January 3 – First Sending Off

Rugby Shorts

The New Zealand tour of United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Canada in 1924/25 was most remembered as the march of the ‘invincibles’ with the visitors winning all 32 tour matches. And on this day in rugby history, New Zealand defeated England in a match that featured the first sending off in a test match in rugby history.

All Black lock Cyril Brownlie was the infamous player who was shown his marching papers. He was sent off for foul play.

The sending off did not affect the game or the tour outcome with the All Blacks posting a 17-11 victory.

The game was only the second time that England and New Zealand had faced off. The first encounter came 20 years earlier on the equally famous 1905 All Blacks tour of the northern hemisphere.

Rugby Deaths

2006 - Steve Rogers, Australian rugby league footballer (b. 1954)