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George Nēpia
	Nepia in 1935
Birth name	George Nēpia
Date of birth	25 April 1905
Place of birth	Wairoa, Hawke's Bay Region, New Zealand
Date of death	27 June 1986 (aged 81)
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	82 kg (12 st 13 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Fullback
Senior career
Years	Team
1922–25	Hawkes Bay
1927–47	East Coast
International career
Years	Team
1924–30	New Zealand
	Rugby league career
Playing information
Position	Fullback
Club
Representative

George Nēpia (Māori: Hōri Nēpia;^[1] 25 April 1905 – 27 August 1986)^[2] was a New Zealand Māori rugby union and rugby league player. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous Māori rugby players. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.^[3] In 2004 he was selected as number 65 by the panel of the New Zealand's Top 100 History Makers television show. Nēpia was featured in a set of postage stamps from the New Zealand post office in 1990.^[4] Historian Philippa Mein Smith described him as "New Zealand rugby's first superstar".^[5]

Early life

Nēpia was born in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay with the birth certificate stating he was born in 1905, although a passport application also had his date of birth as 25 July 1904.^[6] Nēpia later claimed to have been born in 1908, saying he had put his age up to be eligible for the All Black trials in 1924.^[7] According to two rugby historians in a later news item however, Nepia's claim about his date of birth would have meant he played first class rugby at the age of 13, and as this was unlikely, the records would stay.^[8]

After finishing primary school in Nūhaka, Nēpia's father sent fees for him to attend Te Aute College but without his father's permission, went instead to the nearby Maori Agricultural College where, according to Nēpia, the coach of the rugby said he would pay his fees if he was "material for the first XV".^[7]

In 1926, Nēpia married Huinga Kōhere.^[9]^[10] Nēpia and his family settled on a Kohere's family farm at Rangitukia on the East Coast.^[11] They had four children, three sons and a daughter. One of his sons, George, himself a promising rugby fullback died at the age of 22 while on army service in Malaya.^[12]^[7]

Rugby football career

Nēpia was selected for the Hawkes Bay provincial rugby team in 1922. At that time Hawkes Bay had one of the strongest teams in New Zealand and held the Ranfurly Shield for twenty four successful defences before losing to Wairarapa in 1927.^[13] Nēpia initially played on the wing but was later shifted to second-five eighth.^[14]

In 1924 Nēpia was selected as a full-back for the All Blacks tour to the United Kingdom. Nēpia was one of the stars of the tour. He played in all 32 games – being the only player to do so – and scored 77 points. As the team did not lose any matches, they came to be known as The Invincibles. Nēpia played at fullback and before each game, led the team's performance of a haka that had been composed for the tour.^[13]

Nēpia was omitted from the 1928 All Blacks tour of South Africa, probably on racial grounds. Nēpia returned to the All Blacks for tours to Australia in 1929 and against the British Lions in New Zealand in 1930. These were his last games for the All Blacks. ^[13]

In 1935 Nēpia went to England to play rugby league professionally being signed initially by Streatham and Mitcham Rugby League Club in London for £500, at the time the highest fee paid to any New Zealand Rugby League player.^[13]^[15] His family remained in New Zealand. Because rugby union was a strictly amateur game at the time, Nēpia was cast out from rugby union. Nēpia later transferred to Halifax. In 1937 he returned to New Zealand and played league for Manukau and played for the New Zealand Māori and New Zealand rugby league team.^[14] During July and August 1937 Nēpia traveled to the South Island, representing both Hornby and Canterbury.^[16]

Later life

Following his retirement from playing rugby Nēpia became a referee and worked as a farm manager in the Wairoa district. In 1975 his wife Huinga died. Nēpia lived out his final years with his son Winston in Rangitukia. He died in died at Ruatōria on 27 August 1986.^[14]^[17]

Tributes

Timed to coincide with the 2011 Rugby World Cup, New Zealand playwright Hone Kouka wrote a one-person show, I, George Nēpia about Nēpia who was his great uncle. Kouka said the play evoked "vivid memories of the rugby legend" and was an opportunity at the time to showcase the best both of rugby and New Zealand theatre. Kouka spoke to the family before writing the play, and while they supported the project and trusted him, he recalled: "Opening night was scary, though. All the Nepias were in the audience. Thankfully they loved it".^[18] The play won four Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards in 2011.^[19]

References

^ "Nēpia, Hōri - te Aka Māori Dictionary".
^ George Nēpia player profile Scrum.com
^ "George Nepia (1905-1986)". New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. 2024. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
^ Stanley Gibbons stamp numbers 1560 and MS1561
^ Philippa Mein Smith, A Concise History of New Zealand, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-521-54228-6, p.148
^ "The Invincibles: Passport applications". Archives New Zealand. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Romanos, Michael (1 December 1985). "Nepia was the supreme NZ whizz-kid". Tu Tangata (27): 34. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024 – via National Library of New Zealand - Papers Past.
^ "Revelation by Nepia but records to stay". Press. 19 December 1985. p. 36. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via Papers Past: National Library of New Zealand.
^ "All Black's Romance George Nepia Weds". Press. Vol. LXII, no. 18689. 12 May 1926. p. 6. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via Papers Past: National Library of New Zealand.
^ "Te Wairua o George Nepia". clubrugby.nz. 10 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
^ "George Nepia". Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
^ "N.Z. Soldier Killed in Malaya". Press. Vol. XC, no. 27512. 20 November 1954. p. 8. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via Papers Past: National Library of New Zealand.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Fowler, Michael (25 August 2018). "Great George Nepia missed out on all-white All Blacks". Herald Home: Hawke's Bay Today. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c McConnell, Robin C. "Nēpia, George (Dictionary of New Zealand Biographes)" (First Published 1998, updated July, 2023). Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
^ "George Nepia New Zealand Full-back Turns Professional". Western Mail. 31 October 1935. p. 4. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987.
^ "George Nepia, rugby legend, dies". Press. 28 August 1986. p. 40. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via Papers Past: National Library of New Zealand.
^ Utiger, Taryn (23 July 2013). "Heartfelt theatre homage to 'Uncle George'". Stuff. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
^ Springford, Vomie (17 October 2013). "Homage to Nepia transcends rugby". Wairarapa Times-Age. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via NZ Herald.