Thorny Encounters

A History of England v The All Blacks

Matt Elliott

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• eBook ISBN:
  9781785314803
• Year: 2018

In 1905, Vic Cartwright's England rugby team lined up against Dave Gallaher's touring All Blacks at Crystal Palace—the first ever meeting of two national teams. Ensuing matches, in both the amateur and professional eras, have been dramatic and controversial, steeped in the historical rivalry of the traditional home of the game for the nation that has claimed rugby as its own. Men in white (such as Wakefield, Beaumont, Carling, Leonard, and Johnson) versus men in black (Meads, Lochore, Fitzpatrick, Lomu, McCaw). Hakas drowned out by rousing renditions of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Grinding forward tussles on cold, murky afternoons and sweeping back-line movements on sun-lit grounds. Thorny Encounters chronicles the first 40 rugby internationals between England and New Zealand, spanning 1905 to 2014. Historic encounters between men in white and black have been dramatic, controversial, and steeped in historical rivalry. The match in which giants of the sport have measured themselves against each other. The clash of the hemispheres.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Notes to the text
• On Facing the All Blacks
• 1905 Crystal Palace, All Blacks 15 England 0
• 1925 Twickenham, All Blacks 17 England 11
• 1936 Twickenham, England 13, All Blacks 0
• 1954 Twickenham, All Blacks 5 England 0
• 1963 Eden Park, All Blacks 21 England 11
• 1963 Lancaster Park, All Blacks 9 England 6
• 1964 Twickenham, All Blacks 14 England 0
• 1967 Twickenham, All Blacks 23 England 11
• 1973 Twickenham, All Blacks 9 England 0
• 1973 Eden Park, England 16 All Blacks 10
• 1978 Twickenham, All Blacks 16 England 6
• 1979 Twickenham, All Blacks 10 England 9
• 1983 Twickenham, England 15 All Blacks 9
• 1985 Lancaster Park, All Blacks 18 England 13
• 1985 Athletic Park, All Blacks 42 England 15
• 1991 Twickenham (RWC), All Blacks 18 England 12
• 1993 Twickenham, England 15 All Blacks 9
• 1995 Newlands (RWC), All Blacks 45 England 29
• The Professional Era
• The Game that Never Was (Going to Be)
• Red Roses and Black Ferns
• Series Statistics
• Bibliography
• Photos