James Allan (rugby union)
James Allan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 September 1860 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 2 September 1934 (aged 73) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (198 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Otago Boys' High | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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James Allan (11 September 1860 - 2 September 1934)[1][2]) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played eight games for the New Zealand national rugby union team, and was nicknamed the Taieri Giant.[1][2] Allan played in the first match contested by the New Zealand team, and the New Zealand Rugby Union regard him as the first ever All Black.[3]
Family and early life
Allan's father, also called James, migrated to New Zealand in 1842 and settled at Hope Hill, Taieri. His mother arrived in Dunedin in 1848. They had four sons including James, who was born on 11 September 1860 in East Taieri.[4]
He was a pupil of Otago Boys' High School.[1][5][2]
Rugby career
Allan played as a forward and played six seasons for his province Otago, from 1881 to 1886.[1] Allan's eight international appearances came on the 1884 New Zealand rugby union tour of New South Wales on which he scored three tries.[1] This being the first New Zealand international team (later known at the All Blacks), and Allan being first in the alphabetical list of the first team to play on tour, he is now recognised as All Black #1.[6]
He was one of New Zealand's most valuable players on the tour, where he played eight of the tourists' nine games – all played over 23 days.[1]
Allan was highly regarded as a forward with contemporary reports saying he was "consistently in the vanguard".[1] Allan was also reported to be never far away from the ball along with being as "hard as nails".[1] During his playing career at Otago, Allan became a distinguished player for the province. He had three other brothers who represented Otago.[1][2]
Death and headstone
Allan died on 2 September 1934, aged 74, and was buried in Hāwera, Taranaki.[1] In 2026 a volunteer group, the New Zealand Remembrance Army, discovered that his grave was unmarked. While the Remembrance Army usually restored and documented graves of military veterans, which Allan was not, they decided to raise $1,500 for a headstone with the aim on installing it that April.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j James Allan at the All Blacks (archived). Retrieved on 22 January 2007.
- ^ a b c d Chester, Rod; McMillan, Neville; Palenski, Ron (1987). The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Rugby. Auckland, New Zealand: Moa Publications. p. 20. ISBN 0-908570-16-3.
- ^ All Blacks in Playing Order. Retrieved on 22 January 2007.
- ^ "Death of Mr James Allan, An 1885 All Black Once Known As Taieri Giant". Hawera Star. 3 September 1934. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ^ "My Class List - 1871". The Otago Boys' High School Foundation. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ a b Ruru, Karanama (26 February 2026). "New Zealand's first designated All Black is finally getting a headstone". Stuff. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
External links
- James Allan at the All Blacks (archived)