It was almost a century ago when All Blacks coach Stan Dean took his 1924 Invincibles to Tenby to prepare for the Welsh test at Swansea. Determined to redress the New Zealanders’ defeat in Cardiff nineteen years earlier in 1905, Mr Dean knew that the pride and prestige of two rugby nations hung on the outcome of this crucial match.

Arriving in Tenby with twenty straight victories, the men soon discovered they would find little ‘peace and quiet’ in the beautiful seaside town. Entertained by dignitaries; feted by the locals; honoured by Tenby Rugby Club members; led onto the dance floor at the De Valence Gardens and persuaded to show their hand at whist drives – the men gave Tenby a time to remember.

It is the intricate detail of these events that make author Roger Penn’s recent book, Wales and the All Blacks – an off-field History (an update of his earlier-published Three Feathers and a Silver Fern) a popular read. Roger, a native from Whitland, West Wales – a former player, Welsh Rugby Union referee, life-time admirer of the All Blacks and spectator when Ian Kirkpatrick’s men lost to Llanelli and the Barbarians in the 1970s – takes readers back to the moment the men were welcomed into Tenby Railway Station and taken in cars to the Picture House two-hundred yards away for an official reception. There then follows a generous account of the party’s three-nights at the Royal Gate House hotel; training at Tenby’s Heywood Lane ground; and scrummaging on the golden sandy beaches.

“I spent five weeks in New Zealand,” says Roger, “arriving in September 2012 for the Investec Rugby Championship. On my travels across both islands, I got close to the All Blacks and was fortunate to chat with players past and present. Wherever I went the welcome was terrific – and I am most grateful also for the information I gained from the city libraries, archives and museums across the country. I am also thrilled by the book’s success.”

Newly enhanced with an additional chapter and re-styled in a smart, eye-catching jacket, the volume is, according to the game’s proven experts, “a terrific read.” With a foreword from the legendary fullback JPR Williams and recommended by Sir Gareth Edwards, the book is now being sent out into the world by publishers Y Lolfa of Talybont, Ceredigion, as far as Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand, to Nationwide Book Distributors. Available at mainstream bookshops and online, this is a book rugby lovers will enjoy reading and talking about.

The image of the Royal Gate House around the time of the stay appears courtesy of Tenby Museum.