George Aitken (rugby union)
| Full name | George Gothard Aitken | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 2 July 1898 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Westport, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 8 July 1952 (aged 54) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Wellington, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Westport High | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University |
Victoria University of Wellington Oxford University |
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| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position(s) | Centre | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Amateur team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1917–22 1922–24 1922–25 |
Victoria University Oxford University Barbarians |
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| Provincial / State sides | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1914–15 1917–22 1921 |
Buller Wellington North Island |
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| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1920 1921 1924–29 |
New Zealand Universities New Zealand Scotland |
4 2 8 |
(0) (0) |
George Gothard Aitken (2 July 1898 – 8 July 1952) was a rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand – known as the All Blacks – and then Scotland. He was born in Westport, New Zealand, and was selected to play provincially for Buller at the age of 16. After moving to Wellington, Aitken played for the province from 1917, and from there was selected for the All Blacks side that faced South Africa when they toured New Zealand in 1921. After only two Test matches for the All Blacks, both as captain, he was dropped from the team. In 1922 Aitken was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and travelled to England to study at the University of Oxford. He played for the university's rugby club, and from there he was selected for Scotland. He first represented the country in 1924, and in 1925 appeared in all of their Five Nations matches; Scotland won all four of those games, and in doing so achieved their first ever Grand Slam.
Aitken was born in Westport in 1898, and was educated at Westport District High School. He played rugby at centre, and was selected for Buller as a 16-year-old – playing for them in 1914 and 1915. He moved to Wellington to attend Victoria University College (now Victoria University) where he played for the Victoria University club. In 1917 he was selected for the Wellington – that season representatives were restricted to players under military age due to the First World War. He continued to represent the province in the following seasons, and in 1919 Wellington resumed Ranfurly Shield matches; Wellington had won the Shield off Taranaki in 1914, but had not defended it at all due to the War. Aitken played in twelve Ranfurly Shield defences during his career.
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