhurst Park, Suva SuvaSuva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
Tour Match Taranaki 3 6 01/09/1973 Rugby Park, New Plymouth New PlymouthNew Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
Tour Match Wellington Wellington Rugby Football UnionThe Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand...
16 25 05/09/1973 Athletic Park Athletic Park (Wellington)Athletic Park was a well-known ground used mostly for rugby matches in Wellington, New Zealand. The ground was also the inaugural home of New Zealand's principal knockout football tournament, the Chatham Cup ....
, WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
Tour Match Canterbury Canterbury Rugby Football UnionThe Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
12 19 08/09/1973 Lancaster Park, Christchurch ChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
Tour Match New Zealand All BlacksThe New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
16 10 15/09/1973 Eden Park Eden ParkEden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
Test Match Test match (rugby union)Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
Touring party
- Manager: D.L. Sanders
- Assistant Manager: J. Elders
- Captain: J.V. PullinJohn PullinJohn Vivian Pullin is a former England international rugby union player. A hooker, he played club rugby for Bristol RFC and captained the England national rugby union team for which he played 42 times between 1966 and 1976...
(BristolBristol RugbyBristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
) 30 Caps
Full Backs
- P.A. RossboroughPeter RossboroughPeter Rossborough is a former a rugby union international who represented England from 1971 to 1975. He played club rugby for Coventry R.F.C. during the 1970s.-Rugby union career:...
(CoventryCoventry R.F.C.Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
) 1 Cap - A.M. Jorden (Blackheath) 4 Caps
Three-Quarters
- D.J. DuckhamDavid DuckhamDavid John Duckham MBE is a retired English rugby union player. He played 36 games for England from 1969 to 1976 and scored 10 tries. Duckham made his debut at centre, partnering John Spencer against Ireland in 1969...
(CoventryCoventry R.F.C.Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
) 24 Caps - G.W. EvansGeoff Evans (English rugby player)Geoffrey William Evans is a former England international rugby union player. He toured South Africa in 1974 with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for Coventry R.F.C..-References:...
(CoventryCoventry R.F.C.Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
) 4 Caps - J.P.A.G. Janion (RichmondRichmond F.C.Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs...
) 9 Caps - P.M. Knight (BristolBristol RugbyBristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
) 3 Caps - P.S. PreecePeter PreecePeter Preece is a former rugby union international who represented England from 1972 to 1976.-Early life:Peter Preece was born on 15 November 1949 in Meriden...
(CoventryCoventry R.F.C.Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
) 6 Caps - P.J. SquiresPeter SquiresPeter John Squires is an English former rugby union player and a first-class cricketer, who played in forty nine first-class matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1972 and 1976....
(Harrogate) 2 Caps
Half-Backs
- M.J. CooperMartin Cooper (Rugby Player)Martin Cooper was an international rugby union player who won 11 caps between 1973 and 1977. His only try was scored against at Lansdowne Road in a record low scoring game, his being the only score in a 4 -0 victory....
(MoseleyMoseley Rugby Football ClubMoseley Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club, based at Billesley Common in Birmingham, that competes in the RFU Championship. The club was historically the premier rugby club in Birmingham, reaching the final of the John Player Cup three times in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
) 2 Caps - A.G.B. OldAlan OldAlan Gerald Bernard Old is an English Rugby Union player who had 16 caps for England.Old made his debut for England against Wales in 1972 and made a further 15 appearances with his final one being against France in 1978. His 16 caps included only 4 wins, but these were against New Zealand, South...
(Middlesbrough) 4 Caps - S.J. SmithSteve Smith (English rugby player)For other rugby players of the same name see Steve Smith and Steve Smith Stephen James Smith is a former international rugby union player...
(SaleSale SharksSale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
) 3 Caps - J.G. Webster (MoseleyMoseley Rugby Football ClubMoseley Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club, based at Billesley Common in Birmingham, that competes in the RFU Championship. The club was historically the premier rugby club in Birmingham, reaching the final of the John Player Cup three times in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
) 5 Caps
Forwards
- M.A. Burton (Gloucester) 5 Caps
- F.E. CottonFran CottonFrancis Edward Cotton is a former English rugby union prop forward who played for England and the British Lions. His clubs included Coventry R.F.C. and Sale. After retiring, he remained in rugby administration and founded a clothing company...
(CoventryCoventry R.F.C.Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
) 7 Caps - P.J. Hendy (St Ives) No Caps
- N.O. Martin (BedfordBedford BluesBedford Blues is a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The...
) 1 Cap - A. NearyTony NearyAnthony "Tony" Neary is a former England international rugby union player. He represented England at U18's basketball as well as rugby. He attended De La Salle College, Salford and Liverpool University before qualifying as a solicitor....
(Broughton Park) 16 Caps - J.V. PullinJohn PullinJohn Vivian Pullin is a former England international rugby union player. A hooker, he played club rugby for Bristol RFC and captained the England national rugby union team for which he played 42 times between 1966 and 1976...
(BristolBristol RugbyBristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
) 30 Caps - C.W. RalstonChris RalstonChristopher Wayne Ralston is a former England international rugby union player. He reprented the British and Irish Lions on their 1974 tour to South Africa and at the time played club rugby for Richmond F.C..-References:...
(RichmondRichmond F.C.Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs...
) 12 Caps - A.G. RipleyAndy RipleyAndrew George Ripley, OBE was an English rugby union international, who represented England from 1972 to 1976, and the British Lions on their unbeaten 1974 tour of South Africa.-Early life:...
(Rosslyn ParkRosslyn Park F.C.Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union team. Founded in 1879, the club became the first club based in England to play rugby internationally when it faced Stade Francais in Paris on 18 April 1892. In 1912, the club played in Prague, Budapest and Vienna in the first rugby matches ever played in...
) 10 Caps - C.B. StevensBrian 'Stack' StevensClaude Brian 'Stack' Stevens is a former English rugby union player who played prop for Penzance and Newlyn, Harlequins and represented England 25 times at international level between 1970 to 1975. He also toured with the British and Irish Lions to Australia and New Zealand in 1971.-References:...
(HarlequinsHarlequin F.C.The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
) 15 Caps - R.M. UttleyRoger UttleyRoger Miles Uttley OBE MA is a former English rugby union player.- Career :He played 23 games for England both in the second row and the back row, 5 times as captain, 4 tests in the Lions back row on the undefeated 1974 tour to South Africa.Roger was born in Blackpool, and played first for...
(Gosforth) 3 Caps - J.A. Watkins (Gloucester) 3 Caps
- J. White (BristolBristol RugbyBristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
) No Caps - R.M. Wilkinson (Cambridge UniversityCambridge University R.U.F.C.The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
) No Caps