Biography.guide
Home › People › Rugby union player › John Collins
Portrait of John Collins

John Collins

1939 – 2007

New Zealand rugby union player

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About John Collins

Lived 1939 – 2007 (aged 68). John Collins was a New Zealand rugby union player.

John Law Collins (1 February 1939 — 29 May 2007) was a New Zealand rugby union international.

Raised in Tokomaru Bay, Collins was a second five-eighth and played his rugby with Gisborne Marist. He made his provincial debut for Poverty Bay in 1958 and was later a New Zealand Maori representative.

Collins missed three years of rugby in the early 1960s due to army service in Malaysia and on his return soon came into All Blacks contention. He gained his first cap in the opening 1964 Bledisloe Cup match against the Wallabies at Carisbrook, before a back injury kept him out of the remainder of the series. The following year, Collins was capped a further two times in the home series against the Springboks, at Athletic Park and Eden Park.

Collins was married to Ingrid Collins. The couple had two children;

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
John Law Collins

People in John Collins's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Collins's

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Collins?

New Zealand rugby union player

When was John Collins born?

John Collins was born on 1 February 1939.

When did John Collins die?

John Collins died on 29 May 2007.

What was John Collins's occupation?

John Collins was a rugby union player.

What nationality was John Collins?

John Collins was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Collins

· Wikidata: Q124326898

· DBpedia: John Collins (rugby union, born 1939)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Collins. https://biography.guide/john-collins-rugby-union-player-1939/

MLA: "John Collins." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-collins-rugby-union-player-1939/.

Chicago: "John Collins." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-collins-rugby-union-player-1939/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:22 UTC