Bill McLennan (rugby league)
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Richard McLennan | |||||
| Nickname | Ginger | |||||
| Born | 5 June 1927 West Coast, New Zealand | |||||
| Died | 21 July 2007 (aged 80) Auckland, New Zealand | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||
| Weight | 101 kg (15 st 13 lb) | |||||
| Position | Prop | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| Blackball (WCRL) | ||||||
| Runanga | ||||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1949–19?? | West Coast | |||||
| South Island | ||||||
| 1951–1957 | New Zealand | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Source: RLP | ||||||
William (Bill) "Ginger" Richard McLennan[1] (5 June 1927 – 21 July 2007) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented his country in the 1954 and 1957 World Cups.
Playing career
Born on the West Coast, McLennan was a miner and represented the West Coast. He played for the Runanga club.[2] He was first selected for New Zealand in 1951. McLennan played in 84 games for the Kiwis, including 28 tests. This included 22 consecutive tests.[3] His total 84 games has been bettered only by Jock Butterfield (99) and Tom Baxter (94).
He was part of the famous Kiwi team that won back-to-back test series against Australia in 1952 (in Australia) and 1953 (in New Zealand).[4]
McLennan was the vice-captain in the 1955-56 tour of Great Britain. He retired after this tour however he made a comeback for the 1957 World Cup.[5]
He was inducted as one of the New Zealand Rugby Leagues "Legends of League" in 2000.[6]
References
- ↑ McLENNAN, William Richard 1951 - 57 - Kiwi #334 nzleague.co.nz
- ↑ Top Players West Coast Rugby Football League
- ↑ Playing Records nzrl.co.nz
- ↑ Kiwi League Legend passes away rleague.com, 25 July 2007
- ↑ "Obituary: Bill 'Ginger' McLennan". The New Zealand Herald. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ↑ Legends of League nzrl.co.nz
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