Richard “Tiny” Alexander White

Squad No. 0555
Height 188
Weight 101
Season 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957
Position Lock
Birthplace Gisborne
Previous Clubs Gisborne HSOB 1949, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56,57
PL TR CON PEN DG YC RC
46 0 0 0 0 0 0

Richard “Tiny” Alexander White, QSO (11 June 1925 – 10 March 2012) 

He played 23 tests and 55 games for the All Blacks.

Early life
Richard Alexander White was educated at Gisborne Boys’ High School and Feilding Agricultural High School. It was at school that he earned the ironic nickname “Tiny”. White was regarded as tall by 1940s standards.

Rugby career
Richard White played for Poverty Bay. He debuted for the All Blacks in 1949 by playing two tests against Australia and he immediately became an important player for them. He never missed a test match during his career and was only subbed off once in his career. White also played in thirty of the 36 games during the All Blacks 1953–54 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland, France and North America, the most of any player.

White was regarded as being excellent in the lineout. He was also very quick and had “incredible stamina.” Terry McLean once remarked that he was “a wonderful player” who “played with matchless vigour, especially in the lineout.”

White was forced to retire from rugby at age thirty-two after he received a kick in the back. This along with his farming injuries and an almost paralyzed left hand was too much for him to continue playing.His final game was during the 1956 tour by South Africa. The All Blacks won the series 3-1 which was their first ever victory against South Africa in a test series.

Later life
White became mayor of Gisborne from 1977 to 1983. He was also heavily involved in rugby, becoming president of the Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union and continuing to coach some local sides.

He died in Gisborne on 10 March 2012.

RUGBY CLUB (First made All Blacks from Gisborne HSOB
PROVINCE Poverty Bay
NICKNAME Tiny
ALL BLACK DEBUT Saturday, 3 September 1949
v Australia at Wellington
aged 24 years, 84 days
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT Saturday, 3 September 1949
v Australia at Wellington
aged 24 years, 84 days
LAST TEST Saturday, 1 September 1956
v South Africa at Auckland
aged 31 years, 82 days
ALL BLACK TESTS – 23
ALL BLACK GAMES – 32
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES – 55
STARTING POSITIONS Jersey Number 4 : 7

Jersey Number 5 : 16

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS – 9pts (3 tries)
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS – 27pts (9 tries)
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS – 36pts (12 tries)
ALL BLACK NUMBER  #511
POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS
tries conv pen dg pts
vs New England, 11 Jul 1951 1 3
vs Brisbane, 18 Jul 1951 1 3
vs Auckland, 24 Jul 1951 1 3
vs Australia, 6 Sep 1952 1 3
vs Llanelli, 17 Nov 1953 1 3
vs Combined Services, 26 Dec 1953 1 3
vs Barbarians, 20 Feb 1954 1 3
vs University of California, 17 Mar 1954 1 3
vs California All Stars, 20 Mar 1954 2 6
vs South Africa, 14 Jul 1956 1 3
vs South Africa, 18 Aug 1956 1 3
Totals 12 0 0 0 36
TEST RECORD BY NATION
P W D L t c p dg pts
Australia 10 6 4 1 3
British & Irish Lions 4 3 1
England 1 1
France 1 1
Ireland 1 1
Scotland 1 1
South Africa 4 3 1 2 6
Wales 1 1
Totals 23 15 1 7 3 0 0 0 9

Player Appearances

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