Daniel Gilchrist

Daniel Gilchrist (1882–1964) was a New Zealand rugby footballer who was part of the professional 1907-1908 New Zealand rugby tour of Great Britain.

Early years Daniel Gilchrist was born in 1882 to Margaret Ann Strain Gilchrist and John Henderson Gilchrist. He was the eldest of 6 children with his younger siblings; Matilda (b.1884), Margaret (b.1886), John (b.1887), William (b.1890), and Alexander (b.1892). Gilchrist was a plumber by trade.

Rugby Football thumbGilchrist played rugby union for the Melrose Club senior side in 1904 and represented Wellington consistently from 1904 to 1907. His debut match for Wellington was against Wairarapa on 4 June 1904 and he played in one further match that season against Buller on 13 August. Gilchrist was part of the Wellington squad that won the Ranfurly Shield against Auckland in 1904 on their Northern Tour. He had played in the match 4 days earlier against Hawke's Bay on 2 August but was not in the match day team for the shield challenge. In 1906 he was elected on to the management committee of the Melrose club and again in 1907.

Rugby League Despite being only 23, Gilchrist was selected for the professional All Blacks in their 1907–08 tour of Great Britain and Australia. After his return he applied for reinstatement to rugby under the grounds that he was not a member of any club at the time of his suspension and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the union. The rugby union refused the application. Instead Gilchrist was selected for a 'northern tour' by a Wellington side to play against Auckland in the following weeks.

In 1909 he was selected for the New Zealand tour of Australia but was unable to go.