John Solomon (rugby union)
The Scots College | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | University of Sydney[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Occupation(s) | Obstetrician /Gynaecologist[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Herbert John Solomon
Early life and university
Educated at
Australian representative
He made his state and national representative debuts at age nineteen, first playing for
He played twice for
In 1951 Solomon played against the visiting
Australia then undertook a ten matches tour of New Zealand for which Solomon was chosen as captain with tour manager the 1927 Waratah, Jock Blackwood. Solomon's Wallabies won eight of the ten games including one Test victory and one Test loss. Solomon scored three tries in the nine matches in which he played, captaining his country in all.
In 1953 Solomon was again appointed captain for the arduous Wallaby tour of
Following the South African tour, Solomon took a year out to attend to his medical studies but returned in 1955 to captain the Wallabies to New Zealand with Wylie Breckenbridge as manager and Bill Cerutti as assistant manager/coach. Solomon only played in six of the thirteen games suffering a dislocated shoulder against a Canterbury/Otago side which marked the end of his representative career. He later coached at the university club as well as the Australian national side.
Accolades and honours
His 1953 South African tour teammate Sir Nicholas Shehadie described him as follows: "Quick enough to play centre or wing, equipped with a skilful swerve and sharp acceleration when a gap appeared. Much admired for his astute captaincy".[9]
He was inducted into the
Sources
- Collection (1995) Gordon Bray presents The Spirit of Rugby, HarperCollins Publishers Sydney – (Essay specific to this article Syd King's A Change From Batter & Heave 1st published Sporting Life Aug 1952)
- Howell, Max (2005) Born to Lead – Wallaby Test Captains, Celebrity Books, Auckland NZ
- Shehadie, Nicholas (2003) A Life Worth Living, Simon & Schuster Australia
References
- ^ "St Andrew's College Wallabies". Planet Rugby. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ^ http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/06/1068013334293.html?from=storyrhs SMH "Wallaby Good" Nov 2003
- ^ "John Solomon". ESPN. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ "Australian Rugby Hall of Famer, former Wallabies skipper John Solomon dies". Nine News. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ Howell Wallaby Test Captains p141
- ^ Howell Wallaby Test Captains p142
- ^ King essay The Spirit of Rugby p75
- ^ Howell Wallaby Test Captains p143
- ^ Shehadie, A Life Worth Living p237
- ^ "The 2016 John Eales Medal". Australian Rugby. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.