| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Karl Donald Ifwersen | |||||
| Born | 6 January 1893 New Zealand |
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| Died | 19 May 1967 (aged 74) New Zealand |
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| Playing information | ||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | |||||
| Weight | 76 kg (12 st 0 lb) | |||||
| Rugby league | ||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| Grafton | ||||||
| 19??–1920 | North Shore Albions | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1913–1920 | Auckland | |||||
| 1914–1920 | New Zealand | 7 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 33 |
| Rugby union | ||||||
| Position | Second five eighth | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1912–1938 | Auckland | |||||
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1921 | New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Source: RLP | ||||||
Karl Donald Ifwersen (1893–1967) was a New Zealand rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union.
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Ifwersen attended both St John's College and Auckland Grammar. He joined the new College Rifles rugby union club and was instrumental in helping the team win back-to-back junior championships in their first two years in ARFU competition. In 1912 he represented Auckland in provincial matches.[1]
Ifwersen then switched codes to rugby league, joining the Grafton club in the Auckland Rugby League competition. He played for Auckland before representing his club and made the 1913 New Zealand squad. He also played for the North Shore club.[1]
With the outbreak of World War I, Ifwersen joined the military and served for the duration of the war.[1]
After the War Ifwersen returned to New Zealand and again made the New Zealand side. He captained the side in four Test matches in 1919.[2]
In 1921 Ifwersen switched codes, playing rugby union.[3] He immediately returned to the rep team, captaining the combined Auckland-North Auckland side against South Africa in his first game back and scoring the only try.[1]
Ifwersen played in one test match for the All Blacks during the 1921 South Africa tour of the country.[4]
Ifwersen continued to play for Auckland between 1922 and 1938.
Ifwersen died in Auckland on 19 May 1967, having suffered considerably from football injuries during his old age.[1]
Ifwersen was inducted into the New Zealand Rugby League's Legends of League in 2000.[2][5]