 Adams in 1932 | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | Alan Augustus Adams 8 May 1883 Greymouth, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 28 July 1963(1963-07-28) (aged 80) Greymouth, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Alan Augustus Adams (8 May 1883 – 28 July 1963) was a New Zealand-born sportsman who played internationalrugby union for England. He also playedfirst-class cricket forOtago and was a rugby selector for theNew Zealand national rugby union team and served as president of theNew Zealand Rugby Football Union.[1]
Adams was born atGreymouth in New Zealand in 1883, was educated atAuckland Grammar School and studied atOtago University, captaining the university rugby side and playing for Otago representative sides as acentre andoutside half.[2][3][4][5] He was described in 1909 as "one of the finest centres Otago has produced".[6] Adams left New Zealand to study medicine atGuy's Hospital in London.
While in London studying medicine, Adams played forBlackheath and was called up to theEngland national rugby union team.[5][7] He was capped for the first and only time in their eight-point win overFrance at theParc des Princes. The fixture was part of England's championship winning1910 Five Nations campaign.[8][9] As well as Blackheath, he played club rugby for London Hospitals andRosslyn Park F.C.[10]
He made two first-class cricket appearances for Otago. A batsman, he played both of his first-class matches againstAuckland, the first in January 1906 and the second in January 1908, scoring a total of 41 runs, with a highest score of 21. He also played for the side in a non first-class match against a touringMelbourne Cricket Club side in March 1906.[11]
Adams served in the British Armed Forces duringWorld War I. Having initially joined theNew Zealand Expeditionary Force in London in September 1914, he was discharged in December that year to enable him to take up a commission as a lieutenant in theWest Yorkshire Regiment.[12] He served with the regiment in northern France and theGallipoli campaign, during which he was injured.[4][13] He was promoted to captain[14] and discharged in 1920 after the end of the war.[15]
He returned to New Zealand, where he was appointed a selector for the West Coast rugby union[16] and later for theNew Zealand national rugby team.[17] He was elected President of the New Zealand Rugby Union in 1929–30.[18][19][20]
Adams died at Greymouth in 1963, aged 83.[1]