Dave Gallaher

Dave Gallaher

Gallaher in 1905 during the Originals' tour
Birth name	David Gallaher
Date of birth	(1873-10-30)30 October 1873
Place of birth	Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland
Date of death	4 October 1917(1917-10-04) (aged 43)
Place of death	Broodseinde, Passchendaele salient, Belgium
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	84 kg (13 st 3 lb)
School	Katikati School
Occupation(s)	Freezing works foreman soldier[1]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker wing-forward Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1896–1909 Ponsonby () Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1896–1909 Auckland 26 () 1903, 1905 North Island[2] 2 () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1903–1906 New Zealand 36 (14) Coaching career Years Team 1906–1915 Auckland[2] 1908 New Zealand[1]
Military career
Buried	Nine Elms British Cemetery, Belgium
Allegiance	New Zealand United Kingdom
Service / branch	New Zealand Army
Years of service	1901–1902 1916–1917
Rank	Sergeant
Service number	3229 32513[3]
Unit	6th New Zealand Contingent (1901‍–‍1902) 10th New Zealand Contingent (1902) 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment, New Zealand Division (1916‍–‍1917)
Battles / wars	Second Boer War First World War Western Front Battle of Messines Battle of Passchendaele Battle of Broodseinde (DOW)
Memorials	Dave Gallaher Trophy Gallaher Shield

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.