John Spencer

Education

Spencer attended Mountain Cook School in Wellington.

Career

Spencer was only 17 when he first represented Wellington in 1898 and remains one of the youngest to ever have played for the union. Spencer played for Wellington against the 1903 New Zealand team before joining it for the tour of Australia. However Spencer injured himself aboard the ship and played in only two tour matches.

Spencer missed most of the 1904 season as a result but returned in 1905 to play for Wellington against the departing Originals side.

In 1909 he toured Australia with the New Zealand rugby league side. He played in all three test matches.

The Spencers are the only brothers to have been both All Blacks and Kiwis. He played in Wellington"s 1913 victory over Auckland.

Spencer returned to rugby union in later years and became a club coach for Berhampore in Wellington.

Achievements

• He then captained a combined Wellington-Wairarapa-Horowhenua selection to a 23–7 win over the touring Australian side and was made captain of the New Zealand side which played an official test against the tourists, despite the absence of the Originals squad. In the first Test match he became the first New Zealander to win a test cap as a replacement when he came of the bench to replace an injured John Colman.