Jimmy Edwards (rugby league)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jimmy Edwards
Personal information
Full nameRobert James Edwards[1]
Born(1926-12-24)24 December 1926
New Zealand
Died30 July 2015(2015-07-30) (aged 88)
Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand
Playing information
PositionWing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Marist
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1950–1954 Auckland
1951–54 New Zealand 17 8 0 0 24
Source: [2]

Robert James Edwards (24 December 1926 – 30 July 2015) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1954 World Cup.

Playing career[edit]

Edwards played for the Marist club in the Auckland Rugby League competition and also represented Auckland, making his debut in the 1950 tour of Wellington and the South Island.[3] He later played for Auckland against the touring American All-Stars in 1953 and in a 5–4 victory over Great Britain in 1954.

Edwards made his debut for the New Zealand national rugby league team in 1951 on the tour of Great Britain. He played in a total of 17 test matches, including a tour of Australia in 1952 and the 1954 World Cup. He had the distinction of being the first scorer in Rugby League World Cup history, with a try after only five minutes in the first match against France on 30 October 1954. He scored 20 tries in a total of 45 matches for the Kiwis.[4]

Death[edit]

Edwards died in the Auckland suburb of Mount Eden on 30 July 2015.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ EDWARDS, Robert James - 1951 - 54 Archived 5 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine nzleague.co.nz
  2. ^ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. ^ Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN 978-1-86969-366-4.
  4. ^ "A time to remember..." New Zealand Warriors. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Robert Edwards death notice". New Zealand Herald. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2016.