Born: c.1870 Died: c.1967 Test record: 3 Tests (1909) – 3 tries (9 points) Tours: 1909 tour of Australia
Wellington forward Bert King played all three Tests on New Zealand’s 1909 tour of Australia – including an extraordinary tryscoring performance in a momentous win.
King, a Wellington rugby union rep, played for the province against Auckland during rugby league’s foundational 1908 season in New Zealand.
He was chosen in the New Zealand squad the following season and scored a try on debut against NSW. But King’s finest hour was to come five days later in the first Test against Australia, crossing three times as a prop in a 19-11 victory.
King remained in the front-row for the second Test and second-row for the decider – both won by the home side – and featured in four other minor tour matches.