1913_New_Zealand_rugby_union_tour_of_North_America
The 1913 New Zealand tour rugby of North America was the second tour by the New Zealand national rugby union outside Australasia. Sixteen matches were played (all won) along with a Test match against United States sides.
The tour had a relevance for American rugby because it came at a time when the local code, American football, was widely criticised prompted by worries over violent play, serious injuries and evidence of sharp practice by college coaches. That dispute, originated in 1906, had led some colleges (such as Stanford and California, Berkeley Universities) to switch from football to rugby. The All Blacks (which had toured in North America for the first time in 1905) had already made their contribution to the spread of the sport in the west coast.
New Zealand took the tour seriously, with a squad led by veteran player Alex McDonald that won all their matches in North America with large victories, conceding only 6 points in 16 games. The only test was played against the United States, which included players from Stanford and Berkeley.
Such hard defeats were a depressing result for the hosts, with the media emphasizing the skill difference between Californian players and the New Zealand side.
The Californian players are the best we have developed in seven years of intercollegiate rugby - the very best. And the score against them was 51 to 3. The only conclusion is that we have not yet learned how to play rugby. It is still a foreign game.
— The San Francisco Post after the match.[2]
As a result, the University of California returned to football in 1915, although Stanford would remain in rugby. Several players competed in the national team in the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games where the US won the gold medal on both occasions.[2] However, the medals were only contested by 2-3 countries, with New Zealand absent.
