Rugby Union’s “Match of the Century”
History Daily
History Daily
4.4 • 2.5K Ratings
🗓️ 16 December 2024
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
December 16, 1905. Rugby Union’s "Match of the Century" is played between Wales and the undefeated New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park. This episode originally aired in 2022.
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Transcript
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| 0:38.2 | It's September 16th, 1905, on a rugby pitch in Devon and Southern England. Two teams are warming up before a big game. At one end of the field, dressed in green and white striped jerseys, is Devon Rugby Club, one of the best sides in England. At the other end of the field, dressed in green and white-striped jerseys, is Devin Rugby Club, |
| 0:43.3 | one of the best sides in England. At the other end is the national team of New Zealand, |
| 0:47.0 | who just arrived in the UK for their first ever European tour. |
| 0:53.8 | Edwin Cox, Devin's captain, leads his teammates in a passing trip. The hundreds of spectators who have come to watch today's clash all expect Devon to win, |
| 0:57.3 | and the crowd's confidence has rubbed off on the players. |
| 1:00.4 | Edwin notices that morale is high among his teammates, |
| 1:03.1 | as they throw the ball around, laughing and joking, as if getting ready for a friendly Sunday game in the park. |
| 1:09.1 | Edwin glances over at the opposing team. He doesn't know |
| 1:12.1 | what to make of these New Zealanders. Physically, they're an odd-looking bunch, burly and scruffy, |
| 1:17.1 | like a pack of farmhands. In England, rugby is a gentleman sport, and these hooligans would |
| 1:22.6 | look more at home in a boxing ring than on a rugby pitch. Even their uniform is strange, |
| 1:28.6 | entirely black, |
| 1:34.6 | as if they're on their way to a funeral. Edwin strokes his mustache, his eyebrow arched disapprovingly. |
| 1:40.4 | The referee calls over to the two captains. It's time to start the game. The English side is awarded kickoff, and Edwin and his teammates take formation across the pitch. |
| 1:44.7 | But rather than prepare to receive the ball, the New Zealanders form a line in the center of the |
| 1:49.4 | field. They stare down the English players, widening their eyes and bearing their teeth. |
| 1:55.1 | Then to Edwin's astonishment, the New Zealanders start to perform a ceremonial battle dance, |
| 2:02.2 | slapping their arms and torsos and flickering their tongues from their mouths like wild beasts. |
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