All Blacks pioneer James Allan to get headstone in Hāwera

Thursday, 26 February 2026

The 1884 New Zealand team went to Australia to play New South Wales in 1884. They wore blue jerseys with gold ferns. James Allan, who would later be designated All Black number 1, is in the middle of the back row.

A team looking for the graves of All Blacks with service records have discovered the final resting place of New Zealand’s first All Black James Allan.

Known as the 'Taieri Giant“, Allan died in 1934 and was buried in an unmarked grave at Hāwera Cemetery.

Allan’s grave site was only recently discovered by members of the New Zealand Remembrance Army (NZRA) scouring cemetery records for a research project to find the graves of All Blacks who served overseas, NZRA founder and former army Major Simon Strombom said.

“Weirdly, the first one that came up was this guy, number one.”

Allan’s grave, which is currently unmarked, will soon have a headstone, thanks to the NZRA.

So, despite Allan not being a war veteran, the NZRA, who clean up veterans’ graves around the country, have decided to do something about it, he said.

“We decided it's not a hard extension of our charity to do this.”

The NZRA have committed to getting Allan a headstone, which would be finished by April 24 to tie in with a game of rugby in New Plymouth that includes several former All Blacks.

James Allan, All Black No 1, played for New Zealand in 1884 back when the team wore blue jerseys.

Strombom said Allan was a pivotal part of New Zealand rugby and it didn’t feel right that his grave did not have a headstone.

“My job is now to organise a headstone. It'll be about $1500. We'll do the right thing and protect that history.”

They’ve asked for donations on Givealittle, he said.

Allan was born in Otago on September 11, 1860 and died in Hāwera in 1934, aged 73.

Strombom didn’t know why Allan moved to Taranaki, but thought he was a civil servant.

New Zealand Rugby Museum director Stephen Berg said Allan would not have been a household name when he played, as All Blacks are today.

“But, he would have been known well enough in rugby circles.”

Allan was just 23 when he played eight games on the 1884 New Zealand rugby tour of New South Wales, scoring three tries.

A profile by rugby writer Lindsay Knight, written for the New Zealand Rugby Musuem, described him as 'hard as nails' and never far away from the ball.

The team was simply called New Zealand back then as the All Blacks nickname didn’t appear until 1905.

Only players from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin were in that first team, Berg said.

The 1884 New Zealand Rugby team were given caps some time in the 1920s, officially making them members of the All Black legacy.

Back then the team’s wool jersey was blue and had a gold fern.

“It was ‘bring your own blue jersey’,” Berg said.

Despite that jersey colour, in the 1920s the 1884 team members were officially recognised as All Blacks and given a cap, he said.

Chris Haden, who runs The Classics, a rugby team made up of former All Blacks, said he saw the post about James Allan on Facebook and wanted to be part of the unveiling of the headstone.

The Classics will play Classic Australia at Stadium Taranaki on Anzac Day, Haden, the son of former All Black the late Andy Haden, said.

“I knew Hāwera is just down the road from New Plymouth where we are going to be. I feel that New Zealand rugby possibly doesn't take as strong a duty of care with past players as they could, and that's what we are about,” he said.

“And it felt like it's the right sort of fit for a project that we could support, particularly given that we will be in New Plymouth on Anzac Day.”