Becoming the captain of the New Zealand rugby team was not quite the big deal in 1901 that it is today but, in that pre-All Black era, James Duncan getting what the Otago Daily Times regarded as his just desserts still received prominent coverage.
New Zealand’s first officially sanctioned rugby team, captained by Ōtākou-born Thomas Ellison, toured New South Wales in 1893 and played the Australian state at home the following year.
Canterbury, Otago and Southland were not NZRFU members in those early days, but by 1897 they were all three in the fold and Jimmy Duncan, a halfback who became a first-five - and who many sources have credited for having devised the two five-eighth back line that we know well today - was in the team.
Dunedin born and bred, Duncan’s play had long been praised in the Otago Daily Times and recognised by the national selectors: a saddler by trade, he captained the South Island in the 1897 interisland match.
As the 1901 tour of New Zealand by New South Wales loomed, ODT rugby writer ‘‘Fullback’’ was pleased to note on May 8 that ‘‘Duncan’s play on Saturday was truly conspicuous by nothing else than its all-round brilliance and brought to mind the veteran footballer in his palmiest days with a little to spare’’.
Two months later he opined that: ‘‘Duncan is still the champion so far as Otago football is concerned.
‘‘His form this season has been the equal to anything he has yet shown.’’
So long as Otago has the services of Duncan, says a northern writer, as skipper and player ‘‘she must always prove a hard province to beat’’.
But in happier news, the paper also reported that Duncan was the sole Otago player picked for the ‘‘New Zealand representative football team’’.
This was the first New Zealand lineup to feature the new-fangled ‘‘wing forward’’ position (flanker in modern parlance) and the ODT’s correspondent was much exercised on how they would perform, and also who it might be putting the ball into the scrummage.
If, as seemed likely, it was Duncan, his mission would be to spoil the New South Wales passing from the scrum ‘‘and there is no player in the colony better qualified to undertake that duty’’.
The ODT was also highly confident that Duncan would be captain:
‘‘A glance through the names of the fifteen will show that Duncan is the only member of it who has had experience of captaincy in important matches and his known capacity for generalship, his thorough knowledge of the game and his exceptional experience seem to mark him out as the most probable occupant of that most responsible post.’’
That assumed that Duncan was fit, and a deeply concerned Fullback reported two days later that he had been so severely injured in the Canterbury game (‘‘a kick on the leg of so violent a nature that it penetrated to the bone’’) that there was no way Duncan would be suiting up for the Otago match against New South Wales.
However, after a no doubt miraculous recovery, Duncan was there on the Saturday, winning the toss and deciding to take advantage of the light northwesterly wind in the first half.
And it was just as well he was, his kick setting up the Otago try in a 5-0 win.
With that it was off to the capital and Duncan captained New Zealand for the first time in a warm-up game against Wellington, scoring a try in a 24-5 win.
On Saturday September 2, almost 8000 people turned up at Athletic Park to watch Duncan lead from the front as New Zealand beat New South Wales 20-3: ‘‘Duncan played a wonderful game and his conspicuous figure was invariably to be seen where the ball was.’’
Duncan scored two tries, including the opener, although by common opinion he had clearly knocked the ball on - no TMO in those days though.
‘‘The spectators fairly rose at the Otago champion with cries of ‘Good old Jimmy’ and other expressions of endearing approval.’’
It all came at a cost though: Duncan received an injury which obliged him to retreat to his bed after the game, the ODT reported the following day, adding that Duncan would not be back to play for Otago against Southland on the Wednesday.
Praise was lavish for the local hero: one letter writer proposed a testimonial game be played for him, and a satisfied Fullback noted on September 11:
‘‘The selection of the New Zealand rep team, which met and defeated New South Wales last week, caused one or two northern writers to wallow in the mire of their own nastiness.
‘‘One scribe, after criticising the team, said that Duncan of Otago got in the team simply on his newspaper reputation.
‘‘This writer, I hope, has changed his opinion after seeing the New Zealand-New South Wales match.’’
Despite talk of looming retirement, Duncan went on to captain New Zealand in its first test against Australia, in 1903 - his final game for New Zealand.
He went on to coach New Zealand, and in 1908 Duncan even refereed a test between New Zealand and the Anglo-Welsh, before returning to Dunedin for a stint on the ORFU and several years coaching at Otago Boys’ High.
