Английская Википедия:George Williams (rugby union)

Содержание

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Шаблон:Use New Zealand English Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Infobox rugby biography George Albert Williams (1856 – 27 April 1925), also known as Bully Williams, was a New Zealand rugby union player who toured with the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team to the British Isles and Australia.Шаблон:Sfn Williams was one of five non-Māori players in the Natives' side.Шаблон:Sfn

Williams was born in Auckland in 1856, and did not start playing rugby until the age of 24.Шаблон:Sfn He was a member of the Wellington club Poneke, and was selected for Wellington province from the club in 1886, 1887 and 1888.Шаблон:Sfn

In early 1888, Joe Warbrick, a member of the 1884 New Zealand team that toured Australia,Шаблон:Sfn started planning for a squad of Māori rugby players to tour the British Isles.Шаблон:Sfn As Warbrick was scouting for players throughout 1888, his plans changed, and he decided to include a number of Pākehā (European non-Māori) in the side.Шаблон:Sfn Eventually five Pākehā were included in the squad of twenty-six, and the side was consequently named the New Zealand Native football team.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn

At 32, Williams was the oldest player in the team,Шаблон:Sfn and only joined a day before their first match.Шаблон:Sfn The tour became the longest in rugby history; 107 matches were played during the 14-month tour, which had legs in Australia, the British Isles, and New Zealand.Шаблон:Sfn Of these 107 matches, 74 were in the British Isles,Шаблон:Sfn and an average of a game every 2.3 days on that leg.Шаблон:Sfn Williams played in 53 of these,Шаблон:Sfn scoring 12 tries in the process,Шаблон:Sfn and captained the team on a number of occasions.Шаблон:Sfn In total, Williams played at least 75 matches on tour (a number of team lists are missing).Шаблон:Sfn

Williams played in all three of the Natives' "international" matches while on tour; a victory over Ireland,Шаблон:Sfn a narrow loss to Wales,Шаблон:Sfn and a controversial loss to England.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Efn

Williams retired as a player after the tour, but continued to be involved in the game as a referee. Along with two other players, he contributed to tour manager Thomas Eyton's Rugby Football Past and Present, published in 1896,Шаблон:Sfn that gave an account of the tour.Шаблон:Sfn He contributed a number of article to the New Zealand Truth before the departure of the 1924 All Blacks.Шаблон:Sfn Outside of rugby, Williams was a police officer, and was involved in the arrest of the Maori spiritual leader Te Whiti o Rongomai.Шаблон:Sfn He served throughout New Zealand, including in Wellington, Hastings, Invercargill and Marlborough.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Williams' native team cap, donated by his grandson Rob Williams, is held in the collection of the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

Sources

• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite news
• Шаблон:Cite news
• Шаблон:Cite web
• Шаблон:Cite web
• Шаблон:Cite news
• Шаблон:Cite book