Rare All Blacks jersey sells for $45k

The jersey has an auction estimate of £15,000 - £20,000.

A rare and treasured All Blacks jersey has sold for $45,000 at London auction house Sothebys.

The All Blacks' 1905/06 Originals tour jersey was put up for auction by a Welsh rugby club Mumbles RFC in Swansea.

The jersey had been listed with an estimated price of 15,000-20,000 pounds ($31,736-$42,310).

New Zealand Rugby Museum director Steven Berg knew of 11 of the jerseys from an original 60 that remained in existence.

Five of the jerseys are in New Zealand - including one at the New Zealand Rugby Museum and one at New Zealand Rugby's offices in Wellington - while the remainder where overseas.

"They were clearly treasured at the time, as most jerseys from that era were used as practice jerseys once their match life was over," Mr Berg said. "Eventually bound for a rubbish bin I imagine."

The Originals were the first New Zealand national rugby union team to tour outside Australasia.

They toured the British Isles, France and the US during 1905-1906.

The listing for the jersey stated that they won every match they played against English opposition and posted test wins over Scotland, Ireland and England.

The only loss of the 35-match tour was a 3-0 defeat by Wales at Cardiff Arms Park.

All up the team scored 976 points and conceded only 59.

Mumbles' move follows that of another Welsh club, Tycroes Rugby Club, forced to sell its most prized possession - another Originals jersey - after a botched attempt to raise funds by booking an X-Factor contestant cost the club over $30,000.

That jersey was purchased by the Welsh Rugby Union and is now on display at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The latest Originals shirt to go under the hammer is believed to have been worn in the match against Swansea at St Helens Ground on December 30, 1905, the last match in Britain before the tour proceeded to France.

The New Zealand Rugby Museum has the 1905 All Blacks jersey of Jimmy Hunter, Mr Berg said.

New Zealand Rugby has Duncan McGregor's jersey on loan from the McGregor family and three more were held in New Zealand.