Born: January 26, 1934 – Thames Died: May 2, 2015 – Golden Beach, Queensland Test record: 9 Tests (1955-59) – 5 tries, 2 goals (19 points) Tours: 1955-56 tour of Britain and France, 1956 tour of Australia, 1957 World Cup, 1959 tour of Australia
Prolific tryscoring back-rower Rex Percy played nine Tests for New Zealand in the second half of the 1950s, before becoming something of a Kiwi trail-blazer courtesy of stint with Balmain Tigers.
The Thames Valley rugby union rep switch codes with Ponsonby in 1955 and made an immediate impact, earning a call-up for the Kiwis’ tour of Britain and France at the end of the year.
The 21-year-old played in the second and third matches of both Test series, scoring tries from lock in the dead-rubber win over Great Britain and the series-opening victory over France. He also bagged back-to-back doubles in the space of four days against Castleford and Rochdale, finishing the tour with 12 tries from 24 games.
Though he missed out on Test selection on the 1956 tour of Australia due to Frank Mulcare’s return at lock, Percy collected 12 tries in just eight appearances – helped by an astonishing six-try haul against Central Queensland in Rockhampton.
Percy played one match for the Kiwis at the 1957 World Cup, in a 25-5 loss to Australia in Brisbane, before starring in the two-Test home series against Great Britain in 1958. He scored two tries in 15-10 series-opening win and crossed again in the 32-15 loss in the second clash.
Touring Australia again in 1959, Percy featured in the first two Tests – both losses – and he kicked two goals in the second, but he made way for future New Zealand Team of the Century lock Mel Cooke’s debut in the third. His trip featured try doubles in wins over Newcastle, NSW and Central Queensland, slotting five goals in the latter for a 16-point swag.
In all, Percy scored 31 tries in 39 games for New Zealand, rendering him among the greatest Kiwis tryscorers of all time.
Percy signed with Balmain in 1961 and played 26 first-grade matches across three seasons, including two finals appearances during his first campaign. He subsequently embarked on country captain-coach stints in NSW with Parkes and Yass.