Bill Hardcastle

Infobox Rugby biography
name=Bill Hardcastle
birthname = William Robert Hardcastle
nickname =
dateofbirth= 30 August, 1874
placeofbirth = Wellington, New Zealand
height=
weight=
ru_position= Flanker
ru_amateurclubs= Petone
Melrose
Glebe RUFC

ru_amateuryears =1895-1897
1897-1898
1899-1908
ru_amupdate =
ru_nationalyears = 1897
1899-1903
ru_nationalteam = flagicon|NZNew Zealand
flagicon|AUS Australia
ru_nationalcaps = 0 Tests
2
ru_nationalpoints = (0)
ru_ntupdate = 31 December, 2007
super14 =
super14caps =
super14points =
super14years =
super14update = 31 December, 2007
ru_province = Wellington
North Island
New South Wales
ru_provinceyears = 1895-1897
1897
1899
ru_provincecaps =
ru_provincepoints =
ru_provinceupdate = 31 December, 2007
ru_sevensnationalyears =
ru_sevensnationalteam =
ru_sevensnationalcomp =
ru_sevensupdate =
ru_coachclubs =
ru_coachyears =
ru_coachupdate =
rl_position = Second rower
sooyears = 1908
sooteam = Queensland
sooteam pre-1980 =yes
soocaps = 2
soopoints = (0)
rl_nationalteam = flagicon|AUS Australia
rl_nationalyears = 1910-1914
rl_nationalcaps = 7
rl_nationalpoints = (3)
rl_ntupdate = 31 December, 2007
rl_amateuryears =
rl_amateurclubs =
rl_amupdate = 31 December, 2007
rl_clubyears = 1908
1909-1910
rl_proclubs = Ipswich

rl_clubcaps =
13
rl_clubpoints =
(18)
rl_clubupdate = 31 December, 2007
other = yes
occupation =
family =
spouse =
children =
relatives =
school = Petone High
university =

Bill Hardcastle (30 August, 1874 - 11 July, 1944) born in Wellington, New Zealand was a pioneer New Zealand and Australian rugby union player and an Australian rugby league player. He represented both countries in union and Australia in league. He was one of the first dual code rugby internationals.

Rugby union career

Hardcastle commenced his club rugby in New Zealand with Petone and represented for Wellington from 1895 to 1897. He joined the Melrose club in 1897 and was selected in a North Island representative side from where he was selected for the All Blacks 1897 tour of Australia he played in seven tour matches but no Tests. He journeyed to Sydney in 1899 on hearing that the visiting British and Irish Lions would be not be travelling any further than Sydney. Australian rugby in those days had no residential rules and once they took the field with a Sydney club, players qualified as Australians for possible national selection.

He played for the Glebe rugby union club in Sydney from where he was chosen for the Wallabies in the fourth test of 1899 against Great Britain. He also played for Australia in 1903 in Sydney against New Zealand in the first official rugby union international between the countries.

Rugby league career

He became an early convert to the fledgling league code and played for the Ipswich club in Queensland. He was selected in the 2nd Test of 1908 against New Zealand. Five former Wallabies had debuted for the Kangaroos in the inaugural Test three weeks earlier, Hardcastle's league Test debut that day with George Watson made them the 6th and 7th Australian dual code internationals. He also played in the 3rd Test a week later.

Hardcastle toured with the pioneer 1908 Kangaroos and played for Australia on six occasions though he did not play in the Tests. On his return from the rour he joined th Glebe Dirty Reds in Sydney where he played the next two seasons before retirement.

WWI

Bill Hardcastle served with the AIF in the First World War. He was a Private in the 3rd Infantry Battalion. He died in Sydney, Australia.

ources

* Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) "The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players", Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
* Andrews, Malcolm (2006) "The ABC of Rugby League" Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
* Fagan, Sean (2005) "Colonial Rugby", RL1908, Sydney
* http://www.colonialrugby.com.au