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15 May 2015
If you are in England and near the town of Rugby in Warwickshire it really behoves you to pay a visit, right? So this year I did and after a night in the nearby village of Dunchurch a visit to Rugby on its Market Day was a must - and fun.
Every shop and stall had a rugby 'sign' outside it. I took a lot of shots which may or may not be used sometime - but in the end all visitors like me are drawn to the impressive Rugby School, right in the centre of town. Here it is said the young scholar William Webb Ellis spoiled a football game by 'picking up the ball and running with it' in 1823. Thus the idea of the game of the Rugby's Games Rules were started.
The statue in the street was put in place for the 1999 Rugby World Cup and these days is a popular tourist attraction. I had to wait while a film crew did a 'piece to camera' but then it was my time... A nice souvenir followed.
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The NZ Governor-General in 1931 was Lord Bledisloe. His donated trophy was decided in favour of NZ by 20-13 at Eden Park in Auckland.
ELLIS, JAN
South-West Africa and South Africa
38 internationals for Sth Africa 1965–76
Along with the tight-loose forward Frik du Preez, flanker Jan Ellis shared for many years the record for most test matches played by a South African. They played in an age when such a total was considered huge.
Ellis came from far-flung South-West Africa (now independent Namibia) where the nearest rugby club was 60 miles (100 km) away. His keenness and determination to play the game soon built into a talent that was recognised in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, the main centres of South African rugby.
Ellis made the first of his 38 test appearances for the Springboks in New Zealand in 1965. He played modestly for the first six or seven games, but then he discovered his own strength and speed and by tour’s end he was one of the most improved players in the team. Thereafter his powerful running from loose play and strong tackling made him a regular in Springbok sides.
He played many of his tests in the politically-charged atmosphere of anti-apartheid protests, but if such demonstrations worried Ellis it was never seen. His play was always of a consistently high standard.
In 1976 Ellis equalled Frik du Preez’s total of 38 internationals, but was denied the chance to beat the record when he was dropped from the Springboks team after the first test against the All Blacks.
Which New Zealand sports broadcaster once described a tight tennis match as 'a Battle of Nutrition.'
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