Adam "Addie" Lile (1885-1954) was a New Zealand

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...

er who was part of the professional

1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

Early years

Originally from

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

, Lile enlisted in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

for the

South African War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

but was sent home from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

when it was discovered that he was only 15.Coffey and Wood ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League'' Lile remained in the Army and became an

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

man.

Rugby union career

Lile played

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

for the Oriental club in Wellington alongside

Albert Baskiville Albert (Bert) Henry Baskerville (born as "Baskiville") (15 January 1883 – 20 May 1908) was a Wellington postal clerk, a rugby union forward, author of the book "''Modern Rugby Football: New Zealand Methods; Points for the Beginner, the Pla ...

and was a

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

representative. Lile was widely regarded as being one of the top 30 players in the country during the 1907 season and he won North Island selection that year.John Haynes ''From All Blacks to All Golds: Rugby League's Pioneers'', Christchurch, Ryan and Haynes, 1996.

Rugby league career

Lile was selected by Baskiville to be part of the professional All Blacks 1907-1908 tour of Australia and Great Britain. As a result, he received a life ban from the

New Zealand Rugby Union New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to t ...

. During the tour his background as a soldier proved useful as he often led the team in training drills. While on tour Lile played in three test matches and scored two tries in all tour games. On his return from the tour Lile was instrumental to the foundation of the

Taranaki Rugby League Taranaki Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. The TRL are represented by the Taranaki rugby league team. They are in the Mid-Central zone along with the ...

. The team met with immediate success and in the 1909 season defeated both

and

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, despite both teams featuring many of his fellow tourists. Lile was the Taranaki

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

in both the 1908 and 1909 seasons. Lile was part of the 1909 New Zealand tour of Australia, playing in all three test matches.

Legacy

Lile has a street named after him, Adam Lile Drive, in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

.Taranaki Trivia
''Puke Ariki'', Accessed 20 August 2009 The

club trophy is also named the "Lile Shield" in his honour. In 2008 he was named in the

Team of the Century.

Personal life

Adam Lile was born in 1885, the son of Adam Lile (Lisle) and Eliza Dandy. He had 7 siblings. In 1910 he married Ida Alberta Fleet. They had two children, Joyce Ngaere Lile in 1911 and Addie Bernard Lile in 1914.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lile, Adam New Zealand Army personnel New Zealand military personnel of the Second Boer War New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand rugby union players Taranaki rugby league team players Taranaki rugby league team coaches Wellington rugby league team players Rugby league locks 1885 births 1954 deaths