Reg Gasnier

On the tour, he scored a hat Trick in the 1st Test 22–14 victory against Great Britain at Swinton's Station Road (attendance 35,224).

However the Ashes were retained by the home nation after wins in the remaining Tests at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds (11–10, attendance 30,184) and Central Park (Wigan) (18–12, attendance 26,089).

Reginald William "Reg" Gasnier (12 May 1939 – 11 May 2014) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach.

Reginald William Gasnier was born in the Southern Sydney suburb of Mortdale on 12 May 1939.

At Sutherland Intermediate High School, Gasnier excelled at both rugby and cricket.

He later attended Sydney Technical High School ("Tech") in the St. George area suburb of Bexley.

While at Tech, he became a champion sportsman in both rugby and cricket, achieving junior state representative honours in both sports.

He went on to play rugby league for junior club Renown United.

He was an important member of the dominant Dragons team of the late 1950s/early 1960s that won 11 consecutive premiership victories, of which Gasnier was on the team for six.

He later told in an interview that he never regretted his decision to retire, explaining that he had been playing rugby league virtually non-stop including juniors, junior representative games, the Sydney premiership, interstate games and international tours since the early 1950s, and felt it was about time that he started devoting more time to his family.

Gasnier was selected in the NSW schoolboys side aged 13, to play in a curtain raiser to the 1952 Australia and New Zealand Test.

Gasnier has been described as the ultimate all-round rugby league player.

Teammate Keith Barnes recalled: "He had everything, a body swerve, speed and acceleration. He could stand you up or run around you. There was no better sight in rugby league than when he threw his head back and left them standing."

Dave Bolton, who played against Gasnier in international play remarked: "He was a great player. Along with Eric Ashton the best centre I’ve ever seen. He was very fast and very deceptive. You never knew what he would do next. He'd be running straight and then veer left or right."

Upon Gasnier's retirement then ARL chairman Bill Buckley said, "[In] his day, he was the greatest rugby league player I have ever seen. Gasnier had an amazing change of pace and great anticipation. He was also particularly unselfish. He was without peer."

Gasnier was nicknamed "Puff the Magic Dragon" and the "prince of centres" for his high-quality play.

In 1957, Gasnier, aged 18, focused his attention on rugby league, signing with the local St. George Dragons for the 1958 season.

After only six games in third grade, he was selected for his first grade debut, and after only five first grade games he was selected for New South Wales.

He scored 15 tries in 16 games for his state team.

He played for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967 and represented Australia in a then record 36 Tests and three World Cup games.

By 1959, Gasnier had become an established member of both the New South Wales state side and the Australian international team.

In 1959, Gasnier moved up from reserve to Test team, making his international debut for Australia against New Zealand in the 1st Test of 1959 in Sydney.

He played in all three Tests of that series, and went on to tour Britain with the Kangaroos.

In 1960, he played in World Cup finals as a member of the national team.

He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No. 339.

He was the captain of the national side on eight occasions between 1962 and 1967.

Gasnier was included on the National Rugby League's list of 100 greatest players and the honorary Team of the Century.

He is a member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.

Gasnier became Australia's youngest ever captain in 1962 when he led Australia against England at 23 years and 28 days.

The following season, he toured Europe as a member of the National Team for a second time.

He finished his career with the Dragons in 1967, with 127 tries and 20 goals in 125 appearances and 6 premierships.

Reg Gasnier is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever St. George Dragons players.

In 1967–68, he again toured Europe, this time as coach-captain of the Kangaroos.

His career ended prematurely, at age 28, when he broke his leg during the first test at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds, that saw him sit out the remainder of the English leg.

He returned to the field in France but in a minor game against Les Espoirs in Avignon, he suffered a further break of the leg.

This would ultimately cause him to announce his retirement from playing at the age of just 28.

After retiring from the playing field in 1967, Gasnier was involved in the media side of rugby league, becoming a sports writer and broadcaster.

He finished his international career as Australia's most capped player, with a total of 39 caps (36 Test and 3 World Cup), a record that remained until Mal Meninga broke it in 1992.

Gasnier scored 28 tries for Australia and captained the side on eight occasions.