Born: 16 July, 1881 – Kaiapoi
Died: 11 March, 1947 – Timaru
Test record: 0 Tests
Tours: 1907-08 tour of Great Britain and Australia

A tryscoring machine in the rugby union ranks during the early years of the 20th century, All Blacks star Duncan McGregor was one of the highest-profile players to embark on the New Zealand All Golds’ pioneering tour of Britain.

Kaiapoi-born McGregor made his provincial debut for Canterbury in 1900 as a 19-year-old and was selected for New Zealand’s inaugural Test match against Australia in 1903, scoring a try in the 22-3 victory. He was part of the historic 1905-06 ‘Originals’ tour of Europe and North America after moving to Wellington, crossing for four tries against England – an All Blacks Test record that stood for almost 90 years.

Boasting 66 tries from 59 first-class rugby union matches, McGregor was an early proponent of the All Golds tour and was a selector, served on the management committee and had a role coaching the backs.

The 26-year-old was restricted to just six games for the All Golds, but he remained in Britain to play for Welsh club Merthyr Tydfil. McGregor eventually returned home in 1912 and stayed involved with rugby league, refereeing matches on the NSW team’s 1913 tour against Canterbury and New Zealand, and serving as a New Zealand selector.