Peter McDonnell, a pacy wing from Wanganui, played only a brief role in national rugby history. His one game for the country was in 1896 against Queensland at Athletic Park in Wellington and McDonnell only made the national side when an original selection, Canterbury’s Alfred “Tiddly” Wilson, was forced to withdraw with an injury.

New Zealand won the game 9-0 and there is little record of how McDonnell performed against probably the weakest side ever to tour this country. The Queenslanders lost all six of their matches, including a loss to Wellington by 49-7 (14 tries to none).

The only remarkable aspect about Queensland’s one-off unofficial international against New Zealand was the fact that because they were in dispute with the national union at the time Otago refused to allow any of their players, including Jimmy Duncan, to appear for New Zealand.

Other than his sole New Zealand appearance, McDonnell has another claim to fame.

In Wanganui’s 32-0 win over Manawatu in 1896 he scored four tries, the first man to have scored that many in a New Zealand first class game.

McDonnell entered representative rugby with Hawke’s Bay in 1893 and reappeared for the Bay in 1895. In 1894 he played for Wanganui and brought his tally of matches for that union to nine in the 1896-1900 seasons.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

ALL BLACK GAMES THAT MCDONNELL PLAYED

(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

1896

McDonnell played in no test matches for the All Blacks.