John Mowlem was a strong, versatile forward who as a Manawatu representative played four matches on tour in Australia in 1893. This was the first national side which had been chosen under the auspices of the New Zealand union which had been formed only in the previous year.

Mowlem had ability but was used sparingly on the 11-match tour, his only appearances being against Cumberland Country at Parramatta, the NSW Junior XV in Sydney, as a wing forward in a feature match against NSW and against Western Districts at Bathurst.

He had only one of the last five matches and it is not clear whether this inactivity was due to injury or whether he was one of the casualties from the 25-3 loss incurred in the match in which he played against NSW.

Between 1890 and 1893 Mowlem played in 13 matches for Manawatu and in 1894 a transfer to Greytown saw him play four matches for Wairarapa.

Mowlem's main rugby distinction was the fact that in the 1893 trial he swapped sides, something which had been without precedent till then in top New Zealand rugby. Only 29 players took part in this match, with the South side playing a man short in the first half. When Mowlem changed sides at halftime the North team then played with 14 men.

This was a practice which especially in trial matches continued in New Zealand rugby for a surprising number of years. In 1953, for instance, before the All Blacks were chosen for a tour of Britain and France, the Southland hooker Arthur Woods twice swapped sides in trial matches.

John Mowlem subsequently spent time hunting in South Africa before settling in Tauranga in the 1920s to develop big game fishing in the area.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

John Mowlem

BORN

Tuesday, 9 August 1870 in Wainuiomata

DIED

Friday, 12 October 1951 in Tauranga

POSITION

Forward

LAST SCHOOL

Unknown

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Palmerston North

PROVINCE

Manawatu

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Wednesday, 28 June 1893
v Cumberland County at Sydney
aged 22 years, 323 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

0 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

4 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

4 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK NUMBER

37

The All Black Games that Mowlem played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1893

 28 Jun vs Cumberland County at Sydney 8-0  

 4 Jul vs N.S.W. Junior XV at Sydney 19-0  

 8 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 3-25  

 26 Jul vs Western Districts at Bathurst 24-5  

Mowlem did not score any points for the All Blacks.

Mowlem played in no test matches for the All Blacks.