1912 Auckland Rugby League season

The 1912 Auckland Rugby League season was the third full club season in Auckland. The season commenced on 11 May, with the start of the First Grade competition.

It saw six teams competing for the First Grade title after the addition of the Manukau Rovers who were formed after a meeting in Onehunga in March.[1] There were other clubs which had formed but only competed in the lower grades. These were Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers (founded in 1910 and who later became known as the Northcote Tigers), Ellerslie Wanderers (later renamed Ellerslie Eagles), Hobsonville Pirates, and Otahuhu (founded in 1911). The season commenced on 11 May with the start of the first grade competition.

Newton Rangers secured their first Auckland first grade club title after they defeated Ponsonby United in the penultimate round at Eden Park on 13 July.

Preceded by
1911
4th Auckland Rugby League season
1912
Succeeded by
1913

Manukau Magpies formed

Manukau held a meeting in Onehunga in March. They decided to field a senior team and two junior teams.[2] James Rukutai was their captain and after his death in 1940 the trophy for the minor premiers was named after him. Teams still play for it today.

Myers Cup (First Grade Championship)

Thirty regular season matches were played with nearly all fixtures being played at Eden Park (25 in total). With the Devonport Domain being used for four North Shore Albions home matches, and one match at Ellerslie.

Final standings

Team Pld W D L F A Pts
Newton Rangers 108022238316
Ponsonby United 106221928714
North Shore Albions 1051412911111
City Rovers 10406941468
Manukau Rovers 10307571396
Eden Ramblers 10218782105

Results

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Eden only had nine players for their match with North Shore and after trailing by 33 points to 0 they threw in the proverbial towel and the match ended at that point. No point scorers or match description was published in the NZ Herald or Auckland Star. In the match between Ponsonby and Newton Charles Savory was ordered from the field for “rough and tumble” play just before fulltime and a match his side won by 16 to 6. He had earlier scored 2 tries and kicked a conversion.

Round 5

Round 6

The code showed that it was still struggling in its infancy to always organise itself properly with City only managing to field 12 players and the Auckland Star noted in its match report that several players “wore wrongly coloured uniforms”, and that the match was 45 minutes late kicking off. Also noticeable was the Newton and Eden result where Newton ran in 12 tries but only managed to convert one of them. Goal kicking in general was relatively poor and was shared amongst the teams with it not uncommon to see 3 or 4 players used.

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Top scorers

There were multiple instances of points being unattributed. As such the following try scoring and point scoring lists are incomplete. Games and/or teams with unattributed points are as follows: North Shore try and penalty v Manukau (R3), North Shore 33 points v Eden (R4), Manukau try v North Shore (R3), Newton try v Manukau (R5), Newton 2 tries v Manukau (R10), Eden 25 points v City (R10), City 5 points v Eden (R10). This amounts to 84 points unattributed out of 773 points scored in total.

Lower grades and exhibition matches

Grades were made of the following teams with the winning team in bold:

  • Second Grade: City, Ellerslie, Hobsonville, Newton, Northcote, Ponsonby
  • Third Grade: City, Eden, Manukau, North Shore, Northcote, Ponsonby A, Ponsonby B

Exhibition match

Date Score Score Venue
Exhibition Match 24 Aug[33] Manukau10Mangere Native Team3Onehunga Recreation Ground, Onehunga

Representative season

The team to play Thames-Goldfields to begin the season was a considerably weakened one. Several players named originally in the NZ Herald did not actually make the trip and the match day line up as reported in the Thames News was a very different one with many players on debut for Auckland.[34]

Auckland v Thames-Goldfields

Auckland v New Zealand

The New Zealand team featured a previously unlisted played named “Riley” which most likely would have been Syd Riley who was playing club football in Auckland for Ponsonby at the time and was listed to play for Auckland in the match (whom he did not play for on the day). The name Riley does not appear on any New Zealand cap lists meaning that it may well have been a last minute switch.

Auckland v Hawke’s Bay (Northern Union C.C.)

The Auckland team featured Harold Hayward who was from the Thames district which was affiliated to Auckland Rugby League. He had been a member of the combined Thames-Goldfields team which had played Auckland earlier in the season.

Auckland v Rotorua

On 3 August Auckland played Rotorua in Rotorua and they also played Lower Waikato at Eden Park. The later match was listed in some quarters as a B team though it was filled with New Zealand internationals.

Auckland v Lower Waikato

Auckland v Wellington (Northern Union C.C.)

Due to the Rotorua and Thames leagues being affiliated with the Auckland Rugby League the Auckland team contained two players from each sub league. Namely Riki Papakura and Rukingi Reke from Rotorua and Harold Hayward and his brother Morgan Hayward from Thames.

Auckland v Waikato

Auckland v New Zealand Māori

Auckland v New South Wales

Auckland won their first victory over an ‘international’ side when they defeated New South Wales by 10 points to 3. The game was marred by several acts of violence with the visiting side said to be at fault repeatedly. Near the end of the match Sid Deane was sent off for punching Billy Curran.

Auckland v New South Wales

New South Wales reversed their earlier loss with a comprehensive win over a disappointing Auckland effort. Charles Dunning and Bob Mitchell who had both been named to play originally were forced to withdraw due to illness and were replaced by Harry Fricker and Jim Griffin.

Auckland representative matches played and scorers

The following list is complete in terms of points scored however the match with Rotorua did not have team lists published with only the three point scorers from the match known (Hardgrave, Tobin, and Webb).

RankNameClubPlayedTriesConPenPoints
1Arthur HardgraveManukau Rovers717425
2Bob MitchellCity Rovers77--21
3George SeagarNorth Shore Albions634-17
4Jim RukutaiManukau Rovers642-16
5Billy CurranNewton Rangers631-11
6Charles DunningPonsonby United51-27
7Arthur FrancisNewton Rangers1-216
7Stan WestonNorth Shore Albions62--6
7D HealyNewton Rangers32--6
7Harry FrickerPonsonby United42--6
7Alan BlakeyNewton Rangers62--6
7Rukingi RekeRotorua42--6
7Young?12--6
14Charles WebbPonsonby United611-5
15C ClarkNorth Shore Albions1-2-4
16MalcolmNewton Rangers11--3
16Arthur CarlawPonsonby United21--3
16Don KenealyEden Ramblers41--3
16Alfred JacksonNorth Shore Albions31--3
16Harold HaywardThames51--3
16TobinNewton Rangers31--3
16CrossNewton Rangers11--3
16R RoopePonsonby United41--3
24Alex StanawayCity Rovers1--12
24Jim GriffinNorth Shore Albions3-1-2
26Morgan HaywardThames6----
26Harry ChildsCity Rovers3----
26Ernie AsherCity Rovers2----
26George Smith?2----
26Frazer?1----
26George HarrisonNorth Shore Albions1----
26WarnerCity Rovers1----
26McPhersonPonsonby United1----
26Tom AveryCity Rovers1----
26CapillThames1----
26G LambertPonsonby United1----
26BiggsEden Ramblers1----
26ChartersPonsonby United1----
26Charles BrocklissNewton Rangers1----
26Riki PapakuraRotorua1----
26George GillettNewton Rangers1----
26G Western?1----

References

  1. "Northern Union Game/Branch Formed at Onehunga". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14937). 9 March 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  2. "Northern Union Game/Branch Formed at Onehunga". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14937). 9 March 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  3. "The Season Opened/Fast, Attractive Play". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14991). 13 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  4. "The Season Opened/Fast, Attractive Play". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14991). 13 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  5. "The Season Opened/Fast, Attractive Play". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14991). 13 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  6. "Ponsonby Defeat City/North Shore and Eden Beaten/A Win for Manukau". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14997). 20 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  7. "A Win For Manukau". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14997). 20 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  8. "Ponsonby Defeat City/North Shore and Eden Beaten/A Win for Manukau". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14997). 20 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  9. "City's First Win". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15003). 27 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  10. "Ponsonby Beat Eden". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15003). 27 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  11. "Newton Rangers Beaten/City's First Win/Ponsonby Beat Eden". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15003). 27 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  12. "North Shore v Eden". Auckland Star. XLIII (132). 3 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  13. "Ponsonby Beat Newton". Auckland Star. XLIII (132). 3 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  14. "Manukau V City/Close Call For City". Auckland Star. XLIII (132). 3 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  15. "Ponsonby Beat North Shore". Auckland Star. XLIII (138). 10 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  16. "Eden Ramblers V City Rovers". Auckland Star. XLIII (138). 10 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  17. "Newton Rangers V Manukau". Auckland Star. XLIII (138). 10 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  18. "North Shore V City". Auckland Star. XLIII (150). 24 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  19. "Newton V Eden". Auckland Star. XLIII (150). 24 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  20. "Ponsonby Beats Manukau". Auckland Star. XLIII (150). 24 June 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  21. "Newton Beat North Shore". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15033). 1 July 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  22. "Manukau Beat Eden". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15033). 1 July 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  23. "City Rovers Win". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15033). 1 July 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  24. "Newton's Easy Victory". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15039). 8 July 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  25. "Eden Surprise Ponsonby". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15039). 8 July 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  26. "Newton Vanquish City/Ponsonby and Eden Draw/Manukau's Win". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15039). 8 July 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  27. "Newton the Champions/A Brilliant Match". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15045). 15 July 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  28. "North Shore's Victory". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15045). 15 July 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  29. "Newton the Champions/A Brilliant Match/Wins for City and Shore". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15045). 15 July 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  30. "Newton's Easy Victory". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15051). 22 August 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  31. "Eden Ramblers Win". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15051). 22 August 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  32. "A Drawn Game". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15051). 22 August 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  33. "Manukau V Mangere Native Team". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15081). 26 August 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  34. "Thames-Goldfields Defeat Auckland". XLVII (10210). Thames Star. 20 May 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  35. "A Representative Match/Auckland Team Defeated". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (14997). 20 May 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  36. "New Zealand V Auckland/Local Team Defeated/By Thirty-Eight to Sixteen". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15021). 17 June 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  37. "The First Cup Match/Auckland Beat Hawke's Bay/By 26 Points to 8". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15057). 29 July 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  38. "Auckland Defeats Rotorua/By 10 Points to 9/A Close Game". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15063). 5 August 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  39. "Lower Waikato Wins by 21 to 13". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15063). 5 August 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  40. "Northern Union Cup/Retained by Auckland/Wellington Beaten Pointless/A Hard and Fast Game". Auckland Star. XLIII (192). 12 August 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  41. "Auckland V Waikato/Visitors Badly Beaten". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15075). 19 August 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  42. "Auckland V Native Team/A Win for Auckland". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15081). 26 August 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  43. "Auckland Defeats New South Wales by 10 Points to 3/Game Marred By Roughness/New South Wales Man Ordered Off". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15087). 2 September 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  44. "New south Wales Defeats Auckland By 25 Points to 2/Home Team Outclasses". The New Zealand Herald. XLIX (15105). 23 September 1912. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
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