Daniel Gilchrist

Daniel Gilchrist (1882–1964) was a New Zealand rugby footballer who was part of the professional 1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.

Dan Gilchrist
Personal information
Full nameDaniel Gilchrist
Born6 February 1882
Dunedin, New Zealand
Died15 December 1964 (age 82)
Wellington, New Zealand
Playing information
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight13 st 10 lb (192 lb; 87 kg)
Rugby union
PositionProp, Back row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1904–07 Melrose 41 8 2 2 36
1907 Wellington Naval 2 1 1 0 6
Total 43 9 3 2 42
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1903 Wellington Juniors 4 1 0 0 3
1904–07 Wellington 7 1 0 0 3
1905 Wellington B 1 0 0 0 0
1907 Wellington Province 1 0 0 0 0
Rugby league
PositionProp, Loose forward
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1907–08 New Zealand 31 0 0 0 0
1908 A Team (Exhibition) 1 0 0 0 0
1908 Wellington 2 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]

Early years

Daniel Gilchrist was born in 1882 to Margaret Ann Strain Gilchrist and John Henderson Gilchrist. He was the eldest of 6 children with his younger siblings; Matilda (b.1884), Margaret (b.1886), John (b.1887), William (b.1890), and Alexander (b.1892). Gilchrist was a plumber by trade.[2]

Rugby Football

Gilchrist played rugby union for the Melrose Club senior side in 1904 and represented Wellington consistently from 1904 to 1907. His debut match for Wellington was against Wairarapa on 4 June 1904 and he played in one further match that season against Buller on 13 August. Gilchrist was part of the Wellington squad that won the Ranfurly Shield against Auckland in 1904 on their Northern Tour. He had played in the match 4 days earlier against Hawke's Bay on 2 August but was not in the match day team for the shield challenge. In 1906 he was elected on to the management committee of the Melrose club and again in 1907.[3]

Rugby League

Despite being only 23, Gilchrist was selected for the professional All Blacks in their 1907–08 tour of Great Britain and Australia.[2] Like all members of the tour, Gilchrist subsequently received a life ban from the New Zealand Rugby Union. He played in the first ever trans-Tasman test which was the debut match of the Australia national rugby league team. Altogether, Gilchrist played in six test matches while on tour.

On his return to New Zealand, Gilchrist continued playing rugby league, representing Wellington.

Despite his life ban when he returned from the tour his Melrose club held an evening for him at the Mawson's Rooms on Cuba Street to celebrate his return and efforts for the club in the previous season. He was also adjudged the best forward in the senior side in the 1907 season.[4] After his return he applied for reinstatement to rugby under the grounds that he was not a member of any club at the time of his suspension and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the union. The rugby union refused the application. Instead Gilchrist was selected for a 'northern tour' by a Wellington side to play against Auckland in the following weeks.

In 1908 he was the coach of the Melrose rugby club side despite not being allowed to play rugby.

In 1909 he was selected for the New Zealand tour of Australia but was unable to go.

References
  1. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. John Haynes From All Blacks to All Golds: Rugby League's Pioneers, Christchurch, Ryan and Haynes, 1996. ISBN 0-473-03864-1
  3. "Local And General". Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 53. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. "Melrose Club". Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 148. 23 June 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
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