Graham Budd Auctions
Lot 298
An historic New Zealand 'Original All Blacks' shirt worn by Ernest Booth during the tour of the British Isles and France in 1905-06,
with fern badge and canvas overlay to the shoulders and upper chest and back, leather neck line extending down the lacing-v, period repair to the midriff, red stitched laundry marking to canvas beneath neck line; sold with five photocopied sheets relating to the shirt, Ernie Booth, the 1905-06 tour and it's recent exhibition in Bristol during the 2015 Rugby World Cup (6)
The Original All Blacks, also simply known as "The Originals" were the first New Zealand national rugby union team to tour outside Australasia. They toured the British Isles, France and the United States of America during 1905-1906. Their opening game was against Devon on 16 September 1905 whom they defeated 55-4. Such was the surprise that some newspapers in Britain printed that Devon had scored 55 points and not the All Blacks. They went on to defeat every English side that they faced, including a 16-3 victory over English county champions Durham. They defeated the national teams of Scotland, Ireland and England and suffered their only loss of the 35-match tour when defeated 3-0 defeat by Wales at Cardiff Arms Park.
The 1905 All Blacks tour of Britain went on to achieve legendary status within the rugby world and New Zealand in particular. They scored 976 points and conceded only 59, and thus set the standard for all subsequent All Black sides. The tour also saw the first use of the All Blacks nickname and established New Zealand's reputation as a world class rugby nation as well as the famous black shirt becoming an international sporting icon.
The present "Originals" shirt was worn by Ernest Booth in the match v Bristol at the County Ground, Nevil Road, 23rd September 1905 which at the time was leased for Bristol RFC home matches. The game was watched by 6,500 spectators who witnesses the tourists winning impressively 41-0.
At the end of the match Bristol's full-back and captain James Oates swapped shirts with Booth. Oates kept the shirt until the 1950s when he gifted it to the Bristol captain of the time Doug Pratten. The shirt has remained in the Pratten family until this day.
Ernest Booth, nicknamed "General" after the founder of the Salvation Army, played at full-back or as a three-quarter. He was selected for 16 of the Originals' matches on the historic 1905-06 tour including the Test Match v France in Paris New Year's Day 1906. Born in Teschemakers 24th February 1876. Ernie Booth played for Kaikorai and represented Otago, before moving to Sydney where he captained Newtown and represented New South Wales. He later became a rugby journalist and during the First World War served in the Australian forces as secretary of the YMCA.
In the 1920s Booth became a professional rugby coach for the Southland Union, an appointment that can be cited as a significant innovation in an era of strict amateurism. As a result of protests from the National Union, Booth's role was 'redefined' but he continued coaching including outreaches to schools where he discovered the likes of Frank Kilby, Rusty Page, Lance Johnson & Brushy Mitchell.
Ernest Edward Booth died in Christchurch 18th October 1935 aged 59.
This shirt has twice been exhibited on loan from the Pratten family. Firstly at the Museum of Rugby at Twickenham Stadium in the centenary year of 2005; and more recently to coincide with the 2015 Rugby World Cup in the Bristol Life Gallery at M Shed, the city's newest museum.
