Rogers Jones to offer Sir Gareth Edwards rugby jersey collection at auction
02 February 2023 Among the star consignments at any auction anywhere this season is the rugby jersey collection of Sir Gareth Edwards which will be offered by Rogers Jones on February 24.
The rugby jersey worn by Sir Gareth Edwards when he scored the ‘legendary’ try for the Barbarians against New Zealand in 1973. It is estimated at £150,000-200,000 at Rogers Jones.
The sale will include Edwards’ shirt from the Barbarians vs New Zealand match of 1973 when he scored what is generally considered the greatest try in the game’s history. The estimate for the jersey is £150,000-200,000.
The match at Cardiff Arms Park was the final contest of New Zealand’s 1972/73 tour of the British Isles. In the end, the Barbarians triumphed 23-11.
Edwards, the Barbarians’ scrum half, scored his famous try in only the 2nd minute of the game – diving over the line in after a phenomenal team move which started deep in the Barbarians’ own half.
The rugby jersey worn by Sir Gareth Edwards when he scored the ‘legendary’ try for the Barbarians against New Zealand in 1973. It is estimated at £150,000-200,000 at Rogers Jones.
Rogers Jones said the shirt is in ‘original and complete condition without fault’. The firm hold the current auction record for a rugby jersey: the New Zealand shirt worn by captain Dave Gallaher on their 1905-06 British tour which made £180,000 back in 2015.
View the catalogue entry for the Sir Gareth Edwards Barbarians jersey on the-saleroom.com.
Other lots
The sale comprises a total of 39 lots and will include other jerseys worn by Edwards in Wales and British Lions games as well as shirts he received in swaps with players from other international teams.
Another of the lots is a No.9 jersey that Edwards wore in the 1974 British Lions tour to South Africa. Ending with a 26-9 victory for the Lions, they won the controversial series as the tour took place in defiance of the developing international policy to isolate South Africa on the sporting field during the apartheid regime.
The shirt is estimated at £20,000-25,000. View the catalogue entry for this Sir Gareth Edwards British Lions jersey on the-saleroom.com.
A shirt worn by Edwards’ international rival, New Zealand scrum half Sid Going, is also on offer. The 1969 All Blacks shirt is estimated at £7000-12,000.
The Edwards-Going battles were legendary including their famous duels in the 1971 British Lions tour of New Zealand which were a key feature of the tour. This shirt was worn in the New Zealand-Wales game at Eden Park, Auckland in June 1969 which the All Blacks won 33-12.
Edwards recalled: “This was going to be the first of many battles with Sid. A great competitor and a wonderful scrum half.”
View the catalogue entry for this Sid Going All Blacks jersey on the-saleroom.com.
