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Maori Rugby Union tour of Australia, 1935. Captain, G. Nepia.Author Unknown (The Sydney Morning Herald).

Top 10 Interesting Facts about George Nepia

George N膿pia was one of the most famous players during the initial stages of rugby development in New Zealand. He played both in the New Zealand M膩ori rugby union and later the rugby league. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous M膩ori rugby players of his time. After his playing career, his efforts were rewarded in 1990 when he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, a preserve for very few individuals who have excelled.

He was decorated again in 2004 when he was again selected as number 65 by the panel of New Zealand’s Top 100 History Makers television show.

Apart from rugby, N膿pia was also featured in a set of postage stamps from the New Zealand post office in 1990. To demonstrate his achievements Historian Philippa Mein Smith described him as “New Zealand rugby’s first superstar”. He was known as the “Jonah Lomu of the 1920s”. Now let us look at the Top 10 Interesting Facts about George Nepia

1. He Came From A Rural Background

Nepia, a native of Wairoa, came from a rural background on the East Coast and was educated at Maori Agricultural College, a Mormon school where Erwin Moser, an American elder, taught him how to punt.

2. He Was An Established Rugby Player At Age 16

George Nepia. Author Archives New Zealand.

George Nepia was the face of the legendary Invincibles team of 1924-25. Rugby was his passion from a very early age. At age 16 when most young people are still trying to figure out what they want in life, Nepia had already made his first-class debut for New Zealand. He played as early as 1921 in a trial match to select a New Zealand Maori side to tour Australia. At age 19 he made a switch to fullback for the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, in every match during their 鈥淚nvincibles鈥� tour of the British Isles, France, and Canada in 1924鈥�25.

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3. Nepia Was Captain Of The New Zealand Maori Team

All Blacks fullback, George Nepia.Unknown author.

He was a leader in his own right. In 1935, he was given an opportunity to captain the New Zealand Maori team known as the All Whites for their white uniforms on its tour of Australia. After this experience, he graduated to playing professional rugby league in England for Streatham and Mitcham, which used Nepia鈥檚 name to attract 20,000 spectators to its first match against Oldham. In his rugby league career, he also played for Halifax before returning to New Zealand in 1937 where he featured for Manukau (1937鈥�38) and represented New Zealand against Australia in a rugby league Test match (1937).

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4. He Was A Victim Of Racism

He was omitted from the 1928 All Blacks tour of South Africa, probably on racial grounds. However, he later 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.

5. He Was An Early And Vocal Critic Of Apartheid in South Africa

Nepia had guts that other players of his time did not possess. He could speak his mind on anything that he felt was not right. He was an early and vocal critic of apartheid in South Africa, after his own experience of being left out of a touring All Black side. This was at a time when the Boers were ruling South Africa at the time and the Blacks had been prohibited from playing for the New Zealand National team on the tour to South Africa. Talk of racism in its highest manifestation. He suffered the same fate of being banned from touring South Africa in 1928.

 鈥淟oyalty begets loyalty. So they say. I wonder.鈥� So mused George N膿pia, the nonpareil of All Black full-backs, in his 1963 autobiography I, George N膿pia.

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6. Poverty Contributed To His Banning To Play Rugby In His Country

He was brought up in a family that was struggling to make ends meet. In his autobiography, he says that at one point he had to leave his family for two years because they were not making enough money on the farm. He had to play league in England to support them. Unfortunately for him when he came back after making the money he was banned from playing rugby.

7. Nepia Had An Impressive Physique

Nepia had natural speed and at 5ft 9in, he had an impressive physique for a back at that time. As a towering rugby player, this gave him an advantage over most other players and his presence on the pitch was very visible. He started at fly-half for Hawke’s Bay but switched to full-back where he was impressed with his powerful kick, fierce defense, and fearless tackling at the national trials and with the All Blacks in the northern hemisphere.

8. He Played A Total Of 46 Games For The All Blacks

New Zealand rugby player, George Nepia. Unknown author.

He played a total of 46 games for the All Blacks, scoring 99 points with a solitary try, 38 conversions, and five penalty goals. This was considered a big achievement as games were not organized on a more regular basis as it is today. He also missed other games due to his involvement in dairy farming where he spent a considerable amount of time making ends meet. For example, he was not allowed to tour South Africa in 1928 and missed the 1926-7 Maori tour to France, England, Wales, Australia, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and British Columbia. The selectors thought that he was unavailable due to other engagements, though, he denied this later.

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9. He Became A Rugby Referee After Retirement

Referee. Photo by Nathan Shively on

Nepia finished his playing career having featured in 129 first-class matches, 46 for the All Blacks, 24 for New Zealand Maori, and 43 at the provincial level for Hawke’s Bay and East Coast. He later continued participating in the game as a referee in the 1950s.

10. New Zealand playwright Hone Kouka Has Written a Play about George Nepia

He had many fans who wanted his legacy to live on. One of his greatest fans was Hone Kouka. New Zealand playwright Hone Kouka set himself a couple of challenges when he was writing a play about one of our great sporting heroes. The play, George Nepia was presented in Nelson by Tawata Productions as part of the Nelson Arts Festival. It explores Nepia’s professional and personal life through the eyes of “Young George”, “Old George” and other characters played by Matariki Whatarau. Coincidentally, George is also his distant relative.