Obituary MR W. E. J. MAXWELL

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28836, 5 March 1959, Page 12

Obituary MR W. E. J. MAXWELL

A Rugby Stalwart Of Canterbury IBv J.C.M.I The death has occurred tn Christchurch of Mr William Edward James Maxwell, one of the stalwarts of Rugby in Canterbury from the time he first played for the Merivale Football Club in the early part of the century. He was a life member of the Canterbury Rugby Union. Few men in the history of Rugby in Canterbury have had a wider experience than Billy Maxwell, who came up through the grades to, senior rank, earned his representative cap in 1909, and played for the South Island in 1912. He later joined the Army in World War I and was severely wounded in the Battle of the Somme, in 1916. He returned to New Zealand where, unfit for playing Rugby, he turned his attention to administration of the game he loved so well. In 1921 he was elected a member of the Canterbury Rugby Union as a delegate from the Merivale club. He was elected vice-president in 1938, president in 1944 and a life-member two years later. During his term of membership of the Rugby Union he filled most positions and for some years he was a Canterbury delegate to the New Zealand Rugby Union. Help for Young Player* A man of distinct administrative ability Billy Maxwell possessed a very kindly disposition and he was always keenly interested in the young players. He enjoyed ■ wide popularity amongst members of clubs outside his own and he was always willing to further the interests of anything connected with Rugby. He bad been ’’through the mill” and knew the run of the ropes, an experience he used to good effect In his handling of club and union business.

Billy Maxwell had a fine approach to Rugby, and he always regarded club Rugby as the basis of the game. In these days of dreadnoughs and heavy-weights Billy Maxwell would probably not have been considered as a great forward, tor he was a light-weight in comparison, about 12st 61b of bone and muscle, attuned to physical perfection by hard work and strict attention to training. I still regard him as the best line-out forward tor his weight ever to play for Canterbury. He played at a time when physical fitness to play a game for the full 90 minutes counted instead of beef and brawn. It was a joy to see Maxwell go in the air for a ball in the line-out and his almost impeccable handling did the rest. What a pity it was that war injuries prevented him from passing on to younger men his own great skill in line-out play, and his all-round ability as a light-weight forward who could stand up to the hardest games. Next to his ability in the line-out was his deadly tackling and in this he was a counterpart of the famous 1905 All Black, A. McDonald, possibly the greatest forward tackler of all time. Both had speed above the average and the driving tackles of Maxwell and McDonald kept the fastest and most elusive runners subdued. Notable Team

Billy Maxwell was a member of the Merivale team which won the Canterbury Rugby Union’s competition in 1909 and again in 1912—a team which, in the opinion of many, was the best team ever to win the championship. Other great forwards associated with him in that team included Charlie Hegarty, “Nuts” Hasell, Billy Menzies, W. Sergisson, J. McGuffog and A. Shadbolt, while in the backs were D. Sandman, W. B. Fuller, L. Cade, and C. K. Smith. In 1909 Billy Maxwell first played for Canterbury against Southland and in between that time and the outbreak of war in 1914 he wore the scarlet and black jersey in 26 games. In 1912 he represented the South Island against the North Island, other Canterbury men being his clubmate Jock McGutrog, Archie McDonald (Christchurch), the Albion pair Paddy Burns and Doddy Gray, and A. E. Doell (Sydenham). Billy Maxwell was an ornament to the game of Rugby, big-hearted in everything pertaining to the game .and generous in hi* view* to all who took part In It