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Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 058: Jimmy Tilyard and Beethoven Algar

Having one of your players captain the All Blacks is a proud honour for any rugby club.

What about providing two All Black captains in the same year?

That is what Poneke did in 1920 – both Jimmy Tilyard and Beethoven Algar captaining the All Blacks in matches that season.

Both players were famous rugby players a century ago in Wellington club rugby and in representative teams including Wellington and the All Blacks.

Jimmy Tilyard was one of three brothers who represented Wellington, younger brother Fred also became an All Black in 1923.

Both family names continue in Wellington club rugby today, bearing the names of interclub trophies that are contested annually in the first round Swindale Shield.

The F.J. Tilyard Memorial Shield (named in honour of Fred) is played between Poneke and Petone and the Beet Algar Rosebowl between Poneke and Old Boys University.

Both players were entertaining backs in the days of the 2-3-2 scrum formation, in an era of slashing back play and playing to big appreciative crowds at most games at all levels.

Jimmy started as a halfback but later moved to become a five-eighths, while Algar was a utility back adept at most positions in the backline.

Jimmy was the oldest of the Tilyard brothers (seven years older than Fred), who were born in Waratah, Tasmania but moved to Wellington around the turn of last century. The Tiltyards all attended South Wellington School, where brother Jimmy first caught the eye of junior representative selectors.

Jimmy joined Poneke in 1907 and was quickly thrown into the cut and thrust of Senior rugby where he immediately thrived and played five seasons uninterrupted for the red and blacks.

In 1912 he went to Whanganui and made that province’s representative team and played in matches against his home province Wellington, as well as Taranaki, Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay.

In 1913 he returned to Wellington and was selected for the All Blacks for the first time against New South Wales in Christchurch. In 1914 he played a full season for Wellington, including being part of the team that beat Taranaki 12-5 to lift the Ranfurly Shield (alongside Algar, see below).

Wellington 1914 with the Ranfurly Shield. Jimmy Tilyard front right.

He won Wellington’s Senior Championship with Poneke in 1919 and 1920 and was part of Wellington’s famous team in those two seasons. This saw him recalled to the All Blacks – as captain – on their tour to Australia.

He led the team in nine games in all scoring 20 points from four tries, two conversions and a dropped goal. His final match in All Blacks colours and of the tour was against Wellington, winning 38-3.

In 1921 he played for Whanganui a second time, captaining that province against the South Africans.

At the time of his retirement at the close of that season, Jimmy had played 43 matches for Wellington and 10 for Whanganui.

Jimmy Tilyard had also played cricket for Wellington in the 1907/08 season.

Second oldest brother Charles started playing Senior rugby during the war, having graduated through the lower grades. He was also a halfback in the Poneke and Wellington squads in 1919 and played for Wellington B in 1920, before injury curtailed his career in 1921. He was later Poneke’s coach. A fourth brother, H. Tilard, also played for Poneke.

Youngest Fred was a five-eighths and played one match for the All Blacks in 1923. This was against New South Wales in Dunedin, and he scored one of New Zealand’s three tries in the 19-9 win.

Fred had a long career as an administrator, serving on the WRFU management committee 1936-45 and on Poneke’s committee up to 1936. He was a Poneke Life Member.

Beet Algar was born in 1894 in Wellington to a musical family, hence his Christian name after the famous German composer.

In today’s terms, Algar would be described as a utility back. In his six appearances for the All Blacks he made appearances as first and second five-eighths, centre and wing.

He was educated at Worser Bay School and went on to make his Poneke Senior Championship debut in 1914 and then made his Wellington debut later that same season. In Wellington’s successful Ranfurly Shield challenge against Taranaki on 10 September of that year – the last RS match for almost five years – he scored a try and kicked a dropped goal.

He returned to rugby in early 1915 but like so many other players of the day put his career on hold to serve in World War One.

Algar became a Sergeant in the Imperial Camel Corps, serving three weeks as escort to Lawrence of Arabia. He was wounded during the third battle of Gaza, recovering to re-establish his rugby career on his return to New Zealand.

He returned to captain Poneke between 1919-22, one of the most successful periods in that club’s history with three Senior Championships won in these years.

For Wellington he was a leading figure in Wellington’s famous Ranfurly Shield tenure in 1919-20, arousing the interest of All Black selectors.

Algar made six appearances for the All Blacks in 1920 and 1921, which included the 1920 tour of Australia. Interestingly, three of these six matches were against domestic opposition (Auckland, Manawatu-Horowhenua-Wanganui and Wellington).

The All Blacks to Australia in 1920 – Tilyard and Algar included.

It was the game against Manawatu-Horowhenua-Wanganui that he was selected as All Blacks captain. This was in Palmerston North before their departure to Sydney and he led the side at second-five in a 39-0 win.

The fixture he played against his home province Wellington six weeks later upon returning from Australia saw the All Blacks win 38-3. Algar played in the right wing – and Jimmy Tilyard was restored to the side at second-five and as captain.

Algar’s final All Blacks appearance was in 1921, against New South Wales in Christchurch – a team that in today’s terms would be a New Zealand A or All Blacks XV as the main squad was involved at the same time in the inaugural series against South Africa. Algar was subsequently picked in the squad for the final Springboks test but didn’t play.

Algar returned to the Wellington squad in 1922 but made just one more appearance in provincial rugby before retiring with 31 matches for his province.

Algar also had a rugby playing younger brother, Doug, who served with the Wellington Infantry Regiment in 1917-18 and returned to play on the wing in the immediate post-war years for Poneke and briefly for Wellington B/XV teams.

Beer Algar, lived to aged 95, passing away in Levin in 1989.

At the time of his passing, Algar was the oldest living All Black and had been Poneke’s patron for 11 years and played an active role in Poneke’s 100th anniversary celebrations in 1983.

Fred Tilyard died in Whakatane in 1954, aged 57 and Jimmy Tilyard in Dannevirke in 1966, aged 77.

References:

  • Akers, Clive. New Zealand Rugby Register 1870-2015. New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2016.
  • All Blacks A-Z profiles – Fred and Jimmy Tilyard, Beet Algar.
  • The Dominion and Evening Post files, various articles 1920-23
  • Moloney, J.K. Ranfurly Shield History. Martin Printing Co. Auckland, 1960.
  • Chester, R.H. and McMillan, N.A.C. Centenary. 100 Years of All Black Rugby. Moa Publications. Auckland 1984.
  • Poneke Football Club. A willing Band of Youths. The History of the Poneke Football Club. Wellington, 1984.
  • Swan, Arthur C.; Jackson, Gordon F. W. (1952). Wellington’s Rugby History 1870 – 1950. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed

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