George William Humphreys (15 March 1870 – 11 May 1933) was an English-born New Zealand

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 ...

player who represented the

All Blacks 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 ...

in 1894. His position of choice was loose forward. Humphreys did not play in any test matches as New Zealand did not play their first until 1903. Humphreys was born in

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

, England and moved to New Zealand at the age of 17. He died in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

in 1933.

Career

Humphreys played nine games for the province between 1891 and 1894. He played in Canterbury's match against the touring NSW side. Based on his performances he was then selected for the national team in their match against the tourists which was conveniently played in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. Humphreys scored a try, however the match was lost 8-6. He may have played again in 1897 but this is far from certain.

Farming

Humphreys purchased Willencote, a farm located in Gisborne in 1918. His acquisition contained 1,827 acres of land. In 1923 the ownership was then handed to his son, Frank. The farm is currently owned and operated by the 4th generation of the Humphreys family. The farm size is now smaller, being 1,040 acres.

Family

His son, Frank "Fred" Edwin Humphreys represented between 1919 and 1920.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humphreys, George 1870 births 1933 deaths New Zealand international rugby union players New Zealand rugby union players Rugby union players from Wolverhampton Rugby union forwards Canterbury rugby union players