Story: Māori rugby – whutupaoro

George Nēpia

George Nēpia

One of New Zealand's all-time great rugby players, George Nēpia (Ngāti Rākaipaaka), kicks to touch during his only rugby league test, against Australia in 1937. The fullback was a casualty of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s decision to bow to South Africa's racist policies, when they selected only white players for the 1928 tour of South Africa.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, S. P. Andrew Collection (PAColl-3739)
Reference: 1/1-018732-F
Photograph by Stanley Polkinghorne Andrew

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Malcolm Mulholland, 'Māori rugby – whutupaoro - Rugby union, 1910s to 1930s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/42266/george-nepia (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Malcolm Mulholland, published 5 Sep 2013, updated 1 Jan 2015