Keith Davis (rugby union)

Last updated

Keith Davis
Keith Davis c1951.jpg
Davis c. 1951
Date of birth(1930-05-21)21 May 1930
Place of birth Whakatane, New Zealand
Date of death2 March 2019(2019-03-02) (aged 88)
Height1.70 m (5.6 ft)
Weight73 kg (161 lb)
School Sacred Heart College, Auckland
Rugby union career
Position(s) Half-back
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
Marist Auckland ()
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1952–58 Auckland 54 ()
1952–59 Auckland B ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1952–58 New Zealand 25 (12)
1952–59 Māori All Blacks

Keith Davis (21 May 1930 – 2 March 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played for both New Zealand and New Zealand Māori. He played for Auckland, and won the Ranfurly Shield in his first ever provincial game. After gaining All Blacks selection in 1952, Davis toured with the team to Europe and North America in 1953–54. He played extensively for New Zealand Māori between 1952 and his retirement in 1959; his time with the team included matches against both South Africa and the British Lions. Davis was awarded the Tom French Cup for Māori player of the year in 1952, 1953 and 1954. [1]

Contents

Early career

Keith Davis was born in Whakatane and educated at Sacred Heart College in Auckland, where he played for the first XV from 1947 to 1949. [2] He was half-back, and was selected for Auckland in 1952 after making a number of appearances for the Auckland B side in 1951 and early 1952. Davis' first provincial game was a Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato that Auckland won 9–0 to raise the Shield. The side's first defence was against Waikato two weeks later; with Waikato avenging their loss to regain the Shield following a 6–3 victory. [2] Davis was selected for the New Zealand Māori in early 1952, and played with them during their internal-tour of New Zealand. He was subsequently selected for the New Zealand national side—the All Blacks—later that year. He made his Test debut against Australia on 13 September 1952, a match that the All Blacks won 15–8. [2] At the conclusion of the 1952 season he was awarded the Tom French Cup for Māori player of the year. [1] [2]

1953–54 European tour

In 1953 Davis was selected as one of the half-backs for the All Blacks' tour of Europe and North America. [2] He was preferred over his cousin, Vincent Bevan, as the starting half-back for the All Blacks' five Tests. [1] Of the five Test matches—against England, France, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales—the All Blacks won three; their two losses coming to France and Wales. Davis also played in the All Blacks last match of the British and Irish leg of their tour—against Barbarian F.C. in Cardiff. [2] The All Blacks were behind 5–3 at the end of the first half, but after a Davis try early in the second half to give them a 6–3 lead, [lower-alpha 1] before a conversion by Ron Jarden. The All Blacks scored a further three tries, with the final one set up by Davis, to eventually win 19–5. [2] [3] He was All Black number 546.

New Zealand Māori and later career

After returning from tour, Davis was selected to captain the New Zealand Māori tour of Fiji in 1954. [4] Before leaving for Fiji, the team played six matches against provincial teams in New Zealand. The eight match tour of Fiji included three matches against Fiji; the team won seven of their matches, with the one loss to Fiji in Lautoka. [4] [5]

The following year Davis was recalled for one Test match against Australia that the All Blacks won 8–0. [2] He did not play any of the All Blacks' matches against the 1956 Springboks, but was a reserve in two Tests of the series. [2] The most important New Zealand Māori match of the season was against the touring Springboks—Davis was selected at half-back. [6] The match was lost 37–0, [7] and has been tainted by accusations that Ernest Corbett, the Māori Affairs Minister at the time, had asked the New Zealanders to lose the match. [8] However some members of the Māori side have disputed that Corbett even spoke to their team. [9] The match was described by historian Lindsay Knight as "one of the worst experiences in his [Davis's] career". [2]

Davis toured with the Māori to Australia in 1958, and played all three "Test" matches against Australia. [lower-alpha 2] Australia won the first Test, but the second Test resulted in a 3–3 draw. [10] [11] However the Māori recovered to win the final Test 13–6 to draw the series. [12] [13] On returning to New Zealand, Davis was selected for the All Blacks for the last time. He played in three Tests against the touring Australians; the series was won by the All Blacks two Tests to one. He was not selected for the All Blacks again, and finished his career with 25 games for the side, including 10 Tests. [2]

1959 was Davis' final season of first-class rugby. He finished his career for Auckland, and played for the Māori against the touring British Lions. [2] The New Zealanders lost the game 12–6, but did prevent the Lions from scoring any tries—the only time this was achieved on tour. [14] After retiring from rugby Davis continued to be involved as a coach and selector with both his club side Marist, and also the Māori All Blacks in the 1960s. [2] He was eventually awarded his Test cap at a capping ceremony in 2010, 58 years after first playing for the All Blacks. [15]

Davis died on 2 March 2019. [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Tries were worth three points in 1954.
  2. ↑ The Australian players were awarded Test caps for this series, however the New Zealand Rugby Union does not award Test caps for Māori All Black games.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand national rugby union team</span> Mens rugby union team of New Zealand

The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for their international success, the All Blacks have often been regarded as one of the most successful sports teams in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia national rugby union team</span> Australia national rugby union team

The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiji national rugby union team</span> National sports team

The Fiji national rugby union team represents Fiji in men's international rugby union. Fiji competed in the Pacific Tri-Nations and now competes in its successor tournament Pacific Nations Cup. Fiji also regularly plays test matches during the June and November test windows. They have beaten the major rugby playing sides of Wales, Scotland, Australia, France, Italy, Argentina and England. The only major sides Fiji are yet to beat are New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in New Zealand</span>

Rugby union has been played in New Zealand since 1870 and is the most popular sport in the country as well as being its national sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Māori All Blacks</span> Rugby team

The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing is that the player has Māori whakapapa (genealogy). In the past this rule was not strictly applied; non–Māori players who looked Māori were often selected in the team. These included a few Pacific island players and a couple of African descent. Today all players have their ancestry verified before selection in the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Stead</span> NZ international rugby union player & coach (1877-1958)

Billy Stead, born John William Stead, was a rugby union player born in Invercargill who played for New Zealand, the All Blacks, on their 1905–06 tour. Stead also played provincially for Southland, and later coached various teams, including Southland and the New Zealand Māori. A bootmaker by trade, he also co-authored The Complete Rugby Footballer with Dave Gallaher, and was a columnist for the Southland Times, and New Zealand Truth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Warbrick</span> Māori New Zealand rugby union player (1862–1903)

Joseph Astbury Warbrick was a Māori rugby union player who represented New Zealand on their 1884 tour to Australia and later captained the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team that embarked on a 107-match tour of New Zealand, Australia, and the British Isles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Bevan</span> Rugby player

Vincent David Bevan was a New Zealand rugby union player.

Colin "Col" Windon, was a rugby union player and soldier who captained Australia – the Wallabies – in two Test matches in 1951. By age 18 Windon was playing at flanker for his club Randwick in Sydney's Shute Shield. After serving with the Second Australian Imperial Force in the Pacific Theatre during the Second World War, Windon resumed his rugby career in 1946. He was first selected for Australia for their tour of New Zealand that year. Despite the Wallabies losing both their Tests on tour, Windon impressed with his play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Smith (rugby union)</span> Rugby player

John Burns Smith was a New Zealand rugby union player, soldier, sportsman and baker. He was an All Black captain, and despite only playing nine matches is recognised as a great. His 26 appearances for the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force rugby team, which toured the UK in 1946–47, earned him high praise. He also played for the New Zealand Māori, being of Ngāpuhi descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom French Cup</span>

In rugby union, the Tom French Cup is an honour awarded by New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to the Tom French Memorial Māori player of the year. The cup has been awarded annually since 1949, when it was donated to the New Zealand Māori coach Tom French while the team was on tour in Australia. French had represented Buller provincially, and was selected for New Zealand Maori in 1911. After the First World War, where he lost an arm at Passchendaele, French continued his involvement in rugby by serving as both a selector and administrator. In 1957 he was made a life member of the NZRU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gage</span> Rugby player

David Richmond Gage was a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played with the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team, and represented New Zealand in 1893, and once in 1896 when he captained the side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of rugby union in New Zealand</span>

Rugby union has a long history in New Zealand. Today, New Zealand holds tier one status with World Rugby.

Neville Cottrell (1927–2014) was an Australian rugby union footballer. A Queensland and national representative forward, he played fourteen Test matches for Australia, two as captain.

Gregory Victor Davis was a New Zealand born, national representative rugby union player for Australia. He played at flanker and made seven international tours with Wallaby squads. He was the Australian national captain in 47 matches from 1969 to 1972 and led the Wallaby side on three overseas tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Johnson (rugby union)</span> Rugby player

Peter George Johnson was an Australian international rugby union player. He enjoyed a long state and international career throughout the 1960s and made 92 national appearances for his country. He captained the Australian side in five Test matches.

Geoffrey Arnold Shaw is an Australian former national representative rugby union player who played for and captained the Wallabies. He made state representative appearances for both New South Wales and Queensland over an eleven-year period from 1969.

The History of the South Africa national rugby union team dates back to 1891, when the British Lions first toured South Africa where they played against South African representative sides. The South Africa national rugby union team played few international matches during a period of international sanctions due to apartheid. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has once again fully participated in international rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Williams (rugby union)</span> Rugby player

George Albert Williams, 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. Williams was one of five non-Māori players in the Natives' side.

Captain Walter "Wattie" Pukauae Barclay,MM, QSM, was a New Zealand rugby union player, sports administrator and military officer. He captained the New Zealand Māori Rugby Team and holds the record for the highest number of tries scored for the team with 40 career tries.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mulholland 2009, p. 115.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Knight.
  3. ↑ McLean 1959, pp. 157–159.
  4. 1 2 Mulholland 2009, p. 116.
  5. ↑ Neazor.
  6. ↑ Tukukino 1956.
  7. ↑ Mulholland 2009, p. 122.
  8. ↑ Maori told to throw match.
  9. ↑ Ihaka 2010.
  10. ↑ Australia 1st Test.
  11. ↑ Australia 2nd Test.
  12. ↑ Australia 3rd Test.
  13. ↑ Mulholland 2009, p. 126.
  14. ↑ Mulholland 2009, pp. 131–134.
  15. ↑ All Blacks' legends.
  16. ↑ "Rugby: Former All Blacks halfback Keith Davis dies". The New Zealand Herald . 4 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.

Sources

Awards
Preceded by Tom French Memorial
Māori rugby union player of the year
1952, 1953, 1954		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.