David Lory Blanchard (4 September 1924 – 1 January 2013) was a 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 it ...

and professional

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 ...

football player who played representative rugby league (RL) for

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 ...

in the 1954 World Cup and coached them at the 1970 World Cup.

Early years

Blanchard was born in

Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at leas ...

on 4 September 1924, the son of David Blanchard and Doris Elizabeth Blanchard (née Lory) of Ettrick, and grew up in Otago. He made his

first class debut for

North Otago North Otago in New Zealand covers the area of Otago between Shag Point and the Waitaki River, and extends inland to the west as far as the village of Omarama (which has experienced rapid growth as a developing centre for astronomy and for glid ...

in 1939, aged 15. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he joined the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

and served as a stoker on HMNZS ''Achilles''."Blanchard gave lifetime's service to sport"
stuff.co.nz, 5 January 2013; Retrieved 22 September 2014. After the war, Blanchard worked for the

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway ...

and played as hooker for Sydenham. He was a Canterbury representative in 1947–48.

Playing career

Blanchard then switched codes to

. He had played for the Linwood Keas and represented

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

and the South Island.Coffey, John. ''Canterbury XIII'', Christchurch, 1987 He represented

national team between 1951 and 1956, including at the 1954 World Cup. Blanchard was selected to go on the

1955–56 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain and France The 1955–1956 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain and France was a tour by the New Zealand national rugby league team. New Zealand lost both test series 1–2. Squad The team was coached by Harold Tetley and managed by Colin Siddle. Cliff ...

. He had played altogether in 63 matches, including sixteen test matches, for the Kiwis.

Coaching career

He retired in 1963, becoming a Canterbury selector. Blanchard became a New Zealand selector between 1967 and 1972, convening the panel between 1969 and 1972. Blanchard coached

on three occasions; between 1966 and 1967, in 1969 and between 1970 and 1972, including at the 1970 World Cup. He coached Linwood in the

Canterbury Rugby League Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby lea ...

competition. Between 1973 and 1975 Blanchard was President of the Canterbury Schoolboy Board of Control. He also served two years on the

board. In 1990, he returned to coaching and led the New Zealand Universities' side until 1993.

Honours and awards

Blanchard was inducted into the

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood '' ...

's Legends of League in 2000. In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, he was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to rugby league and the community. He was made a life member of the

in 2008.

Death

Blanchard died on New Year's Day, 2013, aged 88, survived by his wife, Lyndsay, and their five children.

References

External links

Search for "Lory Blanchard" at britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchard, Lory 1924 births 2013 deaths Canterbury rugby league team players Canterbury rugby union players Hull F.C. players Linwood Keas players Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand national rugby league team coaches New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league administrators New Zealand rugby league coaches New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand rugby union players North Otago rugby union players People from Roxburgh, New Zealand Royal New Zealand Navy personnel of World War II Rugby league hookers Rugby league props Rugby union hookers