A colossus of New Zealand rugby, both physically and in terms of his standing in the game.

The burly forward, who stood 1.83m tall, well above average for a player of that era, captained the first New Zealand team to be known as the All Blacks, on tour to the British Isles and France in 1905.  The “Originals” lost only once, 3-0 to Wales.

Born in Donegal, Dave Gallaher moved from Ireland to New Zealand with his parents at the age of five and became a stalwart of the Ponsonby Club and Auckland rugby. He won the first of his six caps against Australia in 1903 and played for the All Blacks a total of 36 times.

Despite early reservations over his choice as captain, Gallaher proved to be not only a great player at hooker and in the back-row but also as a formidable leader of men.

He was killed in action during World War I, aged 43.