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1913 Leather Match Ball - All Blacks vs 'California All Stars'

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New Zealand Rugby Museum

Dating from 1913, one of the country's oldest rugby balls is a signed souvenir of the first clash between New Zealand and America. Touring California as part of a push to promote rugby union as an alternative to American Football, its leather surface is tattooed with the spidery ink signatures of the 1913 All Blacks team that thrashed the All-America (California 'All Stars') crew 51-3 in San Francisco. Some have blamed the hammering the top All Blacks team gave the fledgling Yankee teams on this tour for stunting the growth of the game in the States, but the USA bounced back to win rugby at the Olympics in 1920 and 1924.

Ngā whakamārama -
Details

  • Title

    1913 Leather Match Ball - All Blacks vs 'California All Stars'

  • Maker

    Unknown

  • Date made

    Unknown

  • Subject

    All Blacks, All Stars, Ball, California, USA, Frank Mitchinson

  • Additional information

    Leather, 30cm (Length) x 60cm (circum) & 37cm (from tip to tip across curve)

  • Rights

    All rights reserved

  • View source record for this item

    https://ehive.com/collections/3189/objects/45073

Kei hea tēnei taonga? -
Where is this item held?

New Zealand Rugby Museum

Whare taonga | Organisation

New Zealand Rugby Museum

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  • Text adapted with permission from Te Papa and Digital NZ

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