Bill McLennan (rugby league)

Bill McLennan

Personal information
Full name	William Richard McLennan
Nickname	Ginger
Born	5 June 1927 West Coast, New Zealand
Died	21 July 2007 (aged 80) Auckland, New Zealand
Playing information
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	101 kg (15 st 13 lb)
Position	Prop
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
	Blackball (WCRL)
	Runanga
	Total	0	0	0	0	0
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1949–19??	West Coast
	South Island
1951–1957	New Zealand	28	1	1	0	5
Source: RLP

William (Bill) "Ginger" Richard McLennan^[1] (5 June 1927 – 21 July 2007) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented his country in the 1954 and 1957 World Cups.

Playing career

Born on the West Coast, McLennan was a miner and represented the West Coast. He played for the Runanga club.^[2] He was first selected for New Zealand in 1951. McLennan played in 84 games for the Kiwis, including 28 tests. This included 22 consecutive tests.^[3] His total 84 games has been bettered only by Jock Butterfield (99) and Tom Baxter (94).

He was part of the famous Kiwi team that won back-to-back test series against Australia in 1952 (in Australia) and 1953 (in New Zealand).^[4]

McLennan was the vice-captain in the 1955-56 tour of Great Britain. He retired after this tour however he made a comeback for the 1957 World Cup.^[5]

He was inducted as one of the New Zealand Rugby Leagues "Legends of League" in 2000.^[6]

References

1. McLENNAN, William Richard 1951 - 57 - Kiwi #334 Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. nzleague.co.nz
2. Top Players West Coast Rugby Football League
3. Playing Records nzrl.co.nz
4. Kiwi League Legend passes away rleague.com, 25 July 2007
5. "Obituary: Bill 'Ginger' McLennan". The New Zealand Herald. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
6. Legends of League nzrl.co.nz