page_title: List of international rugby union players killed in World War I
hierarchical_section_title: List of international rugby union players killed in World War I
caption_attribution_description: English: Dave Gallaher, captain of the Original All Blacks during their 1905 tour.
context_page_description: This is a list of international rugby union players who died serving in armed forces during the First World War. Most of these came from the British Commonwealth, but a number of French international rugby players were also killed. A number of major teams, whose nations were belligerents in World War I such as Japan, Canada, Italy, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa had not made their international debuts at this point in time, and the United States team had only been in existence for around two years prior to the war.
  Also, none of the Central Powers had true national rugby squads at this point although there had been rugby clubs in Germany since the late 19th century, and the German Rugby Federation is the oldest national rugby union in continental Europe. However, Germany did put forward a team for rugby union at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Olympic rugby was not seen as particularly prestigious – and it is not known if any of that team were war casualties.
context_section_description: This is a list of international rugby union players who died serving in armed forces during the First World War. Most of these came from the British Commonwealth, but a number of French international rugby players were also killed. A number of major teams, whose nations were belligerents in World War I such as Japan, Canada, Italy, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa had not made their international debuts at this point in time, and the United States team had only been in existence for around two years prior to the war.
  Also, none of the Central Powers had true national rugby squads at this point although there had been rugby clubs in Germany since the late 19th century, and the German Rugby Federation is the oldest national rugby union in continental Europe. However, Germany did put forward a team for rugby union at the 1900 Summer Olympics (although not the 1908 tournament, which involved only two sides) – Olympic rugby was not seen as particularly prestigious – and it is not known if any of that team were war casualties.
  The war took an extremely heavy toll upon rugby at all levels, and this list includes some major figures, such as Dave Gallaher, who led a major All Blacks tour to the British Isles in 1905; David Bedell-Sivright, who is sometimes considered one of the greatest Scottish players of all time; and Ronnie Poulton-Palmer who is similarly honoured by the English; and the Frenchman Jean Bouin, better known as a middle distance runner at the 1908 Olympics as well as the 1912 Games.
  The first rugby international to die in World War I was France and Stade Toulousain scrum-half Alfred Mayssonnié on 6 September 1914.
caption: Dave Gallaher (New Zealand), considered one of the greatest players of rugby at the turn of the 20th century
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