# William Mackrell

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**William Henry Clifton Mackrell**[2] (20 July 1881 – 15 July 1917) was a New Zealand [rugby footballer](/source/Rugby_football) who represented [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand_national_rugby_league_team) in both [rugby union](/source/Rugby_union) and [rugby league](/source/Rugby_league). He was part of the 1905 [The Original All Blacks](/source/The_Original_All_Blacks) tour and the professional [1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain](/source/1907-1908_New_Zealand_rugby_tour_of_Great_Britain).

## Early years

Mackrell was a printer by trade.[3]

## Rugby football

Mackrell began playing [rugby union](/source/Rugby_union) for the City club. He represented [Auckland](/source/Auckland_representative_rugby_union_team) between 1901 and 1905 and earned North Island selection in 1905. His last first class rugby union match in New Zealand was for Auckland against the [All Blacks](/source/All_Blacks) in 1905 as they prepared for a short tour of Australia.

Mackrell was then selected to be part of [The Original All Blacks](/source/The_Original_All_Blacks) 1905 tour of Great Britain and France but injury hampered his tour and he played in only one test match, against [France](/source/France_national_rugby_union_team) in [Paris](/source/Paris) on New Years Day, 1906. On his return he was replaced in the Auckland side by [Charlie Dunning](/source/Charlie_Dunning).

## Rugby league

Mackrell, along with Newton team mates [Harold Rowe](/source/Harold_Rowe) and [William Trevarthan](/source/William_Trevarthan), was selected for the [professional All Blacks](/source/New_Zealand_national_rugby_league_team) in their [1907-1908 tour of Great Britain and Australia](/source/1907-1908_New_Zealand_rugby_tour_of_Great_Britain). As a result, he received a life ban from the [New Zealand Rugby Union](/source/New_Zealand_Rugby_Union). He played in two test matches on the tour, including the first ever [rugby league](/source/Rugby_league) test match against [Wales](/source/Wales_national_rugby_league_team) on New Years Day, 1908. He played in the [first ever trans-Tasman test](/source/1907%E2%80%9308_New_Zealand_rugby_tour_of_Australia_and_Great_Britain#1908_in_Australia) which was the debut match of the [Australia national rugby league team](/source/Australia_national_rugby_league_team).

When he returned to New Zealand, Mackrell was involved in establishing the [Newton Rangers](/source/Newton_Rangers) rugby league club.[3] He also played in the first ever provincial game of rugby league in New Zealand, helping [Auckland](/source/Auckland_rugby_league_team) defeat [Wellington](/source/Wellington_Rugby_League) 16-14 on 24 August 1908.

In 1911 Mackrell again played for New Zealand in an exhibition match against Auckland.[4] Mackrell received a kick to the head in a 1912 match which forced his retirement and may have also led to his early death.

Mackrell died in Auckland on 15 July 1917 as a result of a paralytic seizure, five days before his 36th birthday and was buried at Waikaraka Cemetery in Onehunga (Area 2, Block N, Plot 085A).[5]

## References

1. ["Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org"](http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/William_Mackrell/summary.html). rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.

1. [MACKRELL, William Henry Clifton 1907 - 08 - Kiwi #14](http://nzleague.co.nz/kiwis/player_profile.php?letter=M&id=14) *nzleague.co.nz*

1. John Haynes *From All Blacks to All Golds: Rugby League's Pioneers*, Christchurch, Ryan and Haynes, 1996. ISBN 0-473-03864-1

1. W.J.Davidson *Rugby League Annual - 1949*, New Zealand Rugby League, 1949

1. ["William Henry Clifton Mackrell"](https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/cemeteries/Pages/RecordDetails.aspx?recordId=6E0663CA81AC09E2BFC477F740E5E5C9). Auckland Council. Retrieved 20 April 2024.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Mackrell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mackrell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mackrell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.