Duncan McGregor
Encyclopedia
Duncan McGregor was a New Zealand
rugby union
footballer. He was a member of the legendary 1905 Original All Blacks
and went on the 1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.
debut playing for Canterbury in 1900 when he was just 19. In 1902 he had a stellar season, scoring 17 tries for Canterbury and 2 for South Island in just 10 first class matches. McGregor was subsequently selected for the 1903 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia
and won his first Test cap for New Zealand on 15 August 1903 against Australia
.
He transferred to Wellington in 1904 due to his employment taking him to Petone
, there he joined the Petone Rugby Club
and was later one of six players from the club that made the 1907-08 tour. McGregor represented Wellington and the North Island and retained his place in the All Blacks in 1904 and in 1905 was selected for the All Blacks tour of Great Britain
. While on tour, the British press dubbed him the "Flying Scotsman" in recognition of his speed. While on tour he scored four times in one match in a Test match against the English
.
In all first class rugby union McGregor scored 66 tries in just 59 games.
He opted not to return to New Zealand, instead staying behind in Great Britain to open a sports store in Gloucestershire
and sign with the Merthyr Tydfil
club. In 1912 he suffered an ankle injury and retired from the game, opting to return to New Zealand.
.
He died in 1947 in Timaru
.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer. He was a member of the legendary 1905 Original All Blacks
The Original All Blacks (1905)
The Original All Blacks were the first New Zealand national rugby union team to tour outside Australasia. They toured the British Isles, France and the United States of America during 1905–1906. Their opening game was against Devon on 16 September 1905 whom they defeated 55–4...
and went on the 1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.
Rugby Football
McGregor made his provincial rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
debut playing for Canterbury in 1900 when he was just 19. In 1902 he had a stellar season, scoring 17 tries for Canterbury and 2 for South Island in just 10 first class matches. McGregor was subsequently selected for the 1903 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia
1903 New Zealand rugby union tour of Australia
The 1903 New Zealand tour rugby to Australia was the fourth tour by the New Zealand national rugby union team to Australia. Nine matches were played against regional and district sides along with one Test match between the two national sides.-Matches:...
and won his first Test cap for New Zealand on 15 August 1903 against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
.
He transferred to Wellington in 1904 due to his employment taking him to Petone
Petone
Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour...
, there he joined the Petone Rugby Club
Petone Rugby Club
The Petone Rugby Football Club was founded in 1885 and has been the Wellington Premier Champion 39 times between 1895 and 2005. In addition to this, the club has won the Club Championship on 42 occasions between 1922 and 2005...
and was later one of six players from the club that made the 1907-08 tour. McGregor represented Wellington and the North Island and retained his place in the All Blacks in 1904 and in 1905 was selected for the All Blacks tour of Great Britain
The Original All Blacks (1905)
The Original All Blacks were the first New Zealand national rugby union team to tour outside Australasia. They toured the British Isles, France and the United States of America during 1905–1906. Their opening game was against Devon on 16 September 1905 whom they defeated 55–4...
. While on tour, the British press dubbed him the "Flying Scotsman" in recognition of his speed. While on tour he scored four times in one match in a Test match against the English
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
.
In all first class rugby union McGregor scored 66 tries in just 59 games.
Rugby League
In 1907 McGregor joined the professional All Blacks in their tour of Great Britain and Australia. He was a strong supporter of the tour from the outset and was one of the tours selectors, served on the tours Management committee and had a role in coaching the backs. However, while on tour, he could not consistently make the first team and played in many of the mid-week games. McGregor only ended up playing in one of the eight test matches on tour.He opted not to return to New Zealand, instead staying behind in Great Britain to open a sports store in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and sign with the Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil RLFC
Merthyr Tydfil Rugby League Football Club was a professional rugby league club based in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales playing in the Welsh League and Northern Union. Based at College Field, Merthyr Tydfil were one of the first professional Welsh teams, and folded in 1911 after the failure of the Welsh League...
club. In 1912 he suffered an ankle injury and retired from the game, opting to return to New Zealand.
Later years
After returning to New Zealand McGregor stayed involved with rugby league, becoming a referee and a national selector. In 1920 he was made a life member of the New Zealand Rugby LeagueNew Zealand Rugby League
The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....
.
He died in 1947 in Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...
.