When the All Blacks' Invincibles dominated Brunton Park

The occasion was a tour game involving New Zealand and Cumberland, with Carlisle United’s ground the venue. The fixture was part of a tour by the All Blacks which would go down in history, and the team’s resulting nickname of ‘The Invincibles’ does much of the explaining why.

Brunton Park, on a muggy autumn day on October 25, 1924, officially had 16,343 paying spectators inside to see the impressive tourists take on the best of local union talent. It was a record crowd for any such game in the county, and indeed a stadium record at the time, and, by the time New Zealand had run in 11 unanswered tries, the idea of Cumberland becoming the first side to upset the All Blacks during their 232-day tour of the UK, Ireland, France and Canada had been clinically exposed.

Local optimism did not last long once New Zealand got into their stride. “Eleven tries!” lamented our Cumberland Evening News correspondent. “Somehow those celebrated muffins in a certain secluded café in Lonsdale Street, Carlisle, did not please the palate as much as usual on Saturday evening.”

The fayre had been exciting in prospect as the All Blacks prepared to play at Brunton Park, on a weekend that Carlisle United were losing 3-2 at Darlington in the North Eastern League, some four years before the Blues entered the Football League. New Zealand had won their 12 previous games on their 1924-25 tour, most recently against Lancashire, with a 23-0 win at Old Trafford the day before their trip further north. Cumberland fancied their chances a little more given they were the reigning county champions, having beaten Kent the previous year and their captain, Aspatria’s Tom Holliday, having toured with the British Lions.

The tourists stayed at the Crown & Mitre Hotel in Carlisle before being given a civic reception in the Old Town Hall. The New Zealanders were also treated to a tour of Carr’s biscuit works, and a dance was also arranged in their honour at Carlisle Rugby Club. After the game, they would also attend a performance of ‘The Happy Mariner’ at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Carlisle, ahead of a charabanc tour of the Lake District on Sunday.

Those were the ceremonial aspects. In terms of the action itself, anticipation was considerable, given the hundreds of advance applications for tickets. The preamble on the pitch involved a game between the Creighton schoolboys and a XV representing other city schools – while the All Blacks side preparing to face the cream of Cumberland included some formidable names, not least the revered Maori full-back George Nepia, captain Cliff Porter and Maurice Brownlie.

Cumberland, in the event, were missing Holliday to illness, but otherwise fielded largely the same side that had memorably defeated Kent to win the county title. As much as the hosts were hopeful, reality came with the reminder that the tourists had totted up 297 points for the concession of just 32 in their games so far. That it was the 13th match of the tour led to some superstitious predictions yet it would have required much more than fate to restrain the All Blacks.

The teams took to the Brunton turf to the strains of ‘John Peel’, performed by the St Stephen’s Band. The Cumberland Evening News then observed the tourists “giving their weird war cry, with all its attendant wild gesticulation which greatly amused the crowd.” Said war cry is more commonly known as the Haka.

The All Blacks' haka 'greatly amused' the Brunton Park crowd in 1924 (Image: Alamy)

The pitch was greasy after some recent rain and humidity, and New Zealand soon established control, even though the hosts battled gamely in the beginning. The first try was scored by the dashing Jim Parker yet Nepia failed with the conversion and Cumberland toiled to keep in touch with their opponents. Half-back Jimmy Mill, though, pounced for two more tries and such was the tourists’ growing dominance that it was no surprise when Bert Cooke swept over for a fourth.

Gus Hart was next to score and a 15-0 half-time margin reflected the accent of events, New Zealand’s backs having eased into an impressive flow, their opposite numbers lacking the ability to live with them, for all the effort and stamina of their pack.

Cumberland tried to offer some dash in the second half, with Silloth’s future England international Jim Brough’s fielding and kicking also drawing the crowd’s admiration. A long Johnson kick created a drop-goal attempt for Cass, but he was wide of the posts and, though Cumberland restrained their guests for another 20 minutes, their own opportunities to threaten the All Blacks line quickly faded.

Hart added a sixth try for the tourists, and then swept behind the posts for another after an attractive passing move, before following it with an eighth. Ron Stewart, Cooke and Mark Nicholls contributed further tries, taking the tally to 11 before full-time, four of which were converted, for an eventual 41-0 win. The New Zealanders’ skill and speed had far outstripped that of Cumberland, even if the sides were more evenly matched on strength and weight. “The match was an education to Cumbrians, and it is to be hoped that they will profit by it,” our report read.

There was some regret at captain Holliday’s absence – he had been replaced by Kendal 18-year-old, Johnston – with observers feeling his tackling ability might have disrupted the tourists somewhat. But the All Blacks’ potency was never likely to be contained. More reflective reports focused on the visitors’ quality and might.

Our report reflected the All Blacks' dominance at Brunton Park (Image: News & Star)

“They [the All Blacks] are a fine type of a hardy race with methods of such a robust character as to give rise at times to complaints of roughness,” our report went on. “There was no beating about the bush with them. They generally went hard and straight for the line and simply brushed aside anything that was not strong enough to check them.

“Despite the avalanche by which they were assailed, the Cumbrians fought with a strong heart.”

This had a literal meaning with regard to a regrettable end to the game, which saw All Blacks winger Hart punched in the face by one of the Cumberland forwards. A brawl developed before police intervened.

This did not intrude on the remaining formalities of the trip, New Zealand touring the Lakes the following day before leaving Carlisle for Ireland, where their relentless pursuit of victories continued. By the end of the tour they had won 32 games out of 32, including test matches against Ireland, England, Wales, and France. Their aggregate points tally was 838, with just 116 conceded.

One of those tests, against England, featured Brough as full-back for the hosts, a local player who had emerged well despite that Cumberland trouncing. He, and the 16,343, had certainly by then received a close-up view of one of the most dominant sides Brunton Park, whatever the sport, has ever seen.