British Lions “Anglo-Welsh” Tour of 1908 Stops in Vancouver for One Match on September 26th After 26 Matches in NZ and Australia
[Editor’s comments below]
This morning Jason D Beck, the BC Sports Hall of Fame Curator, posted an interesting story to Twitter.
September 26th – On This Day in BC Sport History: 1908
Vancouver hosts the first visit to BC of an international rugby side as the Anglo-Welsh Fifteen (later known as the British Lions) defeat the BC Reps 61-5 at Stanley Park’s Brockton Oval before 2500 spectators who were enthralled by what the newspapers described as the best display of rugby ever seen in BC. BC scored its only try right off the opening kickoff when the large number of Welsh immigrants in the crowd began singing the Welsh hymn ‘Land of my Fathers.’ As the Welsh players stood distracted by the emotion of the moment, the local side went down the field and scored a converted try for five points. The Anglo-Welsh responded by scoring 61 unanswered points.
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