Rugby History – Page 18

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 059: Hugh McLean, Don Oliver and the 1930 Wellington Axemen

by clubrugby - September 13, 2023

Hugh McLean (left) and Don Oliver (right) - both Wellington Axemen All Blacks in 1930. In 1930 the Wellington Football Club won Wellington’s Senior B Championship in emphatic style – scoring 508 points and conceding 29 in 15 matches, in an era of three-point tries. This was perhaps unsurprising, given that the

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 058: Jimmy Tilyard and Beethoven Algar

by clubrugby - September 6, 2023

Having one of your players captain the All Blacks is a proud honour for any rugby club. What about providing two All Black captains in the same year? That is what Poneke did in 1920 - both Jimmy Tilyard and Beethoven Algar captaining the All Blacks in matches that season. Both players were

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 057: Bunk Pollock

by clubrugby - August 30, 2023

Homegrown excitement machine Harold ‘Bunk’ Pollock was a fixture of Wellington club and representative rugby throughout the 1930s. Bunk Pollock was a three-time Jubilee Cup winner with his Petone club in 1930, 1935 and 1938, and played a decade of representative rugby for Wellington and played for the All Blacks in

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 056: Alf and Jack Griffiths

by clubrugby - August 22, 2023

An influential and popular Poneke and Wellington father and son pair who were prominent over the first four decades of the 20th century, with father Alf becoming an All Black selector and son Jack an All Black captain. Father Alf Griffiths was born in Whanganui in 1880 and moved to Wellington

Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 055: Eric Tindill

by clubrugby - August 16, 2023

Eric Tindill is one of Wellington's most celebrated all-round sportsmen. His sports journey has been well-canvassed, and every Wellingtonian knows his story. But here it is below to document for our website. Tindill is the only man to have ever represented New Zealand in both Test rugby and Test cricket. He also