The 1919 New Zealand rugby league season was the 12th season of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

that had been played in New Zealand.

International competitions

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

toured Australia, losing four matches to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and twice to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. New Zealand's final two tour games were wins in Rockhampton and Toowoomba.When Blues & Maroons Saw Black
''1908.com'' They were captained by

Karl Ifwersen Karl Donald Ifwersen (1893–1967) was a New Zealand rugby football player who represented New Zealand in both rugby league and rugby union. Early years Karl Donald Ifwersen was born on January 6 in Auckland, New Zealand. His parents were Char ...

.Coffey, John and Bernie Wood ''Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909–2009'', 2009. . New Zealand then hosted

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, in the Kangaroos first tour to New Zealand. New Zealand lost the first Test in Wellington 44-21 before bouncing back 26–10 in the second. However they lost the final two to lose the series 1–3. The squad for the four Test matches was;

Craddock Dufty Calvin Thomas Craddock Dufty (10 March 1900 – 1 August 1955) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand. Early life Dufty had sisters; Louisa Esther (1901-26), Annie Elizabeth (1902-62), Jessie May (1909-37), and Gwendol ...

, George Iles,

(c),

George Bradley George Washington Bradley (July 13, 1852 – October 2, 1931), nicknamed "Grin", was an American professional baseball player who was a pitcher and infielder. He played for multiple teams in the early years of the National League, the oldest lea ...

, Alec Morris, John Lang, George Neal, Bill Scott,

Bill King Wilbur "Bill" King (October 6, 1927 – October 18, 2005) was an American sports announcer. In 2016, the National Baseball Hall of Fame named King recipient of the 2017 Ford C. Frick Award, the highest honor for American baseball broadcasters. ...

Bert Avery Herbert "Bert" Avery (1895–1966) was a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played representative rugby league (RL) for New Zealand national rugby league team, New Zealand. Early years Born in 1895 in Whakapir ...

, Bill Williams,

Sam Lowrie Samuel Arthur Lowrie (1889-1954) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand. His grandnephew, Jason Lowrie, also represented New Zealand in rugby league. Personal life Sam Lowrie was born on September 6, 1889 in Thames. H ...

Stan Walters Stanley Peter Walters Jr. (born May 27, 1948) is a former professional American football offensive tackle. After playing college football for Syracuse, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the ninth round of the 1972 NFL Draft. He spent t ...

, Jim Sanders, Mike Pollock, Keith Helander, Bill Davidson,

Dougie McGregor Alwin John "Dougie" McGregor (1889–1963) was a dual-code rugby footballer who represented New Zealand in both rugby union and rugby league. Rugby union career McGregor played rugby union for the Karangahake club in the Goldfields sub-union ...

, Bill Walsh, Tom Haddon,

Ivan Stewart Ivan "Ironman" Stewart (born June 4, 1945) is an American professional off road racing driver. Racing career In 1973, Stewart was scheduled to co-drive (navigate) in the Ensenada 300 in a Class 1-2 dune buggy. His driver broke his leg, so Stew ...

Nelson Bass Nelson Bass (1894–1963) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand in four test matches between 1919 and 1921. Playing career Bass played for the Newton Rangers club in the Auckland Rugby League competition for 4 seaso ...

and

Wally Somers Walter Thomas "Wally" Somers was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand. Early life Walter Thomas Somers was born on June 14, 1899. He was the son of Amy Maria (Lawrence) and Daniel Somers. He had two sisters, Eileen Eliz ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

lost to Australia 32–8 at the

Auckland Domain The Auckland Domain, also known as Pukekawa / Auckland Domain, is a large park in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the oldest park in the city, and at is one of the largest. Located in the central suburb of Grafton, the park land is the remains o ...

in front of an estimated 20,000 spectators. Australia also defeated

South Auckland South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name ''South Auckland'', though not ...

58–5,

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

twice, 67-4 and 73-7 and scored 93 points against

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, defeating them 93–5. The Auckland side included; Bill Davidson,

Thomas McClymont Thomas Allen "Scotty" McClymont (5 January 1892 – 18 December 1974) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who played in the 1910s and 1920s, and coached in the 1920s through to the 1950s. He represented New Zealand. Early years Thomas Mc ...

, George Davidson,

, Billy Ghent,

, Bill Williams,

, Bob Mitchell and

. Reserves; George Iles,

Frank Delgrosso Frank Delgrosso (3 November 1899 - 29 July 1981) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand national rugby league team, New Zealand. Playing career Frank attended St. Columba's School in Ponsonby. Following school he began ...

Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...

and

Ernie Herring Ernie Herring (28 January 1898 – 17 September 1947) was the 112th player to represent New Zealand at rugby league. Early life Ernest Herring was born on 28 January 1898. His parents were Sarah Alice Foster, and Albert Richard Herring. He was ...

Henry Thacker Henry Thomas Joynt Thacker (20 March 1870 – 3 May 1939) was a medical doctor, New Zealand Member of Parliament and Mayor of Christchurch. Early life Thacker was born in Okains Bay on Banks Peninsula on 20 March 1870. His parents were Essy Joyn ...

was elected the patron of the

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood ''T ...

during the season.Coffey, John. ''Canterbury XIII'', Christchurch, 1987

National competitions

Northern Union Cup

again held the

Northern Union Cup The Rugby League Cup is a New Zealand rugby league trophy that is contested between districts on a challenge basis. The trophy used to be known as the Northern Union Challenge Cup. It is the oldest rugby league competition in New Zealand. Histo ...

at the end of the season. A Cup defence against the

was played at

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...

. This was the first rugby league match played at the ground since 1912 and the last until the 1988 World Cup final. Auckland, who won 38–13, included

, George Davidson,

, George Iles,

Bert Laing Henry Bircher "Bert" LaingLAING, Henry Bircher (Bert) 1 ...

, George Neal, Keith Helander,

, V Thomas, Tom Haddon, L Newdick and

Inter-district competition

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

defeated the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

, 5–3.

Club competitions

Auckland

Ponsonby won the

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region, including both club and school rugby league. It began in 1910 when the fi ...

's competition.Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1990 ''New Zealand Rugby League'', 1990. p. 72 Newton won the Roope Rooster. The Marist Brothers Old Boys club was founded in 1919, playing matches at the

. Conrad McDevitt, who helped found the club, had earlier been involved with the formation of the Railway XIII side in 1917. Marist's first match was a 3–28 loss to Newton. Grafton included

. Ponsonby included

Jim O'Brien Jim O'Brien may refer to: Sports Basketball *Jim O'Brien (basketball, born 1950), American coach for Emerson College, Ohio State and Boston College *Jim O'Brien (basketball, born 1951), American player for the New York Nets and Memphis Sounds *Jim ...

Walter Milne Walter Milne (died April 1558), also recorded as Mill or Myln, was the last Protestant martyr to be burned in Scotland before the Scottish Reformation changed the country from Catholic to Presbyterian. Early life In his early years he visited G ...

, captain

, Bill Walsh and

. The

City Rovers The City Newton Dragons are a defunct New Zealand rugby league club that was based at Victoria Park, Auckland. The club was created in 1948 by a merger of two original clubs, the City Rovers and Newton Rangers. Both the Rovers and the Rangers par ...

included Bill Davidson,

, and

Bert Laing Henry Bircher "Bert" LaingLAING, Henry Bircher (Bert) 1 ...

. The Ellerslie United Rugby League Club was reestablished on 26 July 1919 after going into recess with the outbreak of World War I.History
''ellerslieleague.co.nz''

Wellington

Petone won the

Wellington Rugby League Wellington Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Greater Wellington region. It is responsible for the local competition of the same name, as well as its representative team, the Wellingto ...

's Appleton Shield.

Canterbury

Sydenham won the

Canterbury Rugby League Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby lea ...

's competition, for which they were awarded the

Thacker Shield The Thacker Shield is a rugby league football trophy awarded on an annual basis to the winner of a match between the champion clubs of the Canterbury Rugby League and West Coast Rugby League. History The shield was donated by Dr Henry Thacker in ...

. Templeton and Kaiapoi joined the League while Addington regained senior status.

Other Competitions

The

West Coast Rugby League West Coast Rugby League (WCRL) is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of rugby league in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast region of New Zealand, centred around Greymouth. The WCRL own Wingham Park and are represented ...

was reestablished by J.D.Wingham after being in recess since 1915. Blackball, Kohinoor and Runanga competed in the competition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1919 New Zealand Rugby League Season New Zealand rugby league seasons Rugby league season