Born: December 12, 1911 – Lonehean, Scotland Died: June 16, 1970 – Hokitika Test record: 0 Tests Tours: 1938 tour of Australia, 1939 tour of Britain
Buller’s George Orman toured twice with the Kiwis in the late-1930s.
A former Buller and South Island rugby union rep, Orman – a promising soccer player in his native Scotland – was a three-time All Black triallist before switching codes.
Orman quickly gained a reputation as a top-quality hooker and went on New Zealand’s 1938 tour of Australia. No Tests were played, but the 27-year-old debuted in a 37-18 win over NSW – facing an all-star front-row of Ray Stehr, Roy Kirkaldy and Henry Porter – and played in five more matches at hooker.
Chosen for the following year’s trip to Britain, Orman featured in the 19-3 tour-opening win over St Helens – one of only two matches played before the tour was cancelled due to the outbreak of WWII.
The coalminer later returned to rugby union, again representing the Buller provincial team.