Harold Francis Rowe 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

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Early life

He was born on July 10, 1883. His parents were Martha Bell and Francis Rowe. In 1914 he married Hilda Laura Norton. Rowe was a qualified accountant. They had at least two children (Harold Norton Rowe, 1914 and Gladys Ruth Rowe, 1917).

Playing career

Rugby union career

Rowe 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 Newton club in Auckland, usually , but also as a or .John Haynes ''From All Blacks to All Golds: Rugby League's Pioneers'', Christchurch, Ryan and Haynes, 1996.

Rugby league career

He was selected for the professional All Blacks tour of 1907–1908, in part because of his utility value. Rowe became an invaluable part of the touring team and between 1907 and 1909 he was to play in nine

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 112 ...

test matches. In 1908 he played in the first ever trans-Tasman test which was the début match of the

Australia national rugby league team The Australian National Rugby League Team, the Kangaroos, have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of Rugby league in Australia, the 'Northern Union game' in Australia in 1908. Admin ...

. He scored two tries in the second test match against Australia, a game which

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won 11–10 to clinch the series. Rowe finished the tour with ten tries overall, including touring games. In 1909 he again toured Australia with the New Zealand side. Like many of the touring party he later returned to England, signing with

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

in September 1909.Coffey and Wood ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League''

Challenge Cup Final appearances

Harold Rowe did not play (

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played ) in

' 7–7 draw with

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

in the

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

Final during the 1909–10 season at

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, on Saturday 16 April 1910, in front of a crowd of 19,413, this was the first

Final to be drawn, but played , i.e. number 2, and scored a

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in the 26–12 victory over

in the 1909–10

Final replay during the 1909–10 season at

on Monday 18 April 1910, in front of a crowd of 11,608, this was

' first

Final win in their first appearance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Harold Auckland rugby league team players Auckland rugby union players Leeds Rhinos players New Zealand accountants New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand rugby union players Rugby league centres Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league wingers Rugby union centres Rugby union fullbacks 1883 births 1958 deaths