Birth name | Gregory David Rowlands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 10 December 1947 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Rotorua, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 15 August 2021 73) | (aged||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Tauranga, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 74 kg (163 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Tauranga Boys' College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gregory David Rowlands (10 December 1947 – 15 August 2021) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A fullback, Rowlands represented Bay of Plenty at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, on their 1976 tour of South America. He played four matches for the All Blacks on the tour including two matches against Argentina, but these were not given full international status by the New Zealand Rugby Union. [1]
Rowlands died in Tauranga on 15 August 2021, aged 73. [2] [3]
The National Provincial Championship (NPC) is an annual round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played in 1976, it is the second highest level of competition in New Zealand alongside the Ranfurly Shield. It is organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and since 2021, it has been known as the Bunnings NPC after Bunnings, its naming rights sponsor. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Farah Palmer Cup.
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