Desmond Alfred Barchard is a New Zealand former

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer, and coach who represented and coached

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Barchard was the coach of

the Kiwis The Bushwhackers are a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, ...

in the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

and 1972 World Cups. His uncle, Len Barchard also played for New Zealand, while his other uncle, Laurie Barchard played senior rugby league for City for several years.

Playing career

A member of the Marist club in the Auckland Rugby League, Barchard first represented

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

in 1948. He was selected for the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team ( Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

in 1947 (Kiwi No. 307) and went on to play in ten Test matches for

(1947, 48, 50-52). In 1953, his final year of representative football for Auckland, he was drawn into the touring US All Stars side as they were short of players for their New Zealand leg of the tour. Des was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Howick Hornets RLFC (Auckland) for service to the Club as a founding member.

Coaching career

Barchard was the coach of the

at the

and 1972 World Cups. The Kiwis did not win a match in either tournament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barchard, Des 1924 births 1987 deaths Auckland rugby league team players Marist Saints players New Zealand national rugby league team coaches New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league coaches New Zealand rugby league players Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from the Auckland Region United States national rugby league team players