Dave Solomon (31 May 1913 – 15 August 1997) was a

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

an-born rugby football player who represented New Zealand in both rugby union (as a five-eighth and fullback) and rugby league. His brother

Frank Solomon Frank Solomon (30 May 1906 – 21 December 1991) was an American-born New Zealand Rugby Union player. He has played national provincial rugby for Auckland and international rugby for the All Blacks. Considered a pacific pioneer in New Zealand r ...

was also an

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

Early years

Solomon attended

Mt Albert Grammar Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in ...

, and was in the 1st XV in 1931.Dave Solomon
''allblacks.com''

Rugby union career

Playing with the Ponsonby rugby union club, Solomon moved south; playing for the Matamata sub-union 1932–43 and represented the Waikato Rugby Union in 1934 before moving back home and playing for Auckland 1935–38, in every back position except wing. He made the 1935 All Blacks tour and travelled with the squad to Great Britain, playing in eight tour matches in 1934–35 and scored 3 points (a try) for New Zealand.

Rugby league career

In 1939 Solomon switched codes to play rugby league. He was named in the 1939–40 New Zealand national rugby league team squad, however the tour was cut short by World War II.SOLOMON, DAVID 1939 – KIWI #283
''nzleague.co.nz''

Return to rugby union

After the war he returned to rugby union, and coached the East Coast Bays and Northcote clubs on the North Shore.

Later years

Solomon became a Samoan Matai. He died in Auckland on 15 August 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Dave 1913 births 1997 deaths Auckland rugby league team players Auckland rugby union players Dual-code rugby internationals Fijian emigrants to New Zealand Fijian people of Samoan descent New Zealand international rugby union players New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand people of Fijian descent New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand rugby union coaches New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School People from Levuka Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league players from Lomaiviti Province Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union players from Lomaiviti Province Samoan chiefs Samoan people of Fijian descent