Peter "Sammy" Henderson was one of the fastest men to ever play for the All Blacks and he had two memorable years in the test side in the 1949 and 1950 seasons. Henderson also achieved considerable distinction as a track and field athlete. He had a best time for 100 yards of 9.7s, won the national title in 1948-49 and in 1950 represented the country as a sprinter at the Empire Games in Auckland. He won a heat and made the final without gaining a medal.

Originally from Gisborne, Henderson had been a rower despite his moderate height and only turned to the track to help his rugby when he had moved to Wanganui to work as a dental mechanic in the late 1940s.

As an 18-year old Henderson played for Hawke's Bay in 1944-45 but it was as a Wanganui player that he shot to prominence, as part of some fine backlines in that union, including talented midfield back, Keith Gudsell.

Top form in 1948 in what was a strong Wanganui side won both Henderson and Gudsell places in the All Black team which toured South Africa in 1949.

The pacy Henderson thrived on South Africa's hard fields and successfully overcame through hours of practice his handling weaknesses. Henderson played in 16 matches in South Africa including all four tests. He was the top tryscorer on tour with seven and he marked his test debut with a try. He might also have produced what could have been a crucial try, too, in the fourth test but after a long run he could not link up with two unmarked men on his inside, Morrie Goddard and Graham Delamore.

Henderson missed the first test against the British Isles in 1950 because of injury but played the remaining three. He scored a try in the fourth test at Eden Park and saving a possible try by the Lions when he caught Lewis Jones with a covering tackle when the Welshman appeared to be in the clear.

But Henderson's rugby career came to a sudden end soon after the Lions' tour when he was aged 24.

Henderson accepted an offer to play rugby league in Britain and spent the next sevens in that code playing for the Huddersfield club in the north of England. He achieved the pinnacle in British league of appearing at Wembley in a Challenge Cup final.

Henderson was both a courageous and pacy player who for most of his life was always known by the nickname, "Sammy". This was bestowed on him by team-mate Des Christian on the 1949 tour of South Africa because of his tendency to to score tries by diving at the line. At the time American Sammy Lee was the world's best known springboard diver.

Yet if Henderson has a special niche in New Zealand rugby it is not so much for his considerable playing ability but more the battle he had with the game's hierarchy in gaining reinstatement to union from league.

It sounds petty today, especially with rugby's movement to professionalism and the ready and easy switch now by players from league to rugby. But Henderson despite having the support of his old team-mates and of his club in Wanganui, Kaierau, was given a frustrating time from the game's leading administrors who were determined to ostracise Henderson and other players like him who had gone to league.

Eventually, with rugby at long last adopting an enlightened view at the highest levels, Henderson was reinstated officially in 1989. He always emphasised in his battles with officialdom that he had no ulterior motives other than to return to the game which for all his years in league had remained his first love.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Peter Henderson

BORN

Sunday, 18 April 1926 in Gisborne

AGE

84

PHYSICAL

1.72m, 81kg

POSITION

Wing three-quarter

LAST SCHOOL

Gisborne Boys' High

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Kaierau

PROVINCE

Wanganui

RUGBY NICKNAME

Sammy

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Tuesday, 31 May 1949
v Western Province Universities at Cape Town
aged 23 years, 43 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 16 July 1949
v South Africa at Cape Town
aged 23 years, 89 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 29 July 1950
v British & Irish Lions at Auckland
aged 24 years, 102 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

7 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

12 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

19 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

6pts (2t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

18pts (6t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

24pts (8t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

488

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1949

 31 May vs Western Province Universities at Cape Town 11-9  

 11 Jun vs Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth 6-3  

 15 Jun vs Border at East London 0-9  

 22 Jun vs Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom 19-3  

 29 Jun vs Orange Free State at Kroonstad 9-9  

 2 Jul vs Eastern Transvaal at Springs 5-6  

 9 Jul vs Western Province at Cape Town 6-3  

 16 Jul vs South Africa at Cape Town 11-15  

 27 Jul vs Rhodesia at Bulawayo 8-10  

 30 Jul vs Rhodesia at Salisbury 3-3  

 13 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 6-12  

 20 Aug vs Griqualand West at Kimberley 8-6  

 24 Aug vs North-Eastern Districts at Aliwal North 28-3  

 3 Sep vs South Africa at Durban 3-9  

 10 Sep vs Border at East London 6-6  

 17 Sep vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth 8-11  

1950

 10 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 8-0  

 1 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 6-3  

 29 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 11-8  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Western Province Universities, 31 May 1949

1

-

-

-

3

vs Western Transvaal, 22 Jun 1949

2

-

-

-

6

vs South Africa, 16 Jul 1949

1

-

-

-

3

vs Griqualand West, 20 Aug 1949

1

-

-

-

3

vs North-Eastern Districts, 24 Aug 1949

2

-

-

-

6

vs British & Irish Lions, 29 Jul 1950

1

-

-

-

3

Totals

8

0

0

0

24

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

British & Irish Lions

3

3

-

-

1

-

-

-

3

South Africa

4

-

-

4

1

-

-

-

3

Totals

7

3

0

4

2

0

0

0

6