1924–25 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France
The Invincibles was a nickname given to the 1924-25 New Zealand rugby union team which toured the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Canada. The team was captained by Cliff Porter, and numbered among its top players George Nepia and brothers Cyril and Maurice Brownlie.
Between September 1924 and February 1925, the team played 32 games including four test matches, one each against Ireland, England, Wales, and France. They won all 32 games, scoring 838 points and only having 116 points scored against them.
Cliff Porter was tour captain, but played only 17 of the 30 games due to injury, including just one test (against France). During the remaining games, tour vice-captain Jock Richardson took over the captaincy.
Results
- Scores and results list New Zealand's points tally first.
| Opposing Team | For | Against | Date | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devonshire | 11 | 0 | 13/09/1924 | Rectory Ground, Devonport | Tour Match |
| Cornwall | 29 | 0 | 18/09/1924 | Recreation Ground, Camborne | Tour Match |
| Somersetshire | 6 | 0 | 20/09/1924 | Weston-super-Mare Ground, Weston-super-Mare | Tour Match |
| Gloucestershire | 6 | 0 | 25/09/1924 | Kingsholm, Gloucester | Tour Match |
| Swansea | 39 | 3 | 27/09/1924 | St Helen's, Swansea | Tour Match |
| Newport | 13 | 10 | 02/10/1924 | Athletic Ground, Newport | Tour Match |
| Leicester | 27 | 0 | 04/10/1924 | Welford Road, Leicester | Tour Match |
| North Midlands | 40 | 3 | 08/10/1924 | Villa Park, Birmingham | Tour Match |
| Cheshire | 18 | 5 | 11/10/1924 | Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead | Tour Match |
| Durham | 43 | 7 | 15/10/1924 | Roker Park, Sunderland | Tour Match |
| Yorkshire | 42 | 4 | 18/10/1924 | Lidget Green, Bradford | Tour Match |
| Lancashire | 23 | 0 | 22/10/1924 | Old Trafford, Manchester | Tour Match |
| Cumberland | 41 | 0 | 25/10/1924 | Brunton Park, Carlisle | Tour Match |
| Ireland | 6 | 0 | 01/11/1924 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin | Test Match |
| Ulster | 28 | 6 | 05/11/1924 | Ravenhill, Belfast | Tour Match |
| Northumberland | 27 | 4 | 08/11/1924 | Gosforth Ground, Gosforth | Tour Match |
| Cambridge University | 5 | 0 | 12/11/1924 | Grange Road, Cambridge | Tour Match |
| London Counties | 31 | 6 | 15/11/1924 | Twickenham, London | Tour Match |
| Oxford University | 33 | 15 | 20/11/1924 | Iffley Road, Oxford | Tour Match |
| Cardiff | 16 | 8 | 22/11/1924 | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff | Tour Match |
| Wales | 19 | 0 | 29/11/1924 | St Helen's, Swansea | Test Match |
| Llanelli | 8 | 3 | 02/12/1924 | Stradey Park, Llanelli | Tour Match |
| East Midlands | 31 | 7 | 06/12/1924 | Northampton County Cricket Ground, Northamton | Tour Match |
| Warwickshire | 20 | 0 | 11/12/1924 | Highfield Road, Coventry | Tour Match |
| Combined Services | 25 | 3 | 13/12/1924 | Twickenham, London | Tour Match |
| Hampshire | 22 | 0 | 17/12/1924 | Fratton Park, Portsmouth | Tour Match |
| London Counties | 28 | 3 | 27/12/1924 | Rectory Field, London | Tour Match |
| England | 17 | 11 | 03/01/1925 | Twickenham, London | Test Match |
| Selection Francais | 37 | 8 | 11/01/1925 | Stade Colombes, Paris | Tour Match |
| France | 30 | 6 | 18/01/1925 | Stade Des Ponts Jumeaux, Toulouse | Test Match |
| Vancouver | 49 | 0 | 14/02/1925 | Brockton Point Oval, Vancouver | Tour Match |
| Victoria (Canada) | 68 | 4 | 18/02/1925 | Victoria Ground, Vancouver Island | Tour Match |
Touring party
Management
- Manager: S.S. Dean (Wellington)
- Captain: Cliff Porter
Full backs
Three quarters
- Handley Brown (Taranaki)
- Gus Hart (Taranaki)
- Fred Lucas (Auckland)
- Alan Robilliard (Canterbury)
- Snowy Svenson (Wellington)
- Jack Steel (West Coast)
Five eighths
- Ces Badeley (Auckland)
- Bert Cooke (Auckland)
- Neil McGregor (Canterbury)
- Mark Nicholls (Wellington)
- Lui Paewai (Hawke's Bay)
Half backs
Wing forwards
Forwards
- Cyril Brownlie (Hawke's Bay)
- Maurice Brownlie (Hawke's Bay)
- Leslie Cupples (Bay of Plenty)
- Quentin Donald (Wairarapa)
- Ian Harvey (Wairarapa)
- Bill Irvine (Hawke's Bay)
- Read Masters (Canterbury)
- Brian McCleary (Canterbury)
- Abe Munro (Otago)
- Jock Richardson (Southland)
- Ron Stewart (South Canterbury)
- Alf West (Taranaki)
- Son White (Southland)
The matches
Wales
| November 29, 1924 |
 Wales | 0 – 19 |  New Zealand |
| Try: Irvine (2) M Brownlie Svenson Con: Nicholls Pen: Nicholls |
| St Helens Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Col. JS Brunton  (England) |
Wales: Tom Johnson (Cardiff), Ernie Finch (Llanelli), Albert Jenkins (Llanelli), Albert Stock (Newport), Rowe Harding (Swansea), Jack Wetter (Newport capt.), Eddie Williams (Neath), Bobby Delahay (Cardiff), Dai Parker (Swansea), Jack Gore, (Blaina), Charlie Pugh (Maesteg), Steve Morris (Cross Keys), Cliff Williams (Llanelli), Douglas Marsden-Jones (London Welsh), Dai Hiddlestone (Neath)
New Zealand: G Nepia, J Steel, AE Cooke, KS Svenson, NP McGregor, MF Nicholls, J Mill, JH Parker, WR Irvine, Q Donald, RR Masters, LF Cupples, CJ Brownlie, MJ Brownlie, J Richardson (capt.)
References
- Chester, R., Palenski, R., and McMillan, N. (1998) The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Rugby. Auckland: Hodder Moa Beckett.