Wrigley, who scored a try in the 14-3 win, was only 19 years 79 days and so became the youngest man to appear for the All Blacks in a test.

He retained that distinction until 1994 when Jonah Lomu, at 19 years 45 days, played in the first test against France at Lancaster Park.

Wrigley’s appearance against Australia was his only match for the national side. But he may have made a more meaningful impact as an All Black had he not been sidetracked to become one of the pioneers of the league code in this country.

For in 1907, still only 21, he was lured to the “All Golds” side which made a historic tour of Britain and later of Australia. In all he played in eight internationals for the New Zealand league team, which later became known as the Kiwis.

Following his tour with the “All Golds” Wrigley returned to Britain for a fulltime professional career with the Huddersfield and Hunslet clubs as a player and with Hull and Bradford Northern as a coach.

All of Wrigley’s representative rugby was for Wairarapa, for whom his brothers, Harry and Tom, also played. Between 1903 and 1907 he played 18 games for Wairarapa.

Before playing in his one test in 1905 Wrigley had played for a combined Wellington-Wairarapa selection against the Australian tourists, scoring three tries from the wing in a 23-7 win. He was also in a couple of Wellington provincial selections, virtually from all the unions in the lower North Island, which played and won 3-0 against the Originals before their departure for Britain and against the All Black side which toured Australia in 1907.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

ALL BLACK GAMES THAT WRIGLEY PLAYED

(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

1905

POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS

TEST RECORD BY NATION