death_date ru_nationalcaps birth_date ru_provinceyears ru_nationalyears allblackno ru_nationalteam ru_province death_place ru_nationalpoints ru_position other name school occupation allblackid birth_place height relatives weight article_title birth_name
31 december 1907 0 16 september 1862 1881 -- 84 1887 -- 89 1884 13 new zealand national rugby union team new zealand otago hawke 's bay otago harbour , new zealand -lrb- 0 -rrb- half-back yes jack taiaroa otago boys ' high school lawyer 867 otakou , new zealand 1.78 m ftin 0 on hori -lrb- mother -rrb- te matenga taiaroa -lrb- grandfather -rrb- dick kerei taiaroa -lrb- brother -rrb- thomas ellison -lrb- cousin -rrb- taiaroa -lrb- father -rrb- tini kerei taiaroa 82 kg lb on john taiaroa
 john grey taiaroa
john taiaroa

john grey `` jack '' taiaroa -lrb- 16 september 1862 -- 31 december 1907 -rrb- , of ngāi tahu descent , was an all black half-back who played nine matches for the team in 1884 -- the warm-up in wellington and all eight matches of the tour of new south wales ; new zealand played and won all eight games .
there were no test matches on the tour , as there was not yet an australian national team , and would not be until 1903 .
born in otakou , the son of hori kerei taiaroa , a new zealand member of parliament , taiaroa played school-boy rugby for otago boys ' high school and then for the otago provincial side .
he went on to set a national record in the long jump and represent hawke 's bay in cricket during the 1890s .
in 1886 taiaroa hit the headlines after signing his father 's name on a promissory note .
despite a warrant being issued for his arrest , it was not served and the charges were later dropped .
he spent most of his working life as a lawyer in hastings .
he was accidentally drowned in otago harbour on 31 december 1907 and his body was recovered at karitane beach two weeks later .
