Date of birth | 18 April 1926 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of birth | Gisborne, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 24 November 2014 88) | (aged||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Tauranga, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Gisborne Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Peter "Sammy" Henderson (18 April 1926 – 24 November 2014) was a New Zealand rugby union and rugby league footballer. He also competed at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, winning a bronze medal in the 4 x 110 yards men's relay.
Born in Gisborne and educated at Gisborne Boys' High School, Henderson made his provincial rugby union début for Hawke's Bay in 1944. Moving to Wanganui, where he worked as a dental technician, he played rugby union for the Kaierau Club, and 26 representative matches for Wanganui. He was a member of the ill-fated 1949 All Blacks side, captained by Fred Allen, which lost all four tests on its tour of South Africa. Henderson was top try scorer on the tour, with seven tries. [1]
Henderson excelled in several sports, including sprinting. Following his return from South Africa he had little time to change sports and get into serious sprint training for the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland. He won a bronze medal as part of the men's 4 x 110 yards relay alongside Kevin Beardsley, Arthur Eustace and Clem Parker. He also competed in the 100 yards where he placed fifth in the final. [2] A medium-sized wing at 1.72 m and 81 kg, Henderson is still credited with being one of the fastest All Blacks of all time, [1] with a time of 9.7 seconds for 100 yards. [3]
Henderson returned to club and representative rugby in Wanganui, playing three tests against the touring British Lions in 1950, and against them for Wanganui. In all, he played 19 matches for the All Blacks, including seven internationals. [1]
Henderson had lost his job while playing in South Africa, so he announced he was headed to England to play in professional rugby league. It was then that the New Zealand Rugby Union banned him from union, a ban which lasted 38 years. [4] He signed with Huddersfield, where he stayed for seven years. He played on the wing in Huddersfield's 15–10 victory over St. Helens in the 1953 Challenge Cup Final during the 1952-53 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 25 April 1953, in front of a crowd of 89,588. [5] He also played for the Other Nationalities side that won the 1953 tri-nations test series against England and France.
Henderson played on the wing in Huddersfield's 18–8 victory over Batley in the 1952 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1952–53 season at Headingley, Leeds on Saturday 15 November 1952.
David Donald Valentine was a Scottish representative rugby union and World Cup winning rugby league footballer, a dual-code rugby international who played in the 1940s and 1950s, and coached in the 1960s.
The following lists events that happened during 1954 in New Zealand.
William Raymond "Ray" Cale was a Welsh dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Wales, and at club level for Ebbw Vale RFC, Newbridge RFC and Pontypool RFC, as a flanker, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Wales, and at club level for St. Helens, as a second-row, or loose forward.
George William Smith was a New Zealand sportsman who excelled at track and field as well as both codes of rugby football.
Lionel William Cooper was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. A state and international representative winger, he played in Sydney for the Eastern Suburbs club and in England for Huddersfield.
The Whanganui Rugby Football Union (WRFU) is the governing body for rugby union in the Whanganui region of New Zealand. The Whanganui Rugby Football Union was formed in 1888.
The Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union within the Gisborne district, in the area surrounding Poverty Bay on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The men's representative team play from Rugby Park, Gisborne, and currently compete in the Heartland Championship.
Kenneth Jeffrey Jones OBE was a Welsh sprinter and record breaking Welsh international rugby union footballer. He played for both Wales and the British Isles. He is best known in Wales for his contribution to Welsh rugby, but most notably for his winning try against the All Blacks in 1953.
George Alan Prescott was an English rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s. He played initially at wing, and then later at prop, second-row or loose forward. In 404 matches for St Helens. Prescott scored 31 tries for a total of 93 points. He played 14 times for Lancashire, 12 times for England, once for Rugby League XIII, once for British Empire, and made 31 Great Britain appearances.
Vincent David Bevan was a New Zealand rugby union player.
Frano Michael Botica is a New Zealand-Croatian rugby union and rugby league coach and former player in both codes, who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He is the head coach of the Philippines sevens team.
George Wilson, also known by the nickname of "Happy", was a Scottish rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played representative level rugby union for South of Scotland, and at club level for Kelso RFC, as a wing, and representative level rugby league for Great Britain and Other Nationalities, and at club level Workington Town, as a wing.
James Bowden was a professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Huddersfield, as a centre, or prop, and was a director of Bramley.
Harold Francis Rowe was a New Zealand rugby footballer who was part of the professional 1907–08 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain.
Conrad "Con" Augustus Byrne was a New Zealand rugby footballer who was part of the professional 1907–1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.
John Kenneth McLean was a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played two rugby union tests for New Zealand before switching codes and playing rugby league for Bradford Northern, as a wing, i.e. number 2 or 5.
Edwin William "Slip" Carr was an Australian athlete who equalled the Olympic Record for the 100m sprint in 1923 and represented Australia at the Paris Olympic Games in 1924, in the 100m and 200m sprints. He represented Australia in rugby union, playing in tests against the South African Springboks and the New Zealand All Blacks in 1921.
Louie Ernest Brown was a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He played at representative level for New Zealand, Other Nationalities and Auckland, as a wing or centre.
Charlie Ngatai is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays as a centre, although he can also cover other backline positions. Ngatai last played for Leinster Rugby in Ireland, having previously been Captain of the Chiefs, Taranaki Rugby Football Union and of the Māori All Blacks internationally.