George Simpkin

Last updated

George Simpkin
Birth nameGeorge Dreadon Simpkin
Date of birth(1943-05-22)22 May 1943
Place of birth Northland, New Zealand
Date of death7 May 2020(2020-05-07) (aged 76)
Rugby union career
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
– Matamata College ()
Coaching career
YearsTeam
1976–1984 Waikato
1984–1990 Fiji 7s
1987–1991 Fiji
1993–1999 Hong Kong
1993–1999 Hong Kong 7s
1999–2000 Kandy
2002 China 7s
2003–2004 Sri Lanka
2006–2008 SC Frankfurt 1880
2010 Germany 7s
2017 Shandong Provincial Team

George Dreadon Simpkin (22 May 1943 – 7 May 2020) [1] was a New Zealand rugby union coach, known for working with the national teams of Fiji, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. He made a great contribution to the development of rugby union and rugby sevens in those countries. [2] [3]

Contents

Biography

Early coaching career

A native of Northland, [4] he taught at Matamata College, where he began his coaching career in 1966 as a physical education teacher and Rugby coach, leading the Matamata College 1st XV on a groundbreaking (for a schoolboys team) tour of Wales at the end of 1974. At the time, the team was the holder of the Tricolour Trophy. [5] [6] Between 1976 and 1984. Simpkin coached Waikato [7] and achieved 56 victories in a row. [8] As part of the Waikato team, he advanced to the first division of the National Provincial Championship, winning in 1980 the Ranfurly Shield, beating the Auckland team. [9] [10] In aggregate, under his leadership, Waikato played 152 matches in the provincial championship, winning 95 matches, drawing 3 and losing 54, [11] among these, Waikato won a match against the French national team. [12] Simpkin dreamed of one day becoming the head of All Blacks. [13]

Fiji

Between 1987 and 1991, Simpkin coached the Fiji national team: in 1987 he took the team to the quarterfinals of the first world championship in tandem with Jo Sovau; [14] in 1991 he coached alongside Samisoni Viriviri, however, the team did not get past the group stage. [15] Simpkin also coached the Fiji Sevens team between 1984 and 1990, with which he won the annual Hong Kong Sevens in 1984 and 1990. It is believed that it was Simpkin who saw the talent of the future world star Waisale Serevi. [16]

Hong Kong and China

In 1988–1999, he permanently worked in the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union, [17] [18] developing rugby in China and organizing the first matches among the PLA military personnel in Hong Kong after the British transfer of Hong Kong to China in 1997. [19] His contribution to the development of Hong Kong rugby is highly regarded in the country: Simpkin helped the Hong Kong tournament acquire the status of the most prestigious, [20] creating a number of rugby clubs (Hong Kong Dragons, Gai Wu, Tigers, Bulls, Nomads, Typhoons). [21]

Sri Lanka

For some time, Simpkin also worked with the national teams of Sri Lanka, raising the level of development of sports in the country. [22] The rugby union team under his leadership won for the first time in a test match played away against Kazakhstan. [23] [24] In 2003, thanks to his efforts, the first Carlton Super Sevens tournament was held in Sri Lanka. [25]

End of career

Later, Simpkin coached the German club SC Frankfurt 1880 in the 2006–07 season. [26] [27] In 2010, he led the Germany sevens team, which he was preparing for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. [28]

Contribution to the development of world rugby

It is believed that George Simpkin developed a plastic kicking tee (influenced by the Canadians) [5] on which the ball is placed before a conversion or free kick. These tees were later used in rugby by top kickers such as Andrew Mehrtens, Joel Stransky, John Eales and Dan Carter. [29] He also introduced a number of new rules to rugby sevens. For example, a team that scored a try in a rugby sevens match must kick the ball from the center of the field after a conversion kick to restart the game; [30] on his own initiative, the players were allowed to drop the ball with their hands before kicking a conversion; [31] the play of the lineout was simplified and the hookers had to grab onto the props with their hands during the scrum. [32]

Personal life

He was married to Pip, he had two daughters, Leigh and Greer, two grandsons, Carter and Curtis, who live in Sydney and a granddaughter, Holly, who lives in Berlin. [33] During the quarantine, his daughter Greer wrote to him the poem Ode to George, dedicated to her father. [34]

Throughout his life, Simpkin fought against arthritis with Traditional Chinese medicine to strengthen his health. Simpkin died of cancer in Hamilton, [35] on 7 May 2020. [36] [37]

Related Research Articles

The Hong Kong Sevens is a rugby sevens tournament held annually in Hong Kong on a weekend in late March or early April. Considered the premier tournament on the World Rugby Sevens Series competition, the Hong Kong Sevens is currently the seventh tournament on the World Series calendar. The tournament spans three days, beginning on a Friday and concluding on Sunday. The tournament is organised each year by the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The latest Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is being held on Friday 5 April, Saturday 6 April, Sunday 7 April 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong national rugby union team</span> Korean rugby mens team

The Hong Kong national rugby union team, nicknamed the Dragons, has made the qualifying rounds of the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Hong Kong is administered by the Hong Kong Rugby Union since 1952, and successfully competes annually in the Asia Rugby Championship.

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

The Sri Lanka national rugby union team, known as the Tuskers, represents Sri Lanka in men's international rugby union. The team has yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup. They have the longest tradition of organised club rugby in Asia, dating back to 1879, which was just 8 years after the founding of the world's first rugby union in England. They regularly compete in the Asian Five Nations tournament and are currently in Division I. In the 2010 tournament, they made it to the finals beating Chinese Taipei 37 to 7.

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

The China national rugby union team represents the People's Republic of China in international rugby union. China have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup, but attempted to qualify in both 2003 and 2007.

Rugby sevens was contested by nine teams at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar on December 10 and 11. All games played at the Grand Hamad Stadium.

Rugby union in China is a growing sport; however, it is still not overly popular. China became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1997 and as of 1 July 2019, its women's XV side was ranked 24th and its men's XV side 80th in the world. Neither the women's team nor the men's team has yet qualified for a Women's Rugby World Cup or a men's Rugby World Cup. However, China has hopes of one day hosting the men's event, and World Rugby has indicated it supports taking the event there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team</span> National sports team

The Sri Lanka national rugby sevens team, known as the Tuskers, represents Sri Lanka in men's international rugby sevens. They have competed in the Hong Kong Sevens since the 1980s. In 1989, veteran rugby commentator Bill McLaren mentions them in an article on the Hong Kong Sevens, saying that their team had players such as Kothalawala, Ekanayake and Lakshantha.

The Arabian Gulf rugby sevens national team was a minor sevens side that represented the Gulf Cooperation Council member states. The team first played in 1990, competing at the Hong Kong Sevens tournament that year  before travelling to the qualifying event for the Rugby World Cup Sevens held in Sicily. Over the next two decades the Arabian Gulf was a regular participant at the Hong Kong Sevens and in their home event, the Dubai Sevens. The Arabian Gulf team was dissolved at the end of 2010 to be replaced by single-country national teams.

The Hong Kong Women's Sevens held the first women's international rugby sevens tournament in 1997, and has since become an annual event. The 2020 edition marked the start of a new era for the Hong Kong Women's Sevens. For the first time, the tournament will be an official event in the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series. The 2020 and 2021 tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong national netball team</span>

The Hong Kong national netball team represents Hong Kong in international netball tournaments. They compete in the biannual Asian Netball Championship. They are currently ranked 33rd in the world.

The 2001 Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s was the third year of the Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s tournament. All matches were played at Bogambara Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka on 15 and 16 September 2001. 2001 was the second year that the competition was expanded to include non-Asian rugby playing nations, with teams from the Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark and Germany competing. Chinese Taipei defeated South Korea in the final to take the Cup for the second time, becoming the first team to win the cup twice. The Czech Republic and Denmark won the Bowl and Plate finals respectively.

Fazil Marija is a former rugby union player of Sri Lanka. Marija is known as one of Sri Lanka's finest rugby union players and one of Asia's best. He was the former captain of the Sri Lanka national rugby union team. Marija comes from a sporting family background, with at least 17 members through two generations having represented various Clubs, Services Teams and National Rugby teams during the past four decades. Marija hails from the hill capital Kandy.

The 2015 Asian Sevens Series was the seventh Asian Sevens Series held by Asia Rugby. The winner and runner-up of the competition gaining entry into the World Series qualifying tournament at the 2016 Hong Kong Sevens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka women's national rugby sevens team</span> Rugby team

Sri Lanka's women's national rugby sevens team represents Sri Lanka in Rugby sevens at international level.

Andrew Douglas is a New Zealand rugby union coach and the former head coach of Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby (MLR).

The 2019 Asia Rugby Women's Sevens Series was the twentieth edition of Asia's continental sevens tournament. The series was played over three legs in South Korea, China, and Sri Lanka.

The 2016 Hong Kong Women's Sevens was the 19th edition of the tournament. It took place between the 7th and 8th of April. South Africa won the tournament.

The 1976 Hong Kong Sevens was the inaugural edition of the Hong Kong Sevens series held on 28 March 1976 at the Hong Kong Football Club Stadium in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. It was called Rothmans-Cathay PAcific International Seven-a-side Championship at that time and was organized by Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.

Rodney Noel McIntosh is a New Zealand former rugby union player.

References

  1. ↑ "View George SIMPKIN's Notice on nzherald.co.nz and share memories". notices.nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  2. ↑ admin (22 May 2020). "Rugby Matters: Odd-ball George Simpkin was a true rugby visionary". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Hong Kong rugby mourns death of former coach George Simpkin, 77". South China Morning Post. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  4. ↑ "Coaching guru back where it all started". Stuff. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "International rugby community farewells innovative coach George Simpkin". Stuff. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  6. ↑ "Coaching guru back where it all started". Stuff. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "International rugby community farewells innovative coach George Simpkin". Stuff. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  8. ↑ "Hong Kong rugby mourns death of former coach George Simpkin, 77". South China Morning Post. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  9. ↑ admin (22 May 2020). "Rugby Matters: Odd-ball George Simpkin was a true rugby visionary". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "Bay of Plenty Rugby pays tribute to coaching great George Simpkin". NZ Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "Profile | New Zealand Rugby History". rugbyhistory.co.nz. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "Coaching guru back where it all started". Stuff. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "International rugby community farewells innovative coach George Simpkin". Stuff. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Expat or local row as Fiji hunts a new national coach". ESPN.com. 12 November 1999. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  15. ↑ admin (22 May 2020). "Rugby Matters: Odd-ball George Simpkin was a true rugby visionary". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  16. ↑ admin (22 May 2020). "Rugby Matters: Odd-ball George Simpkin was a true rugby visionary". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  17. ↑ Union, Hong Kong Rugby (25 October 2020). "George Simpkin". Hong Kong Rugby Union. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Hong Kong rugby mourns death of former coach George Simpkin, 77". South China Morning Post. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  19. ↑ "International rugby community farewells innovative coach George Simpkin". Stuff. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "Hong Kong rugby mourns death of former coach George Simpkin, 77". South China Morning Post. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  21. ↑ "Hong Kong rugby mourns death of former coach George Simpkin, 77". South China Morning Post. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  22. ↑ "The Late George Simpkin – A Rugby Legend's Love". magzter.com. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  23. ↑ admin (22 May 2020). "Rugby Matters: Odd-ball George Simpkin was a true rugby visionary". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  24. ↑ "International rugby community farewells innovative coach George Simpkin". Stuff. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  25. ↑ "George Simpkin: Former Sri Lanka rugby coach dies". CeylonToday. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  26. ↑ "Coaching guru back where it all started". Stuff. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  27. ↑ "Rugby: Der Trainer-Guru". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN   0174-4909 . Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  28. ↑ "Simpkin neuer Siebener-Nationaltrainer". op-online.de (in German). 5 February 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  29. ↑ "Former Development Coach Simpkin Passes Away" . Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  30. ↑ "Coaching guru back where it all started". Stuff. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  31. ↑ "George Simpkin: Former Sri Lanka rugby coach dies". CeylonToday. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  32. ↑ "Coaching guru back where it all started". Stuff. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  33. ↑ "Bay of Plenty Rugby pays tribute to coaching great George Simpkin". NZ Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  34. ↑ "International rugby community farewells innovative coach George Simpkin". Stuff. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  35. ↑ "Hong Kong rugby mourns death of former coach George Simpkin, 77". South China Morning Post. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  36. ↑ admin (22 May 2020). "Rugby Matters: Odd-ball George Simpkin was a true rugby visionary". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  37. ↑ "George Simpkin: Former Sri Lanka rugby coach dies". CeylonToday. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
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.