Ian Harvey  [All Black #301]

Ian Harvey, one of New Zealand’s leading forwards of the 1920s, went on three tours with the All Blacks, but had so much bad luck with injuries and illness that he must have thought he was jinxed.

Because of bouts of tonsilitis he had just eight matches with the Invincibles on the 1924-25 tour of Britain and France. He suffered thesame frustrations on the 1928 tour of South Africa playing only in four matches, three of them towards the end of the itinerary. However, there was some consolation in South Africa for he was brought into the fourth test at lock.

What was to be his one and only test cap was marked by a notable All Black performance: a 13-5 victory which drew the series and was to be the best result for the All Blacks on tour in South Africa until 1996 when finally the Springboks were beaten in a rubber on their home soil.

Harvey’s other tour, the only one which was not affected by health problems, was to Australia in 1926 when he played in six of the eight matches, including the three unofficial internationals against the New South Wales Waratahs.

Had it not been for his tour illnesses Harvey might well have been acclaimed as one of the giants of New Zealand’s golden era of the 1920s.

Almost 1.86m tall and more than 95kg he was a big man for the times and a strong, hard working forward well suited to the locking position in the 2-3-2 scrum.

He also had a measure of athleticism, having started his representative career as a fullback. This was in the 1922 season when he was aged 19 but he had an unfortunate debut and was not re-selected until the following season.

By now a shortage of top class forwards in Wairarapa led to Harvey, with his imposing physique, being shifted to the pack where he proved to be an instant success, playing for Wairarapa-Bush in their 14-8 defeat of the touring New South Wales side.

He developed so rapidly that after the national trials of 1924 he was among the first players selected for the tour, being included among 16 “certainties” before the trials had been completed. In 1924 he also made the first of his three appearances for the North Island.

Harvey played until the 1930 season, bringing his first class tally of matches to 69, including 37 for Wairarapa and 18 for the All Blacks.

His last major match was for a combined Wairarapa-Bush selection which lost to the touring Great Britain side 19-6.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.