All Black and Amber - 1963 and a Game of Rugby

Description

All Black and Amber is written to tie in with the fiftieth anniversary of Newport RFC defeating the New Zealand All Blacks on 30 October 1963.

The year 1963 will be remembered as a momentous one for many reasons. It witnessed the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King delivered his famous 'I have a dream speech', and Nelson Mandela began his 27-year imprisonment for treason. In the United Kingdom three events generated much excitement: the Great Train Robbery, the Profumo affair, and the impact of four young lads from Liverpool called The Beatles who burst onto the popular music scene. Wales also had its significant historic events during 1963, two of which have both received much attention during this their fiftieth anniversary the culmination of the Tryweryn saga with the trial and imprisonment of three young men, and the successful protest by the residents of Llangyndeyrn in Carmarthenshire against the proposal to drown the Gwendraeth Fach Valley to supply water for neighbouring Swansea. Another largely forgotten event which took place in 1963 is the subject of this book the surprise defeat of the New Zealand All Blacks by Newport RFC on 30 October 1963. These were the days when visiting rugby international sides engaged in long and arduous tours, playing upwards of thirty matches, against many club, regional and international sides. The 5th All Blacks, captained by the late Wilson Whineray, visited the British Isles, France and Canada in the winter of 196364, playing a total of 36 matches over a period of five months. Their record was a remarkable one. They won 34 of the matches, including victories against England, France, Ireland and Wales. The only blemishes on their record were a scoreless draw with Scotland at Murrayfield and, of course, that famous 30 defeat against Newport. Such was the success of this remarkable team that no fewer than three of its players, including Whineray, were later knighted! The author provides a graphic account of the preparations for the visit of the New Zealand team to Rodney Parade, and a real flavour of the match day, with a crowd estimated at over 25,000. These were the days of amateur rugby and it is hard to imagine today that many of the players would travel to such an important match by public transport, would find it difficult to get released from their daily jobs, and would happily consume a fair amount of alcohol before the match. Dick Uzzell's pre-match sherry obviously worked wonders as he conjured up the only score of the day a 'scrappy dropped goal' in appalling conditions to give the home side a 3-0 win. Newport, as acknowledged graciously by the All Blacks, deserved their victory, and also missed several long-range penalties. I was fortunate enough to see the 5th All Blacks play in their match at Llanelli on 30 December 1963, which they won 228. The match is chiefly remembered for Terry Price's tackle on Waka Nathan which left him with a broken jawbone. Llanelli's moment of glory against the All Blacks had to wait until 1972, and much more has been made of that famous 9-3 victory immortalised in one of Max Boyce's songs. The author makes no apology for advancing the case that the Black & Amber victory in 1963 clearly surpasses the feat of the Scarlets some nine years later. This book goes some way to redress that balance, and is a well-written and very enjoyable read, which also gives, as noted in the opening paragraph, a real feeling for the era. But as a native of Carmarthen, who went to the same school as the scorer of that famous Llanelli try in 1972, I remain fairly convinced, with my tongue firmly in cheek, that west is still best! Richard E. Huws It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council