George William Smith (New Zealand)
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George William Smith (20 September 1874 – 7 December 1954) was a New Zealand sportsman who excelled at track and field as well as both codes of rugby football.
As a track athlete, Smith was an outstanding sprinter and hurdler, winning 14 national championships between 1898 and 1904, as well as the 1902 British AAA quarter-mile hurdles, in which event he had an unofficial world record of 58.5s.
Smith began his rugby career playing rugby union for his home province Auckland in 1896 and, in the following year made, his debut for the New Zealand national team against New South Wales. However, in the following years, Smith played little rugby, instead preferring to concentrate on track, until he was enticed back to the game with the prospect of joining the 'Originals' tour to the British Isles and France in 1905.
During the Originals tour, Smith was one of the outstanding players, especially in the early part of the tour, playing in 19 games, including the internationals against Scotland and Ireland, and scoring 19 tries. It was during this time in Britain that he first saw rugby league. On his way home, he met an Australian entrepreneur, James Giltinan to discuss the potential of professional rugby in Australasia. He played a leading part in the formation of a New Zealand rugby league team dubbed the All Golds to tour the north of England and Wales in 1907. After touring with the All Golds he stayed on in Britain to play professionally with the Oldham club until 1916.
He lived in Oldham until his death on 7 December 1954.
Altogether, Smith made 39 appearances for New Zealand in rugby union, 21 as a wing and 18 at centre, and scored 34 tries.
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[edit] Reference
- McMillan, N. A. C. 'Smith, George William 1874 - 1954'. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 7 April 2006
