George Nepia’s rugby league career recalled

Press, 2 July 1986, Page 28

George Nepia’s rugby league career recalled

By

JOHN COFFEY

Television New Zealand’s researchers overlooked George Nepia’s association with rugby league when the great All Black full-back was the subject of a recent “This Is Your Life” programme. But rugby league has not forgotten George Nepia. Nepia, who achieved rugby union immortality by playing in every match tor the 1924-25 All Blacks on their unbeaten tour of Britain, will be presented with mementoes of his time in the 13-a-slde code at a luncheon in Auckland today. He will be guest-of-hon-our at the function, which will have a rugby league theme because of Sunday’s test between New Zealand and Australia at Carlaw Park. Kiwi team members will attend. Forty-nine years ago Nepia appeared in four games within 15 days, and photographs of the first of them — featuring Nepia as Hornby’s full-back against Addington at Monica Park in Woolston — will be given to Nepia today. The photographs are reproduced on this

page. In spite of Nepia’s presence, Hornby was beaten, 21-12, by an Addington side that went on to win the 1937 Canterbury championship. . One week later Nepia was a winner by the same scoreline, 21-12, as Canterbury’s full-back against the Inangahua representatives from the West Coast. Marking him in that game was Tom McKenzie, later a renowned administrator on the West Coast and a national selector and Kiwi manager. The Australians of 1937 were making a stopover in Auckland on their way to Britain and had beaten New Zealand, 12-8, in the first test on the afternoon Nepia played for Hornby. Nepia made his international rugby league debut on Wednesday, August 11, as full-back for New Zealand Maoris. That was one of the finest of all Maori combinations and Nepia kicked tour goals in the 16-5 humbling of the Kangaroos. Three days later Nepia wore the Kiwi jersey for the first and only occasion. The Kiwis came

from an 8-15 half-time deficit to square the series, 16-15. Nepia’s contribution was two goals. Though Nepia played for Hornby and Canterbury immediately before representing his country, Canterbury does not claim him among its 89 Kiwis. He had returned from a two-year stint with the London club, Streatham and Mitcham, in British rugby league, and " was officially registered with the Manukau club in Auckland. Nepia was chosen to’ tour Australia with the 1938 Kiwis, but withdrew for personal reasons. He was later reinstated to rugby union. The original photograph and programme are respectively the property of two rugby league identities in Canterbury, Messrs John Lloyd and Gordon Blazey. Their reproduction was carried out by Des Woods, chief photographer of “The Press.” By chance, one of the organisers of today’s luncheon in Auckland heard of their existence and copies were despatched for presentation to Nepia. .