December 16, 1905. Rugby Union’s "Match of the Century" is played between Wales and the undefeated New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.comHistory Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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It's September 16th, 1905, on a rugby pitch in Devon in 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 is the national team of New Zealand, who just arrived in the UK for their first ever European tour.
Edwin Cox, Devon's captain, leads his teammates in a passing drill. The hundreds of spectators who have come to watch today's clash all expect Devon to win, and the crowd's confidence has rubbed off on the players. Edwin notices that morale is high among his teammates as they throw the ball around, laughing and joking, as if getting ready for a friendly Sunday game in the park.
Edwin glances over at the opposing team. He doesn't know what to make of these New Zealanders. Physically, they're an odd-looking bunch, burly and scruffy, like a pack of farmhands. In England, rugby is a gentleman's sport, and these hooligans would look more at home in a boxing ring than on a rugby pitch. Even their uniform is strange, entirely black, as if they're on their way to a funeral.
Edwin strokes his mustache, his eyebrow arched disapprovingly. 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. But rather than prepare to receive the ball, the New Zealanders form a line in the center of the field.
They stare down the English players, widening their eyes and baring their teeth. Then to Edwin's astonishment, the New Zealanders start to perform a ceremonial battle dance, slapping their arms and torsos and flickering their tongues from their mouths like wild beasts. It's a strange and unsettling spectacle. Edwin shakes his head. Rugby is a civilized game for men of proper breeding.
But after this performance, Edwin is convinced that these New Zealand players aren't men at all, but actual animals. Still, as the whistle blows for kickoff, for the first time all morning, Edwin feels nervous. Edwin's nerves are well-founded. Devon will go on to suffer a humiliating defeat to New Zealand, losing the game 55 points to four.
The defeat will cause a sensation, with newspapers around the country proclaiming it a dark day for English rugby. But Devon will not be the last to fall victim to New Zealand, who will go on to win their next 26 matches. Soon, New Zealand's distinctive uniform will earn them a nickname, the All Blacks.
And their pre-game ceremonial dance, the haka, will strike fear into the hearts of every opposing team they encounter. But the indomitable All Blacks will soon encounter their biggest challenge to date when they play the UK's smallest nation, Wales, in a hotly anticipated clash that will come to be known as the Match of the Century on December 16th, 1905.
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