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Gareth Edwards' 1973 Barbarians jersey fetches eyewatering sum

By PA
Gareth Edwards playing for the Barbarians versus the All Blacks (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)

The Barbarians jersey worn by Sir Gareth Edwards when he scored rugby union’s widely-acclaimed greatest try has been sold for a world record fee of £240,000 at auction.

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Edwards finished off a spectacular seven-man move started by a side-steeping Phil Bennett deep inside his own half during the Barbarians’ 23-11 victory over New Zealand in Cardiff 50 years ago.

The black and white-hooped number nine shirt, which had a pre-sale estimate of £150,000-£200,000, was the centre-piece of his jersey collection which went under the hammer of Penarth-based Rogers Jones Auctioneers and Valuers on Friday afternoon.

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The opening bid started at £85,000 and quickly moved up into six figures before a telephone bidder came in for £160,000, with the eventual winning offer called at £240,000.

Auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones said when introducing Friday’s auction, which was also available to bid online: “The interest in this lot has been spectacular, it has kept us busy for weeks. There has been interest from all around the world.”

Edwards’ 1973 Barbarians jersey had been kept in a box under a snooker table, having previously been gifted to his sons Owen and Rhys.

The previous world record fee for a rugby jersey was £180,000 for the 1905/06 shirt from New Zealand captain Dave Gallaher, who skippered the “Original All Blacks” on their tour to the British Isles, when the team suffered just one defeat in 35 games – a controversial 3-0 loss to Wales in Cardiff.

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Other lots on Friday included one of Edwards’ British and Irish Lions jerseys from the 1974 South Africa tour, which sold for £10,000, plus various Wales shirts and jerseys from when he represented teams like a Combined England/Wales XV, East Wales and a President’s XV.

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Jerseys worn by other players also featured in Friday’s auction – notably Gerald Davies’ 1971 Lions shirt worn in New Zealand (£10,500) and Sid Going’s 1969 All Blacks top against Wales (£6,000) and a New Zealand Barbarians jersey once filled by Sir Colin Meads (£3,000).

And outside of rugby, there was a collection of t-shirts worn by Edwards during the 1976 BBC Superstars competition, when he finished fourth in an event won by Olympic hurdler David Hemery. They were sold for £700.

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R
RedWarriors 1 hour ago
France change two for Ireland but stick with 7-1 bench tactic

Again we beat SA in Durban with an injury ravaged team. Guys like you have been predicting Irelands downfall for years for the same reasons.


Re the draw: NZ and SA were making plenty of noise about the draw until they squeeked through. SA and NZ don’t ‘rise above’ the draw. They BENEFIT from it!!


Should Scotland #5 seed globally but drawn in a Pool with Ireland and South Africa just have ‘risen above it’? Wow, if only your advice had occurred to them.

Should Japan in 2015 have ‘risen above it’ and beaten Scotland when forced to play them 4 days after beating South Africa?


That old chesnut about Ireland playing too many players in 2023. Ireland showed no fatigue in the RWC. We played the backline a lot early for coordination as Sexton back from ban. For professional sports people, you need to look at extreme fatigue to failure at the end of full intensity matches. They are the pertinent minutes. A backline running shapes for 60 mins against Romania is not a recovery issue. Amateur statisticians adding up minutes and jumping to silly conclusions means little.


I saw South Africa struggle badly with fatigue after the Quarter Final. Against Engalnd, in the final, you needed luck. You didn’t rise above it: you got poxed.


(BTW son. YOU haven’t won a World Cup

Also to note: you are jsut adding to the reputation of SA as having the most thin skinned supporters on the planet. A comment about Ireland dominating SA physcially and you can’t accept it. SA are never domianted! (even when they are))

40 Go to comments
P
PR 2 hours ago
France change two for Ireland but stick with 7-1 bench tactic

Oh here we go again - the draw. If Ireland were that good they would rise above the draw. South Africa did. New Zealand did. Ireland, not so much. You seem to think that it matters what happens in the group stages of the WC. The ONLY thing that matters at World Cups is who lifts the cup in the end. That’s it. Do you take any pride in Ireland being ‘the best’ in your group at the World Cup? Does it make up for the hurt of crashing out in the quarters? Do you think it means anything to the All Blacks that they beat the Boks in the pool game in 2019? Of course not. You only care about those things when, like Ireland, you don’t progress past the knock out stages and are looking for silver linings.


Leinster beating an injury-ravaged Stormers means nothing. For starters the best player in the Leinster team was RG Snyman. Also a young Leinster team lost 62-7 to the Bulls a couple of years ago. You don’t know how good youngsters are until they play Test rugby. And that’s the concern for Ireland. They have blooded some youngsters but by-and-large they need to play their best team to get results. We saw it at the World Cup when the game minutes of Ireland players were off the scale.


Meanwhile the Boks had a 85% win record last year chopping and changing using 50 players. This year the wider Bok squad stands at 80. And Rassie will keep experimenting.


As for the Six Nations - I love it. Great comp (even though it only delivered one team in the last four at the last WC). I love the rivalry and the rich history, although winning it is no way near comparable to winning a World Cup. Maybe you need to have won one to understand.

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
The revitalised Australians are pushing a Super Rugby revival

I am Delisha, I find my marital affairs in a fluid situation; my husband left me with 2kids I felt like ending it all. I was emotionally down. But all thanks go to Dr herbal. I came across several testimonies about Dr Herbal on guestbook as i was

Where’s Delisha gone?


I think it’s unfair and appalling that the moderators silence Delisha about her “fluid marital situation”!


Fascist censors!


I have decided to come to Rugbypass for all my Herbal and cybersecurity news given the many wonderful posts shared here. And now this!


Delisha, where ever you are, God speed. I hope the fluids in your marriage remain strictly between you and your husband.

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