Maurice Patrick Goddard (28 September 1921 – 19 June 1974) 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 its m ...

player. A centre three-quarter, Goddard represented Ashburton County and at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, 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 ...

, from 1946 to 1949. He played 20 matches for the All Blacks including five internationals, scoring nine tries in all. 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 opposin ...

, Goddard served in both the army and air force, and made appearances in rugby matches for New Zealand Services, England Services, Combined Dominions and the Royal Air Force. Goddard died 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 / ...

on 19 June 1974, and was buried at

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

Cemetery.

References

1921 births 1974 deaths Rugby union players from Timaru People educated at Timaru Boys' High School New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Mid Canterbury rugby union players South Canterbury rugby union players Rugby union centres New Zealand military personnel of World War II Burials at Timaru Cemetery {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1920s-stub