Te Papa has acquired a collection that includes a rare jersey from the 1905 All Blacks, the Originals.
The collection belonged to Alex "Fighting Mac" McDonald, who played rugby for Otago and the All Blacks before going on to have a long career in rugby administration.
The 120-item collection was bought by Te Papa at an auction by Mowbray’s in November for $125,000.
The highlight is a black Originals jersey worn by McDonald in 1905. About 50 were made in New Zealand, and there are at least eight known examples remaining in New Zealand and overseas.
Te Papa history curator Claire Regnault said the collection was unique.
"The Originals jersey is the starting point of the All Black legend and it’s so exciting to finally have one of these in Te Papa’s collection," Regnault said.
"This is a very personal collection with a really wide range of items. There are jerseys and playing balls as you’d expect, but also the unexpected, like a sponsor’s woollen blanket and a very stylish rugby ball fob chain."
As well as the Originals jersey, the collection includes a red Wales rugby jersey from the 1905 tour, and a white jersey worn by New Zealand in 1930 when the Lions toured New Zealand in a dark-blue uniform.
McDonald (1883-1967) played for the Kaikorai club in Dunedin, and represented Otago at a provincial level.
He first represented New Zealand as an All Black in 1905 as one of the Originals who toured the United Kingdom and France.
From 1905 to 1913, he played 41 matches for the All Blacks, 14 as captain. He captained the 1913 All Blacks on their tour of California and British Columbia. His last game for Otago was
in 1919.
After he retired from playing, McDonald went on to coach both the Otago and Wellington provincial teams, and became a selector for the North and South Island teams, and for the All Blacks in 1929-32 and again from 1944 to 1948.
He co-managed the All Blacks on their 1938 tour of Australia, and was assistant manager for the 1949 South African tour.
His grandson, Phil McDonald, was just a school boy when Alex McDonald died in May 1967.
Phil McDonald knew his grandfather’s’s collection included some unique reminders of a long-gone era and he wanted it to be preserved for future generations.
"What really pleases me, quite apart from the financial return, is that grandad’s collection will be properly cared for — and at the country’s top museum.
"My grandfather would be very proud of it being shared because he was always an enthusiastic rugby man with a huge belief in people being out there enjoying themselves."
- Staff reporter
