Roger James Urbahn (31 July 1934 – 27 November 1984) 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,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er, and sports journalist. A halfback, Urbahn played representative rugby for at a provincial level between 1955 and 1966. He 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 1959 and 1960, playing 15 matches including three internationals. In all he scored three tries for the All Blacks. An all-round sportsman, Urbahn also played

Hawke Cup The Hawke Cup is a non-first-class cricket competition for New Zealand's district associations. Apart from 1910–11, 1912–13 and 2000–01 the competition has always been on a challenge basis. To win the Hawke Cup, the challengers must beat t ...

cricket for

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

. He trained as a school teacher at Ardmore Teachers' Training College and worked in that profession until 1962, when he became a journalist, rising to become sports editor of the ''

Taranaki Daily News The ''Taranaki Daily News'' is a daily morning newspaper published in New Plymouth, New Zealand. History The paper was founded as the ''Taranaki News'' on 14 May 1857, by friends of former Taranaki Province Superintendent Charles Brown.J.S. Tu ...

''. Urbahn died in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

on 27 November 1984.

References

1934 births 1984 deaths People from Ōpunake People educated at Stratford High School, New Zealand New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Taranaki rugby union players Rugby union scrum-halves New Zealand cricketers 20th-century New Zealand journalists Rugby union players from Taranaki {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1930s-stub