1908 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia

The 1908 British Isles tour to New Zealand and Australia was the seventh tour by a British Isles team and the fourth to New Zealand and Australia. The tour is often referred to as the Anglo-Welsh Tour as only English and Welsh players were selected due to the Irish and Scottish Rugby Unions not participating. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950.

1908 British Lions tour
to New Zealand and Australia
The Anglo-Welsh touring party after arriving in Wellington in 1908. Manager George Harnett is seated in the centre, with captain Arthur Harding holding a rugby ball to Harnett's right
Date23 May – 2 September
Coach(es)George Harnett
Tour captain(s) Arthur 'Boxer' Harding
Test series winners New Zealand (2–0)
Top test point scorer(s) Reggie Gibbs (3)
Jack Jones (3)
1908 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia
Summary
P W D L
Total
26 19 01 06
Test match
03 00 01 02
Opponent
P W D L
 New Zealand
3 0 1 2

Led by Arthur 'Boxer' Harding and managed by George Harnett[1] the tour took in 26 matches, 9 in Australia and 17 in New Zealand. Of the 26 games, 23 were against club or invitational teams and three were test matches against the All Blacks. The Lions lost two and drew one match against the All Blacks.

The tour was not received well in Wales, as the Welsh players selected were chosen exclusively from those players from a well-educated and professional-class background. The selection was in fact addressed by the Welsh Rugby Union who stated that when a British Isles team was mooted for a South Africa tour in 1910, that the players should be chosen '...irrespective of the social position of the players.'[2]

Regarding the Lions uniform, 1908 brought a change of format and a change of colours. With the Scottish and Irish unions declining to be involved, red jerseys with a thick white band reflected the combination of England and Wales. Shorts were dark blue with red socks.[3]

Touring party
  • Manager: George Harnett

Results

Complete list of matches played by the British Isles in New Zealand and Australia:[4][5]

  Test matches

The first test v New Zealand on 6 June
Cartoon by William Blomfield, published by the New Zealand Observer following the tour's first test match. It depicts the touring Anglo-Welsh as a "dilapidated lion" following their 32–5 defeat to New Zealand
# Date Rival City Country Result Score
1 23 May Wairarapa MastertonNew Zealand Won 17–3
2 27 May Wellington WellingtonNew Zealand Lost 13–19
3 30 May Otago DunedinNew Zealand Lost 6–9
4 3 June Southland InvercargillNew Zealand Won 14–8
5 6 June  New Zealand DunedinNew Zealand Lost 5–32
6 10 June South Canterbury TimaruNew Zealand Won 12–6
7 13 June Canterbury ChristchurchNew Zealand Lost 8–13
8 17 June West Coast/Buller GreymouthNew Zealand Won 22–3
9 20 June Nelson Bays/Marlborough NelsonNew Zealand Won 12–0
10 27 June  New Zealand WellingtonNew Zealand Drew 3–3
11 1 July Hawke's Bay NapierNew Zealand Won 25–3
12 4 July Poverty Bay GisborneNew Zealand Won 26–0
13 8 July Manawatu/Horowhenua Palmerston NorthNew Zealand Won 12–3
14 11 July Wanganui WanganuiNew Zealand Won 9–6
15 15 July Taranaki New PlymouthNew Zealand Lost 0–5
16 18 July Auckland AucklandNew Zealand Lost 0–11
17 25 July  New Zealand AucklandNew Zealand Lost 0–29
18 5 August NSW Waratahs SydneyAustralia Won 3–0
19 8 August NSW Waratahs SydneyAustralia Won 8–0
20 12 August Western Districts OrangeAustralia Lost 10–15
21 15 August Metropolitan SydneyAustralia Won 16–13
22 19 August Newcastle NewcastleAustralia Won 42–0
23 22 August NSW Waratahs SydneyAustralia Lost 3–6
24 26 August Queensland Reds BrisbaneAustralia Won 20–3
25 29 August Queensland Reds BrisbaneAustralia Won 11–8
26 2 September Brisbane BrisbaneAustralia Won 26–3
Balance
Played in Pl W D L Ps Pc
New Zealand17917184153
Australia970213948
Total261619323201

Test details

First Test
6 June
New Zealand  32–5 British Isles
Try: Cameron, Hunter,
Mitchinson (2), Roberts (2), Thompson
Con: Francis, Gillett (2), Roberts
Pen: Roberts
 Report Try: Gibbs
Con: Jackson
Carisbrook, Dunedin
Attendance: 23,000
Referee: J Duncan (Otago, New Zealand)

Second Test
27 June
New Zealand  3–3 British Isles
Pen: Francis Report Try: Jones
Athletic Park, Wellington
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: A. Campbell (Auckland, New Zealand)

Third Test
25 July
New Zealand  29–0 British Isles
Try: Deans, Francis, Gillett
Glasgow, Hayward, Hunter
Mitchinson
Con: Colman
 Report
Potters Park, Auckland
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: A. Campbell (Auckland, New Zealand)

References
  1. Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVI, Issue LVI, 1 December 1908, Page 4 Papers Past website
  2. Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881–1981, David Smith, Gareth Williams; University of Wales Press (1980), p. 175 ISBN 0-7083-0766-3
  3. Lions change their stripes on Lions website, 17 April 2005
  4. British & Irish Lions results on Rugby Football History
  5. Early Lions: Squads and results (1888–1938) on BBC Sport, 18 May 2005
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