Dave Gallaher

Dave Gallaher

Gallaher in 1905 during the Original All Blacks' tour
Full name	David Gallaher
Date of birth	30 October 1873
Place of birth	Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland
Date of death	4 October 1917(1917-10-04) (aged 43)
Place of death	Passchendaele, Belgium
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	84 kg (13.2 st)
School	Katikati School
Occupation(s)	Freezing works foreman, soldier
Rugby union career
Position(s) hooker, wing-forward New Zealand No. 97 Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1896–1909 Ponsonby () Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1896–1909 1903, 1905 Auckland North Island 26 2 () National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1903–06 New Zealand 36 ((14)) Teams coached Years Team 1906–15 1908 Auckland New Zealand
Military career
Buried at	Nine Elms British Cemetery, Belgium
Allegiance	New Zealand  United Kingdom
Service/branch	New Zealand Army
Years of service	1901–02, 1916–17
Rank	Sergeant
Service number	32513
Unit	6th New Zealand Contingent (1901–02) 10th New Zealand Contingent (1902) 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment, New Zealand Division (1916–17)
Memorials	Dave Gallaher Trophy Gallaher Shield

Dave Gallaher (born David Gallagher, 30 October 1873 – 4 October 1917) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer best remembered as the captain of the "Original All Blacks"—the 1905–06 New Zealand national team, the first representative New Zealand side to tour the British Isles. Under Gallaher's leadership the Originals won 34 out of 35 matches over the course of tour, including legs in France and North America; the New Zealanders scored 976 points and conceded only 59. Before returning home he co-wrote the classic rugby text The Complete Rugby Footballer with his vice-captain Billy Stead. Gallaher retired as a player after the 1905–06 tour and took up coaching and selecting; he was a selector for both Auckland and New Zealand for most of the following decade.

Born in Ramelton, Ireland, Gallaher migrated to New Zealand with his family as a small child. After moving to Auckland, in 1895 he joined Ponsonby RFC and was selected for his province in 1896. In 1901–02 he served with the New Zealand Contingent in the Anglo-Boer War. He first appeared on the New Zealand national team for their unbeaten tour of Australia in 1903, and played in New Zealand's first ever Test match, against Australia in Sydney. The Originals Gallaher captained during 1905–06 helped to cement rugby as New Zealand's national sport, but he was relentlessly pilloried by the British press for his role as wing-forward. The use of a wing-forward, which critics felt was a tactic to deliberately obstruct opponents, contributed to decades of strain between the rugby authorities of New Zealand and the Home Nations; the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) effectively outlawed the position in 1931.