Robert Oliphant (1 December 1864 – 18 January 1956) 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 wing-forward, Oliphant represented Manawatu,

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

and Hawke's Bay 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 ...

, in 1893 and 1896. He played three games for the All Blacks but did not appear in any test matches. In 1897, Oliphant was awarded the silver medal of the

Royal Humane Society of Australasia The Royal Humane Society of Australasia (RHSA), formerly the Victorian Humane Society, is an Australian charity dedicated to the recognition of those who risk their own lives in saving or attempting to save the lives of others. It also provides a ...

for saving a girl, Margaret Purnell, from drowning in Auckland Harbour on 29 May 1896. Following the death of Sir

Henry Braddon Sir Henry Yule Braddon (27 April 1863 – 8 September 1955) was an Australian diplomat, businessman and rugby union player who played for Otago, New South Wales and New Zealand. The position he generally played in was fullback. He is lis ...

in 1955, Oliphant held the distinction of being the oldest living All Black. He died on 18 January 1956 in Auckland and was buried at O'Neill's Point Cemetery in

Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

. In January 1915, Oliphant volunteered for the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

and gave his date of birth as 22 January 1872, but it is likely that he falsified this so that he would be considered young enough for service. He served in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

throughout the war, reaching the rank of armourer sergeant.

References

1864 births 1956 deaths Sportspeople from Omagh Irish emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Manawatu rugby union players Auckland rugby union players Wellington rugby union players Hawke's Bay rugby union players Rugby union wing-forwards New Zealand military personnel of World War I Burials at O'Neill's Point Cemetery New Zealand people of Scottish descent Irish people of Scottish descent Rugby union players from County Tyrone {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1860s-stub