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The toughness of prefessional playing programmes in modern times probably mean this photo could never take place again!
12 January 2015
I've always loved this great picture of Eric Tindill of Wellington, the 'Double All Black.' Such men were called that in New Zealand sporting circles. They were a rare group of men who played for New Zealand at both test rugby and cricket. There have only been a very few of them. This picture from 'Crown Studios' in Wellington was a great attempt to capture his double sporting talent. But Eric's record in International sport went even further than playing it.
Usually a halfback but turned into a five-eighths, Eric ‘Snowy’ Tindill played his only rugby test on the All Blacks’ tour of Britain on the 1935-36 tour – the match that is chiefly remembered for English winger 'Prince' Alexander Obolensky’s two tries. (and for the fact that England won!)
Of even greater uniqueness in the sporting career of Tindill, was that he was a ‘double All Black’ which means he played for New Zealand at both cricket and rugby. Of the seven men to achieve this feat, only Tindill played internationals (tests) in both sports.
The Tindill record went further. In 1950 he refereed test rugby (between New Zealand and the British Isles) and eight years later he umpired test cricket. Even further, he was also a New Zealand cricket selector.
Tindill also had the distinction of catching the great Australian batsman Sir Don Bradman off the bowling off Jack Cowie in Adelaide in 1937-38. It was the only time Bradman played against a New Zealand side.
An outstanding sporting allrounder, Tindill also played football and table tennis for Wellington.
Somebody should have made him an All Black rugby selector, just to round his career off nicely!
I was very proud to speak at Eric's funeral in Wellington when he died aged 99 in 2010.
In these days with computer keyboards and paintbox programmes such a picture would be much easier to make today than this one which was made in the years after WWII.
Footnote; The other 'double All Blacks' in New Zealand rugby and cricket are; Bill Carson 1937-38, George Dickinson 1922-32, Charlie Oliver 1925-35, 'Curly' Page 1927-38, Brian McKechnie (1975-81) and Jeff Wilson (1992-2002). To repeat; Eric Tindill was the only one to play tests in both sports.
ends...
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And on a damp Friday the ABs passed 50 points in a test for the first time; they beat Italy 70-6 with John Kirwan running 75 metres to score, untouched.
INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The annual matches played between England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France were known as the Five Nations championship, or the International rugby championship from 1883 to 2000. When Italy joined in 2000 it was logical that the title for the showpiece to be generally known as The Six Nations Championship.
Ii is not widely known that in fact for over 100 years there was no such official tournament by name. The matches played were merely the annual fixtures between the British, Irish and French countries and it was only the media and fans who awarded a ‘Championship’ at the end of the season. There was no official trophy or title at stake. In 1992 official recognition came for the tournament and a trophy was awarded.
Terry Godwin, who wrote a book in 1984 on the international championship’s first 100 years, could find no definite date when public reference to a ‘championship’ was first made. Godwin believed it was near 1893 or 1894, some 10 years after annual matches had begun involving all four British and Irish teams. In the years that followed, only random mention was made to the ‘championship’ winners or ‘wooden spoon’ winners each year. And even when France was added to the list of annual fixtures for the four ‘home’ teams, it was left off published championship tables until after World War I.
The tournament has encouraged its own terminology. A ‘Grand Slam’ is the winning against all five other teams in the same season. A ‘Triple Crown’ refers to British teams winning against the other three home country teams. France or Italy cannot win a Triple Crown.
In the decade from the 1960s through to the fourth test of 1970 the All Blacks played exactly 100 test matches. What % did they win?
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