Born: 5 June, 1887 – Tauranga
Died: 20 November, 1959 – Dannevirke
Test record: 1 Test (1914) – 0 points

Francis Barclay played five-eighth in New Zealand sole Test match against the 1914 English tourists – several years after he had twice toured Australia with the Māori team, under his Māori name Hauāuru Pakere.

Pakere played 19 games across the trailblazing 1908 and ’09 Māori tours and featured in every backline position. He represented Auckland in 1908 but moved to the Hawke’s Bay after the 1909 tour.

In 1912 Barclay played for Dannevirke and then featured on the wing in fledgling Hawke’s Bay’s 42-9 loss to the visiting NSW side, a team containing the likes of Dan Frawley, Viv Farnsworth, Frank Burge, Paddy McCue and Billy Cann. He played for Hawke’s Bay against NSW again in 1913 and against England in 1914, his performance in the latter fixture leading to a national call-up.

Barclay was New Zealand’s five-eighth in the 16-13 one-off Test loss to England at Auckland Domain and remains the only Kiwi to be selected from Dannevirke. World War I broke out just days later, changing the trajectory of his sporting endeavours.

Serving with the New Zealand Māori Pioneer Battalion during the war, Barclay was awarded the Victory Medal, the British War Medal and later the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry. He then toured with the New Zealand Māori Pioneer Battalion rugby team that toured Wales, England, France and South Africa, and played several matches on home soil at the conclusion of the war.

Fully reinstated to rugby union, Barclay represented Hawke’s Bay (1920), Golden Bay-Motueka (1921) and Marlborough (1928), his extraordinary cross-code journey at the top level spanning more than 20 years and past his 40th birthday.

His brother, Glen Barclay (Māori name Punga Pakere), was also part of the Māori touring teams of 1908-09 and played for North Sydney in 1910.