Arthur Collins

Who was Arthur Collins?

Arthur Harold Collins, fullback for the All Blacks and for Taranaki, was born in Stratford, New Zealand on 19 July 1906. Weighing in at just 73 kg, and only 1.70m in height, Collins made a name for himself playing club rugby for Stratford and Clifton, and in 1927 was selected for the Taranaki Rugby Football team. He went on to make 81 appearances for Taranaki over the next eleven years, building a reputation as "a reliable last line of defence and an accurate goalkicker".”

By 1932 Collins had caught the attention of the national selectors, making the North Island side for the North vs South match. He was selected for the All Black team to tour Australia, first donning the All Black jersey on 15 June in a preparation game against Wellington. Collins missed selection for the first test match, which was lost 21-17, but took over for the second in Brisbane on 16 July in which he contributed a penalty goal to New Zealand's 21-3 victory. He went onto play the third test match in Sydney which New Zealand also won. His overall tour performance was considered "creditable", scoring 54 points in his nine matches and kicking a penalty and two conversions in his two tests.