About George Nēpia
George Nēpia (Māori: Hōri Nēpia; 25 April 1905 – 27 August 1986) was a New Zealand Māori rugby union and rugby league player. He is remembered as an exceptional full-back and one of the most famous Māori rugby players. He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2004 he was selected as number 65 by the panel of the New Zealand's Top 100 History Makers television show. Nēpia was featured in a set of postage stamps from the New Zealand post office in 1990. Historian Philippa Mein Smith described him as "New Zealand rugby's first superstar". == Early life == Nēpia was born in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay with the birth certificate stating he was born in 1905, although a passport application also had his date of birth as 25 July 1904. Nēpia later claimed to have been born in 1908, saying he had put his age up to be eligible for the All Black trials in 1924. According to two rugby historians in a later news item however, Nepia's claim about his date of birth would have meant he played first class rugby at the age of 13, and as this was unlikely, the records would stay. After finishing primary school in Nūhaka, Nēpia's father sent fees for him to attend Te Aute College but without his father's permission, went instead to the nearby Maori Agricultural College where, according to Nēpia, the coach of the rugby said he would pay his fees if he was "material for the first XV".
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