Results - 1905
Sat 23 Sep | 2:30 pm | H | Representative | ![]() |
Whanganui RFU | 11 - 03 | Match Center |
Tue 29 Aug | 2:30 pm | H | Representative | ![]() |
Whanganui RFU | 04 - 00 | Match Center |
Sat 19 Aug | 2:30 pm | H | Representative | ![]() |
Whanganui RFU | 12 - 00 | Match Center |
Sat 22 Jul | 2:30 pm | A | Representative | ![]() |
Whanganui RFU | 13 - 00 | Match Center |
Sat 24 Jun | 2:30 pm | H | Representative | ![]() |
Whanganui RFU | 09 - 03 | Match Center |
Bronco Seeling #115
Nicknamed “Bronco,” Seeling was a big man for his era at around 1.83m and 87kg. By modern standards, of course, that is not especially imposing and openside flank specialists like Michael Jones or Richie McCaw would both have been a good deal bigger than Seeling. But a century or so ago the average height was three or four inches shorter than today and the average weight a couple of stones lighter. In the context in which he played Seeling was a giant and, indeed, of the Originals pack only three or four players were heavier or taller. And to his robust physique Seeling added considerable pace, natural athleticism and, as a tackler, absolute fearlessness.
Seeling arrived in Auckland in time to play the first Ranfurly Shield defence in history, in 1904 against Wellington. Though the shield was lost that year, Seeling between 1905 and 1909, when the Shield had been regained, appeared for Auckland in several of their notable defences. Of the 19 matches Seeling played for Auckland nearly half were in shield games. Seeling’s quality was apparent from the time he was included in Auckland’s sides and in 1904, aged only 21, he was included in the New Zealand side which played the touring Great Britain side at Athletic Park, the first test played in this country. One of the first chosen for the Originals, Seeling had a wonderful tour and with Billy Wallace, Jimmy Hunter, Billy Stead, Fred Roberts and, of course, the captain Dave Gallaher, ranks among the most influential players of that great side. He played in 25 matches, including all five internationals, and scored eight tries. As a noted British critic E H D Sewell observed, his contribution was colossal. Wrote Sewell: “This splendid speciman of manhood has everything necessary to the composition of a good forward. Search where one may, a better forward than Seeling does not exist.” New Zealand judges were just as glowing in their praise of Seeling. In 1961 the eminent coach of the 1920s, Norman McKenzie, said of him: “He was the type of forward rarely seen in his day and though they are more common today none would equal the tackling of Charlie … he was a terror to all opposition inside backs.” Seeling continued to be an All Black first choice in the next few seasons. He went on the 1907 tour of Australia and played in all three tests in 1908 against the touring Anglo-Welsh. In all he played 39 games for New Zealand including 11 tests, a considerable number in those years when official internationals were much rarer than today. After just 64 first class matches Seeling quit New Zealand rugby when in 1910 he was lured to Britain to play professional league for the Wigan club. There he added to his legend playing for the club for another 13 years as both a back and forward and often as captain until he was 39. He spent the rest of his life in Britain, dying in 1956 at the age of 73 in a car accident. Profile by Lindsay Knight |
FULL NAME | Charles Edward Seeling |
BORN | Monday, 14 May 1883 in Wanganui, New Zealand |
DIED | Sunday, 27 May 1956 in Stalybridge, England |
PHYSICAL | 1.83m, 86kg |
POSITION | Loose Forward |
LAST SCHOOL | Wanganui District High |
RUGBY CLUB (First made All Blacks from) |
City |
PROVINCE | Auckland |
NICKNAME | Bronco |
ALL BLACK DEBUT | Saturday, 13 August 1904 v British & Irish Lions at Wellington aged 21 years, 91 days |
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT | Saturday, 13 August 1904 v British & Irish Lions at Wellington aged 21 years, 91 days |
LAST TEST | Saturday, 25 July 1908 v British & Irish Lions at Auckland aged 25 years, 72 days |
ALL BLACK TESTS | 11 |
ALL BLACK GAMES | 28 |
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES | 39 |
STARTING POSITIONS | Jersey Number 5 Jersey Number 6 Jersey Number 7: |
ALL BLACK TEST POINTS | 6pts (2t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS | 27pts (9t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS | 33pts (11t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK NUMBER | 115 |
ALL BLACK GAMES THAT SEELING PLAYED(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced |
Click on the date below to view the Match Card |
1904 |
13 Aug vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 9-3 |
1905 |
1 Jul vs Auckland at Auckland 9-3 |
8 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 19-0 |
12 Jul vs Metropolitan Union at Sydney 22-3 |
15 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 8-8 |
29 Jul vs Wellington Province at Wellington 0-3 |
16 Sep vs Devon at Exeter 55-4 |
21 Sep vs Cornwall at Camborne 41-0 |
23 Sep vs Bristol at Bristol 41-0 |
28 Sep vs Northampton at Northampton 32-0 |
30 Sep vs Leicester at Leicester 28-0 |
4 Oct vs Middlesex at London 34-0 |
11 Oct vs Hartlepool Clubs at West Hartlepool 63-0 |
14 Oct vs Northumberland at North Shields 31-0 |
19 Oct vs Gloucester at Gloucester 44-0 |
21 Oct vs Somerset at Taunton 23-0 |
25 Oct vs Devonport Albion at Devonport 21-3 |
28 Oct vs Midland Counties at Leicester 21-5 |
4 Nov vs Blackheath at London 32-0 |
15 Nov vs Bedford XV at Bedford 41-0 |
18 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 12-7 |
22 Nov vs West of Scotland at Glasgow 22-0 |
25 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 15-0 |
2 Dec vs England at London 15-0 |
9 Dec vs Cheshire at Birkenhead 34-0 |
16 Dec vs Wales at Cardiff 0-3 |
21 Dec vs Glamorgan County at Swansea 9-0 |
23 Dec vs Newport at Newport 6-3 |
26 Dec vs Cardiff at Cardiff 10-8 |
30 Dec vs Swansea at Swansea 4-3 |
1906 |
1 Jan vs France at Paris 38-8 |
1907 |
13 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 11-3 |
20 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 26-6 |
24 Jul vs Queensland at Brisbane 23-3 |
27 Jul vs Queensland at Brisbane 17-11 |
3 Aug vs Australia at Brisbane 14-5 |
1908 |
6 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Dunedin 32-5 |
27 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 3-3 |
25 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 29-0 |
POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS |
t | c | p | dg | pts |
vs Bristol, 23 Sep 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Middlesex, 4 Oct 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Northumberland, 14 Oct 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Gloucester, 19 Oct 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Somerset, 21 Oct 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Bedford XV, 15 Nov 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs West of Scotland, 22 Nov 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs N.S.W., 13 Jul 1907 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Australia, 20 Jul 1907 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Australia, 3 Aug 1907 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
Totals | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
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TEST RECORD BY NATION |
P | W | D | L | t | c | p | dg | pts |
Australia | 2 | 2 | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
British & Irish Lions | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
England | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
France | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Ireland | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Scotland | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Wales | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
Totals | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Jimmy Hunter #118
In 24 games in Britain for the All Blacks he scored 44 tries, which is a record never likely to be defeated, particularly when in modern rugby tours have become almost obsolete or else condensed to a handful of games. From a prosperous south Taranaki farming family, Hunter was only 18 when he entered the Taranaki provincial team in 1898. When he started he was a halfback and at just 1.68m he was more the physique for this position. But after playing on the wing and at fullback he soon found a niche in the midfield where he was an outstanding second five eighths. Hunter first became prominent at national level when he and Simon Mynott in 1904 combined with telling effect for a Taranaki-Wanganui-Manawatu team which played a scoreless draw against the touring British team. That year they were also together in the North Island side, the first of five consecutive appearances Hunter was to make in the interisland match. Hunter joined the All Blacks in 1905 (he had been a reserve for the 1904 test against Britain) and actually captained the team on a preliminary tour of Australia. For the main part of the tour, though, Dave Gallaher was captain and Billy Stead the vice captain. With Stead Hunter played just as well as he had with Mynott. They were an ideal blend with Stead the master tactician selflessly creating the gaps and opportunities from which Hunter flourished. Though Hunter was occasionally criticised for being too selfish, the man himself never forgot the debt he owed Stead. According to the great writer and critic Terry McLean, Hunter was unstinting in his praise of Stead at a reunion of the Originals in 1955. McLean quotes Hunter as telling Stead at this reunion: “Without you I would have been nothing. Nothing.” Hunter played in all five internationals on the tour, scoring twice in the 38-8 win over France. He was captain of the All Blacks on a tour of Australia in 1907, playing all three tests and then had another three tests, being captain in the second, against the touring Anglo-Welsh in 1908. Hunter then retired as a player, having made 85 first class appearances, of which 43 were for Taranaki. He remained close to the game serving his club Hawera and being rewarded with a life membership. Life after rugby however was not always kind to Jimmy Hunter. His first children, twin sons, died at birth and an infant daughter succumbed to poliomyelitis. Another son, named Robert Deans after his father’s All Black team mate, was killed in action in Greece in 1941. Jimmy in his later years became acutely deaf and as a result lived a solitary life. Profile by Lindsay Knight |
FULL NAME | James Hunter |
BORN | Thursday, 6 March 1879 in Hawera, New Zealand |
DIED | Friday, 14 December 1962 in Wanganui |
PHYSICAL | 1.68m, 73kg |
POSITION | Second five-eighth |
LAST SCHOOL | Wanganui Collegiate |
RUGBY CLUB (First made All Blacks from) |
Hawera |
PROVINCE | Taranaki |
ALL BLACK DEBUT | Saturday, 1 July 1905 v Auckland at Auckland aged 26 years, 117 days |
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT | Saturday, 18 November 1905 v Scotland at Edinburgh aged 26 years, 257 days |
LAST TEST | Saturday, 25 July 1908 v British & Irish Lions at Auckland aged 29 years, 141 days |
ALL BLACK TESTS | 11 |
ALL BLACK GAMES | 25 |
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES | 36 |
STARTING POSITIONS | Jersey Number 12 : 11 |
ALL BLACK CAPTAINCY | 8 as Captain |
ALL BLACK TEST POINTS | 15pts (5t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS | 129pts (43t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS | 144pts (48t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK NUMBER | 118 |
ALL BLACK GAMES THAT HUNTER PLAYED(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced |
Click on the date below to view the Match Card |
1905 |
1 Jul vs Auckland at Auckland 9-3 (Captain) |
8 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 19-0 |
29 Jul vs Wellington Province at Wellington 0-3 |
16 Sep vs Devon at Exeter 55-4 |
21 Sep vs Cornwall at Camborne 41-0 |
23 Sep vs Bristol at Bristol 41-0 |
28 Sep vs Northampton at Northampton 32-0 |
4 Oct vs Middlesex at London 34-0 |
7 Oct vs Durham at Durham 16-3 |
11 Oct vs Hartlepool Clubs at West Hartlepool 63-0 |
14 Oct vs Northumberland at North Shields 31-0 |
19 Oct vs Gloucester at Gloucester 44-0 |
25 Oct vs Devonport Albion at Devonport 21-3 |
28 Oct vs Midland Counties at Leicester 21-5 |
4 Nov vs Blackheath at London 32-0 |
7 Nov vs Oxford University at Oxford 47-0 |
11 Nov vs Richmond at London 17-0 |
15 Nov vs Bedford XV at Bedford 41-0 |
18 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 12-7 |
25 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 15-0 |
2 Dec vs England at London 15-0 |
9 Dec vs Cheshire at Birkenhead 34-0 |
13 Dec vs Yorkshire at Headingley 40-0 |
16 Dec vs Wales at Cardiff 0-3 |
26 Dec vs Cardiff at Cardiff 10-8 |
1906 |
1 Jan vs France at Paris 38-8 |
13 Feb vs British Columbia at San Francisco 65-6 |
1907 |
6 Jul vs Wellington Province at Wellington 19-6 (Captain) |
13 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 11-3 (Captain) |
17 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 0-14 (Captain) |
20 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 26-6 (Captain) |
3 Aug vs Australia at Brisbane 14-5 (Captain) |
10 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 5-5 (Captain) |
1908 |
6 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Dunedin 32-5 |
27 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 3-3 (Captain) |
25 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 29-0 |
POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS |
t | c | p | dg | pts |
vs Auckland, 1 Jul 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs N.S.W., 8 Jul 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Devon, 16 Sep 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Cornwall, 21 Sep 1905 | 3 | – | – | – | 9 |
vs Bristol, 23 Sep 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Northampton, 28 Sep 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Middlesex, 4 Oct 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Durham, 7 Oct 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Hartlepool Clubs, 11 Oct 1905 | 4 | – | – | – | 12 |
vs Northumberland, 14 Oct 1905 | 5 | – | – | – | 15 |
vs Gloucester, 19 Oct 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Midland Counties, 28 Oct 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Oxford University, 7 Nov 1905 | 5 | – | – | – | 15 |
vs Richmond, 11 Nov 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Bedford XV, 15 Nov 1905 | 4 | – | – | – | 12 |
vs Cheshire, 9 Dec 1905 | 3 | – | – | – | 9 |
vs Yorkshire, 13 Dec 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs France, 1 Jan 1906 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs British Columbia, 13 Feb 1906 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Australia, 3 Aug 1907 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs British & Irish Lions, 6 Jun 1908 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs British & Irish Lions, 25 Jul 1908 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
Totals | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 144 |
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TEST RECORD BY NATION |
P | W | D | L | t | c | p | dg | pts |
Australia | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
British & Irish Lions | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
England | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
France | 1 | 1 | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
Ireland | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Scotland | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Wales | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
Totals | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Hector ‘Mona’ Thomson #124
He missed the preliminary tour to Australia through illness, then in Britain suffered a leg injury and his frequent absences ruled him out of selection for any of the internationals. He was limited to just 11 of the 35 matches but still gave some hint of the potent attacking weapon he might have been by scoring 14 tries. Three of these were in the match late on tour against Cheshire and on the way home against British Columbia he scored six. Thomson reappeared on the international scene when the Anglo-Welsh side toured New Zealand in 1908. He played against the tourists for Wellington and impressed with his pace to score a try. That performance earned him his one international cap, the first test against the tourists at Carisbrook in Dunedin. In the All Blacks’ 32-5 win Thomson scored a try, but then suffered an arm injury which prevented him playing the final two tests and ended his career. Though his career was relatively brief Thomson achieved some remarkable feats at first class level. As a civil servant he moved constantly about the country on transfer and he played for no fewer than four different provinces and for each of the islands, the South in 1903 and the North in 1905 and 1906. He was the first to score six tries in a match for the All Blacks, accomplishing this against British Columbia in 1906. He played for Wellington in 1900, 1906 (when he scored a try in the 11-5 Ranfurly Shield loss to Auckland) and 1908, for Auckland (three games in 1901-02), Canterbury (twice in 1903) and Wanganui in 1904. He also was in a combined Wanganui-Manuwatu-Taranaki selection which held the 1904 British tourists to a scoreless draw. His brother Andrew played for Wellington in 1906. Profile by Lindsay Knight |
FULL NAME | Hector Douglas Thomson |
BORN | Sunday, 20 February 1881 in Napier, New Zealand |
DIED | Wednesday, 9 August 1939 in Wellington |
PHYSICAL | 1.73m, 68kg |
POSITION | Wing three-quarter |
LAST SCHOOL | Wellington College |
RUGBY CLUB (First made All Blacks from) |
Wanganui |
PROVINCES | Wanganui, Wellington |
NICKNAME | Mona |
ALL BLACK DEBUT | Saturday, 1 July 1905 v Auckland at Auckland aged 24 years, 131 days |
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT | Saturday, 6 June 1908 v British & Irish Lions at Dunedin aged 27 years, 107 days |
LAST TEST | Saturday, 6 June 1908 v British & Irish Lions at Dunedin aged 27 years, 107 days |
ALL BLACK TESTS | 1 |
ALL BLACK GAMES | 14 |
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES | 15 |
STARTING POSITIONS | Jersey Number 14 : 1 |
ALL BLACK TEST POINTS | 3pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS | 47pts (15t, 1c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS | 50pts (16t, 1c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK NUMBER | 124 |
ALL BLACK GAMES THAT THOMSON PLAYED(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced |
Click on the date below to view the Match Card |
1905 |
1 Jul vs Auckland at Auckland 9-3 |
27 Jul vs Canterbury at Christchurch 21-3 |
29 Jul vs Wellington Province at Wellington 0-3 |
16 Sep vs Devon at Exeter 55-4 |
23 Sep vs Bristol at Bristol 41-0 |
7 Oct vs Durham at Durham 16-3 |
25 Oct vs Devonport Albion at Devonport 21-3 |
9 Nov vs Cambridge University at Cambridge 14-0 |
9 Dec vs Cheshire at Birkenhead 34-0 |
23 Dec vs Newport at Newport 6-3 |
26 Dec vs Cardiff at Cardiff 10-8 |
30 Dec vs Swansea at Swansea 4-3 |
1906 |
10 Feb vs British Columbia at Berkeley 43-6 |
13 Feb vs British Columbia at San Francisco 65-6 |
1908 |
6 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Dunedin 32-5 |
POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS |
t | c | p | dg | pts |
vs Canterbury, 27 Jul 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs Bristol, 23 Sep 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Devonport Albion, 25 Oct 1905 | 2 | – | – | – | 6 |
vs Cheshire, 9 Dec 1905 | 3 | – | – | – | 9 |
vs Cardiff, 26 Dec 1905 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
vs British Columbia, 10 Feb 1906 | 6 | – | – | – | 18 |
vs British Columbia, 13 Feb 1906 | – | 1 | – | – | 2 |
vs British & Irish Lions, 6 Jun 1908 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
Totals | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
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TEST RECORD BY NATION |
P | W | D | L | t | c | p | dg | pts |
British & Irish Lions | 1 | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
Totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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