Jack Shearer was a hard nosed forward who was an All Black on a tour of Australia in 1920.

That was his only time in the national side and he was a shade lucky to win a place, coming in only as a replacement after the original choice, Mick Cain, and then his intended replacement, both became unavailable.

Shearer, who could play either as a hooker in the 2-3-2 scrum formation or as a loose forward, played in four matches in Australia, including the second unofficial test against New South Wales, and the match on the return home against Wellington at Athletic Park.

Apart from playing for the North Island in his debut season in first class rugby in 1919 and in an All Black trial in 1921 Shearer received no other honours at national level.

But for Wellington he had a long and illustrious career. His elder brother Syd, a hooker, was also an All Black and both for Wellington and in club rugby for Poneke the pair were prominent figures in the capital city through the 1920s.

Jack came into the Wellington team in 1919 and in that and the following season was a regular choice in one of the most remarkable of Ranfurly Shield reigns. In the 1920 season Wellington put the shield at stake, at home and away regardless of who was the opponent. As a result Shearer appeared in no fewer than 18 shield matches, though some of these were a little later in the decade when Wellington were not the holders.

He was, for instance, in the Wellington side hammered 58-8 by Hawke's Bay in 1926. Of Shearer's 72 matches in first class rugby 62 were for Wellington A and another three for Wellington XVs. Shearer continued in Wellington club rugby with Poneke, whom he captained for many years, until the 1932 season by which time he was nearly 35.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Jack Douglas Shearer

BORN

Wednesday, 19 August 1896 in Wellington

DIED

Wednesday, 18 September 1963 in Christchurch

POSITION

Loose Forward

LAST SCHOOL

Unknown

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Poneke

PROVINCE

Wellington

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Wednesday, 28 July 1920
v Manning River District at Taree
aged 23 years, 344 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

0 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

5 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

5 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

3pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

3pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

228

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1920

 28 Jul vs Manning River District at Taree 70-9  

 31 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 14-6  

 4 Aug vs A N.S.W. XV at Sydney 31-18  

 11 Aug vs Metropolitan Union at Sydney 79-5  

 18 Aug vs Wellington at Wellington 38-3  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Wellington, 18 Aug 1920

1

-

-

-

3

Totals

1

0

0

0

3

Shearer played in no test matches for the All Blacks.