Dave Gallaher
New Zealand rugby player
Died when: 43 years 339 days (527 months)Star Sign: Scorpio
David Gallaher (30 October 1873 – 4 October 1917) was an Irish-born New Zealand rugby union footballer best remembered as the captain of the "Original All Blacks"—the 1905–06 New Zealand national team, the first representative New Zealand side to tour the British Isles.
Under Gallaher's leadership the Originals won 34 out of 35 matches over the course of tour, including legs in France and North America; the New Zealanders scored 976 points and conceded only 59.
Before returning home he co-wrote the classic rugby text The Complete Rugby Footballer with his vice-captain Billy Stead.Gallaher retired as a player after the 1905–06 tour and took up coaching and selecting; he was a selector for both Auckland and New Zealand for most of the following decade.
Born in Ramelton, Ireland, Gallaher migrated to New Zealand with his family as a small child.After moving to Auckland, in 1895 he joined Ponsonby RFC and was selected for his province in 1896.
In 1901–02 he served with the New Zealand Contingent in the Anglo-Boer War.He first appeared on the New Zealand national team for their unbeaten tour of Australia in 1903, and played in New Zealand's first ever Test match, against Australia in Sydney.
The Originals Gallaher captained during 1905–06 helped to cement rugby as New Zealand's national sport, but he was relentlessly pilloried by the British press for his role as wing-forward.
The use of a wing-forward, which critics felt was a tactic to deliberately obstruct opponents, contributed to decades of strain between the rugby authorities of New Zealand and the Home Nations; the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) effectively outlawed the position in 1931.
During the First World War, Gallaher enlisted in the New Zealand Division to fight in Europe.He was fatally wounded by shrapnel wounds to the head in 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium.
He has since been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, International Rugby Hall of Fame, and the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.
A number of memorials exist in Gallaher's honour, including the Gallaher Shield for the winner of Auckland's club championship, and the Dave Gallaher Trophy contested between the national teams of France and New Zealand.
