Bert Geddes Explained

Bert Geddes
Full Name:John Herbert Geddes
Birth Date:9 January 1907
Birth Place:Invercargill, New Zealand
Death Place:Invercargill, New Zealand
Height:173 cm
Position:Wing
Provinceyears1:1926–34
Provinceapps1:42
Provincepoints1:32 t
Repyears1:1929
Repcaps1:1
Reppoints1:0

John Herbert Geddes (9 January 1907 — 16 August 1990) was a New Zealand international rugby union player.[1]

Geddes was born in Invercargill and educated at Southland Boys' High School.[2]

Possessing considerable pace, Geddes won an Otago sprint title and had a personal best in the 100 yards of 10 seconds even, making him well suited to playing wing three-quarter, although he was often let down by his ball handling.[2]

Geddes, a consistent try-scorer with Southland, won All Blacks selection for the 1929 tour of Australia.[3] He gained his only All Blacks cap in the first Test against the Wallabies in Sydney, with Hawke's Bay winger Bert Grenside preferred for the remaining internationals. He scored seven tries across the tour, including a hat-trick against Newcastle. There were suggestions of nepotism with his selection for the tour, as his father Arthur served on the selection panel.[2]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: All Blacks Here This Week. . . 16 July 1929 . 9 . National Library of Australia.
  2. Web site: Bert Geddes #369 . stats.allblacks.com.
  3. News: All Black Honoured . . 19 June 1929.