May 13 1964
Colts Trial for Australian Tour.
The New Zealand Rugby Union was to send a Colts team to Australia in 1964 and elected to hold a trial match in Feilding on May 13. Forty players took part, with 10 starting players replaced at halftime. The “Probables” side, captained by All Black Chris Laidlaw, won the match 24 – 17.
In 1964 there were 28 provincial unions in New Zealand, with 16 supplying players to this trial match. Those unions not represented were Bay of Plenty, Bush, Manawatu, North Auckland, Thames Valley, Wairarapa, Wanganui, Buller, Golden Bay-Motueka, Marlborough, North Otago and West Coast.
The subsequent tour was successful in playing terms with six of the seven matches won, some by wide margins.
“THE 1964 NEW ZEALAND COLTS TEAM
AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Selected after a Trial at Feilding, a New Zealand Colts Team of twenty-five players had a successful tour of Australia, playing seven matches to gain six victories, and losing to Queensland. The itinerary embraced a visit to five of the Commonwealth States, for the first time on record a team of New Zealanders contesting a fixture in Tasmania. Hobart, the venue for this match, had earlier staged a carnival, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania competing, and it was from the carnival competitors that the XV to play the Colts was selected. Thus new ground was trodden, and the visit will most certainly prove of benefit. South Australia and Victoria went under to the Colts in matches in which the speed of the New Zealand backs was perhaps a deciding factor, whilst fair margins were the lot of the Colts in the three Sydney fixtures. The first of the latter games was against the Australian Universities team recently returned from a New Zealand visit; the second against a virtual New South Wales XV., and in which the most noted success the tour was gained. Queensland, however, proved a stumbling block, beating the New Zealanders to the loose ball and altogether soundly overcoming the visitors.
Six of the Colts’ backs were All Blacks—W. L. Davis, C. R. Laidlaw, I. R. MacRae, R. C. Moreton, I. S. T. Smith and T. N. Wolfe, with tour reports indicating that R. J. Patterson, H. P. Milner and P. H. Murdoch could well win an All Black jersey in the future. Not far behind this trio would be T. W. M. Tataurangi and H. H. Henare. The forwards were typically New Zealand in physique and mobility, most giving the impression that from this group would come the International packs of the near future.
Details of the tour are:—
MATCH RECORD: May 30 – June 20.
v. Combined Southern States At Hobart Won 56 to 3
v. South Australia* At Adelaide Won 35 to 5
v.Victoria At Melbourne Won 60 to 3
v. Australian Universities At Sydney Won 22 to 6
v. City of Sydney At Sydney Won 16 to 0
v. New South Wales Country At Sydney Won 28 to 9
v. Queensland At Brisbane Lost 12 to 30
* Played under floodlights.
SUMMARY
Played, 7; Won, 6; Lost, 1. Points for 229, Against 56.”
1965 RUGBY Almanack page 19.
