North v South ‘Loving Cup’ found after 88 years in hiding

· ALLBLACKS.COM
Loving Cup Eden Park
After almost 90 years of mystery, the ‘Loving Cup’ has been found deep in the bowels at Eden Park.

The trophy was contested between North and South from 1925-1932 before being lost in the vault.

With the historic North v South game set to go ahead again in 2020, an amateur historian made it his mission to track down the sporting silverware.

Ian St George was determined to solve the mystery and was delighted to hear that on Tuesday (NZT) the cherished trophy was located at Eden Park.

Eden Park facilities assistant Michael Brown read the article on the mystery of the ‘Loving Cup’ and knew exactly where to look. He found the trophy in storage.

Brown told Stuff that he knew the trophy was there but didn’t realise how important it was.

The ‘Loving Cup’ was given to the 1924-25 “Invincibles” All Blacks touring side by a group of New Zealanders living in the United Kingdom. They received the trophy after their 32-0 undefeated tour of Britain, Ireland and France.

On return to New Zealand it was decided the trophy would be used for the North v South fixture. There are six plaques on the trophy’s base, with the most recent being the 1931 game which ended up as a 20-20 draw.

New Zealand Rugby is set to announce final details about this year’s North v South game in the coming days, after the date was changed and venue moved due to the latest Covid-19 outbreak in Auckland. It’s currently set for Sky Stadium in Wellington on September 5.

Photo Credit: Eden Park

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