New Plymouth revisited
The Lions play Taranaki in New Plymouth on Wednesday, a beautiful part of the south-west corner of North Island. The Lions have been there before.
The most dramatic sight in the area is the almost perfect cone of Mount Egmont, which was once a volcano. Now it raises above the rich farmland, its crown ringed with snow. Sit on the main stand of the stadium and look to your left and there is Mount Egmont rising over the hedge.
Taranaki is the Maori name for Mount Egmont, meaning "gliding peak".. According to Maori legend, Mt Taranaki once lived with the other mountains of the central North Island - Mt Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe. Taranaki fell in love with a pretty hill called Pihanga, who was the wife of Tongariro.
After a fiery battle with Tongariro which he lost, the tall and handsome Taranaki headed west. His falling tears at being banished are said to have created the Wanganui River as he gouged a path to the western coast of the North Island. Here he stopped, and his falling tears as he looks back at Tongariro and his lost love Pihanga, are said to create the myriad of streams and rivers that flow from his near symmetrical slopes.
Egmont? Captain Cook sighted the mountain and called it after the First Lord of the Admiralty. The locals call it simply the Mountain.
Right in New Plymouth there is the botanical wonder of Pukekura Park which has a uniquely beautiful cricket ground where the man stand is a terraced hillside. Once rugby was played there.
Waikato has Mooloo, the cow, Taranaki Ferdinand the Bull. The Lions will play the Bull at Yarrow Stadium, the Plaza de Toros of New Plymouth - a moment of truth for the Lions? It used to be Rugby Park till the bread-makers got the naming rights.
The Lions first went there in 1904 when they played against a combination of Taranaki, Wanganui and Manawatu and drew 0-0.
In 1908 the Anglo-Welsh went to New Plymouth and played against Taranaki in beautiful Pukekura Park. Taranaki had a good side that year. Taranaki won 5-0 but the visitors did not regard it as too kosher.
One of the Taranaki forwards, Rothery, was down injured and most of the visitors stopped playing, waiting for the referee to stop the game. The referee did not stop the game, Taranaki kept playing and Dive sprinted over for a try in the corner which Donald Cameron converted.
After the match the tourists were due to sail on the Rarawa to Auckland. Departure was delayed so that the players could enjoy a dance before sailing.
The Lions, wearing dark blue as they had done in South Africa in 1924 and Argentina in 1928, played Taranaki again in Pukekura Park in 1930, this time winning 23-7 in the second match of the tour. They scored five tries to one, four converted by South African Brian Black. It was a surprisingly big victory as Taranaki were strong end expected to give the Lions a tough time.
The controversy this time centred on the "wing forward". The Lions' manager James Baxter stated that the wing forward was contrary to the spirit of the game and in his speech in New Plymouth labelled the wing forward a cheat.
In 1950 the Lions played Taranaki at the present ground, then called Rugby Park and again walloped Taranaki, scoring six tries to one in winning 25-3, again surprisingly easy against a team highly regarded. The Lions' backs were simply too good. Bleddyn Williams and Ken Jones each scored two tries.
In 1959 Taranaki held the Ranfurly Shield. They were a strong side and at half-time the score was 3-all. The Lions eventually won 15-3 after Malcolm Price had scored the only try of the match.
In 1966 Taranaki were yet again powerful and yet again the Lions chose a strong team. Taranaki led 9-6 at half-time, but in the second half wing Colin McFadyean scored a try and then with four minutes left Mike Gibson cut through to score the winning try. It was the Lions' first victory in a Saturday match on the tour after losing to Southland, Otago and Wellington.
In 1971, for a change, Taranaki were not regarded as a serious threat to the great Lions but for the last half an hour of the match the Lions had to fight desperately for their 14-9 victory. It was the Lions' smallest victory in a non-Test match on the tour.
It was not all that easy in 1977 either when Phil Bennett's side won 21-13 in the fourth match of the tour against a Taranaki side captained by Graeme Mourie. The Lions' pack laid the foundation for the victory.
The 1983 side did not go to New Plymouth at all. In 1993 the Lions won an expansive match 49-25, their highest score on the tour. On that tour they lost to Otago, Hawke's Bay, Auckland and Waikato. It was generally a high-scoring tour and in New Plymouth the Lions scored seven tries to three.