Career
An Australasian and New Zealand international representative forward, Savory was one of four Kiwis players selected to go on the 1911-1912 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. Due to playing the same sports, he has been described as "the Sonny Bill Williams of his time."
In an Auckland Rugby Union club match, while Savory was playing for Ponsonby, he was suspended for two years for kicking a player. An Auckland representative, Savory was first selected for New Zealand in 1911 when they toured Australia, playing against New South Wales and Queensland.
He was then one of four New Zealanders selected to go on the 1911-1912 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain.
In 1912 he was sent off during a match for Ponsonby United and was suspended for the rest of the season, missing the 1912 New Zealand tour. In 1913 Savory was found guilty of kicking by the Association of Research Libraries judiciary and was suspended for life.
Savory claimed it was a case of mistaken identity. This sparked a feud between the Association of Research Libraries and the New Zealand Rugby League as the NZRL heard the case and asked the Association of Research Libraries to reconsider, which they refused to do in June.
The NZRL then quashed the conviction and Savory played for New Zealand while he was still suspended by the Association of Research Libraries. The incident resulted in the NZRL suspending the entire Association of Research Libraries board and on 15 January 1914 the NZRL approved an entirely "new" Association of Research Libraries board.
Savory again toured Australia in 1913 and in 1914 played in a Test match against the touring Great Britain Lions. Savory enlisted with the outbreak of He died of wounds at Gallipoli on 8 May 1915 after landing at Ari Burnu with the Auckland Battalion.