The 'All Golds'
Rugby league in New Zealand grew out of the original rugby union All Blacks tour of Britain in 1905-6. Some of the touring New Zealanders watched the league, were impressed with the new game and became converts.
One of these All Blacks, a fleet-footed winger named George Smith, returned home and quickly teamed up with keen young sportsman and budding entrepreneur Albert Baskerville, to form New Zealand's first rugby league side. Including many former All Blacks and dubbed the 'All Golds' because of its semi-professionalism, the team embarked on a tour of Britain in 1907-8 without having played a single game in New Zealand.
The tour was a success. The All Golds won 19 of their 35 games including the test series against Great Britain which was won 2 - 1. On the way home the All Golds also captured two of three tests against Australia. On their return, the All Golds made up most of the two teams that squared off in what was the first league match ever held in this country. It took place in Wellington on 13 June 1908 before a crowd of around 7,000. The name All Golds has long been consigned to history but today's 'Kiwis' continue the tradition begun in the early 1900's.
The Stamps.
45c - Club Rugby League.
Over the years, the New Zealand Rugby League tried various formats for its domestic competition, but none achieved lasting success. That all changed in 1994 with the arrival of the Lion Red Cup National Club competition. This 12-team competition gave New Zealand a rugby league showcase that compared with Australia's Winfield Cup and Britain's First Division Championship. Inaugural teams were Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Christchurch, Counties-Manukau, Hawke's Bay, Hutt Valley, North Harbour, Taranaki, Waikato, Waitakere and Wellington. At the conclusion of that first season, the championship honours went to North Harbour who won the first grand final at Carlaw Park, Auckland on 25 September 1994.
$1.00 - Mini League.
Mini League was created in response to the quickly growing popularity of league among primary school children - just one result of the game's enhanced television exposure. This version of the game is modified and enables seven to nine-year-olds to develop at their own pace. Mini League is also part of the Hillary Commission's KiwiSport programme which aims at attracting greater numbers to the sport by heavily emphasising the 'fun' aspect. Mod League, a step up from Mini League, is designed for 10-12-year-olds.
$1.50 -Early League.
Rugby league's earliest pioneers, George Smith (pictured on the left) and Albert Baskerville, were honoured on this stamp. Together, the pair were instrumental in organising New Zealand's first league team, the All Golds, for the ground-breaking tour of Britain and Australia in 1907-8. Their involvement is also a story of sacrifice. Smith, a young entrepreneur, was a 1905 All Black before he turned to league, closely followed English league developments. He received a lifetime ban from rugby union for changing codes. Baskerville was an administrator and part-time player. He tragically died of pneumonia in Australia on the homeward leg of the tour. The first league game in New Zealand was played as a benefit for Baskerville's widowed mother.
$1.80 - International Rugby League.
This stamp depicted New Zealand's national league squad, the Kiwis, in action against Great Britain in a World Cup game. Also featured was the symbol of international league supremacy, the Courtney Goodwill Trophy. This impressive award was presented to the sport in 1936 by keen Christchurch supporter Roy Courtney. His aim was for league to have its own World Cup and for goodwill to be fostered among the test-playing nations. The Cup, in New Zealand hands between 1960 and 1965, is now on permanent display in Sydney, Australia.
Trans Tasman Booklet.
45c - Trans Tasman Rivalry
(From Booklet with imperforated upper or lower edge.)
The rugby league matches that arouse the most interest and passion in New Zealand are without a doubt the Tests played against Australia. The Trans-Tasman league rivalry between the Kiwis and the Kangaroos, as the Australian side is called, goes back to 1908 when the All Golds, on their way home from Britain, triumphed in a three-test series against a fledgling Australian side. Since then countless games have been played against the Kangaroos. The Australians, current World Cup holders in 1995, had by far the best record in these encounters. But there have been enough upset victories by inspired Kiwi teams over the years to make every one of those games an eagerly anticipated event.
Booklet of ten 45 cent stamps - Cover.
Booklet of ten 45 cent stamps - The Stamps.
This booklet was only produced in a single hang-sell format. Strips of five standard booklets were not available. The booklet was guillotined top and bottom rather than perforated, due to the booklet production process which produced stamps that we imperforated along either their top or bottom edges.
Covers & Miniature Sheet.
First Day Cover - 26 July 1995.
Miniature Sheet with one $1.80 stamp.
The miniature sheet incorporates the $1.80 stamp surrounded by game memorabilia with a view of Carlaw Park, Auckland, in the background - known as the 'home' of rugby league in New Zealand.
Miniature Sheet First Day Cover - 26 July 1995.
Technical information.
Date of issue: 26 July 1995.
Stamps, first day cover and miniature sheet designed by: Heather Arnold, Auckland, New Zealand
Number of stamps: Five (including booklet)
Denominations and designs: 45c Club Rugby League, $1.00 Mini League, $1.50 Early Rugby League, $1.80 International Rugby League, 45c Trans-Tasman Booklet Stamp; Miniature sheet incorporates $1.80 International Rugby League stamp.
Printer and process: Stamps and miniature sheet: Joh Enschedé, Netherlands by lithography.
Booklet stamps printed: Southern Colour Print, Dunedin, New Zealand by lithography.
Stamp size and format: Stamps: 39.15mm x 28mm (horizontal); Booklet stamps: 30mm x 25mm (horizontal).
Miniature sheet size and format: 24mm x 99mm (horizontal).
Number of stamps per sheet: Stamps: 100; Booklet: 10.
Perforation gauge: Stamps: 14.25 x 13.75; Booklet stamps: 12 x 12.
Paper type: Stamps: unwatermarked phosphorus coated paper; Booklet stamps: Harrison phosphor coated paper.
Cost of unaddressed first day cover with stamps: $5.45
Cost of unaddressed first day cover with the miniature sheet: $2.05
Special blocks Stamps: Plate/imprint, positional or value blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps.
Booklet stamps: The stamps were not available in sheet form, therefore no plate/imprint, positional, value or barcode blocks were available for this booklet.
Period of sale: These stamps remained on sale until 25 July 1996.
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their website and Online Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/
Information & images for this post came from.
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