Charlie Pearce

Charlie James Pearce[3] was a New Zealand rugby footballer who was part of the professional 1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.[1]

Charlie Pearce
Personal information
Full nameCharles James Pearce
Playing information
Weight91 kg (14 st 5 lb)
Rugby union
PositionBack row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1903–06 Canterbury
Rugby league
PositionSecond-row, Hooker
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1913 Addington
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1907–13 New Zealand 8 0 0 0 0
1908 Wellington
1912–13 Canterbury
Coaching information
Representative
Years Team Gms W D L W%
1925 New Zealand
Source: [1][2]

Rugby union career

Pearce originally played rugby union for the Christchurch Albion and represented Canterbury between 1903 and 1906.[4] In 1906 Pearce was also selected for the South Island team. He was a butcher by trade.[5]

Rugby league career

Like Albion teammates, Joseph Lavery and Hubert Turtill, Pearce was selected for the professional All Blacks 1907-1908 tour of Australia and Great Britain. All the members of the touring party received a life ban from the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Pearce played in several test matches while on tour, including the first ever rugby league test match on 1 January 1908, and captained the side in the third test match against Australia. Pearce's versatility was put to good use during the tour and he played everywhere in the pack, including hooker, and even played a match at centre. He played in the first ever trans-Tasman test which was the debut match of the Australia national rugby league team.

After the tour Pearce remained in New Zealand and went on to captain the Canterbury rugby league team. He toured Australia in 1909 and 1913, playing in a total of eight test matches. He played for Addington in the Canterbury Rugby League competition.[6]

Pearce later served as a selector for the New Zealand side and was appointed the second official "coach" of the New Zealand team, during the 1925 season. He was made a life member of the New Zealand Rugby League in 1920.[7]

References

  1. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. "Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. PEARCE, Charles James 1907 - 08, 1913 - Kiwi #16 Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine nzleague.co.nz
  4. John Haynes From All Blacks to All Golds: Rugby League's Pioneers, Christchurch, Ryan and Haynes, 1996. ISBN 0-473-03864-1
  5. Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987. p.11
  6. Lion Red 1988 Rugby League Annual, New Zealand Rugby Football League, 1988. p.p.160-167
  7. Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987.
Preceded by
Jim Rukutai
Coach
New Zealand national rugby league team

1925
Succeeded by
Ernest Mair
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