George Menzies Explained

George Menzies
Birth Date:30 September 1930[1]
Death Place:Greymouth, New Zealand
Club1:Runanga (WCRL)
Teama:West Coast
Teamb:South Island
Yearbstart:1949
Yearbend:62
Teamc:New Zealand
Yearcstart:1951
Yearcend:61
Appearancesc:29
Triesc:4
Goalsc:0
Fieldgoalsc:0
Pointsc:12
Teamd:Rest of the World
Yeardstart:1960
Appearancesd:1
Triesd:3
Goalsd:0
Fieldgoalsd:0
Pointsd:9
Coachteama:West Coast
Coachteamb:New Zealand
Coachyearbstart:1974
Coachyearbend:75
Coachgamesb:11
Coachwinsb:3
Coachdrawsb:2
Coachlossesb:6
Source:[2]

George Menzies (30 September 1930 – 16 March 2016) was a New Zealand rugby league player and coach who represented New Zealand at three World Cups and coached New Zealand at another World Cup.[2] In 2007 he was named the greatest New Zealand had ever produced.

Playing career

Menzies was a New Zealand schoolboys representative in 1946.[3]

A Runanga club player, Menzies was a West Coast and South Island representative. Menzies played in 69 games, including twenty-nine test matches for the New Zealand national rugby league team, participating in three World Cups.[4]

Menzies was selected to go on the 1955–56 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain and France.

He captained the Kiwis in a test during the 1956 tour to Australia before retiring from international football in 1961 after withdrawing from the 1961 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain and France.[3]

Coaching career

At the end of his test career, in 1963, Menzies became a player-coach for Harden-Murrumburrah, a New South Wales country team.[5] Before returning to New Zealand to coach the West Coast.[3]

In 1974 and 1975 he was the coach of the Kiwis, taking the team to the 1975 World Cup.

Legacy

His son, Chris, played for the Junior Kiwis and also represented the West Coast.[3]

In 1989 Menzies was named as the West Coast Rugby League's best ever stand-off half.[6]

Menzies was named one of New Zealand Rugby League's "Legends of League" in 1995.[7]

In 2009 Menzies was named in the NZRL's team of the century.[8]

Menzies died in Greymouth on 16 March 2016, aged 85.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: General. www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz.
  2. Web site: Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org. rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. 1 January 2018.
  3. http://www.nzrl.co.nz/fanzone/news/2016/3/rip-george-menzies-kiwi-326/ RIP George Menzies Kiwi 326
  4. http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=16-7271-0-0-0&sID=241534 Top Players
  5. News: Goodman. Tom. Hands off the Kiwis. The Sun-Herald. Australia. 44. 9 June 1963. 12 October 2010.
  6. http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=16-7271-0-0-0&sID=241534 Top Players
  7. https://archive.today/20120911135536/http://www.nzrl.co.nz/legends-of-league.aspx Legends of League
  8. Web site: Graham is best in 100 years. The Sunday Star-Times. 17 February 2009. 1 October 2011.
  9. News: George Menzies death notice. 19 March 2016. The Press. 19 March 2016.