Ted Brimble
Edward Pierrepont Brimble was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand in 1932. He played one test against England. In the process he became the 225th player to represent New Zealand. He also played 5 matches for Auckland from 1932 to 1935 along with four matches for Auckland Māori from 1936 to 1939, and a match for Taranaki XIII in 1936. He played rugby league for the Newton Rangers club in Auckland from 1930 to 1940 and for the Manukau Rovers rugby club from 1928 to 1930. In 1940 he enlisted in the Second World War effort and fought in the Mediterranean. His younger brothers Wilfred Brimble and Walter Brimble also played rugby league for New Zealand.
Early life
Brimble was born on 28 June 1910, in Molteno, Eastern Cape, South Africa. His father was Englishman Harold Pierrepont Brimble and his mother was Depua Mahadna. She was Bantu and worked as a nurse. Harold was originally working as a railways electrician from Bristol and had moved to South Africa as a 17 year old with friends looking for work. While there he enlisted in the British Army and was badly wounded in the Boer War. Jane was his nurse and she nursed him back to health. They were married soon after and had five sons while living in South Africa before leaving apartheid South Africa on 9 March 1912. Their sons and ages when they departed South Africa were John, Cyril, Ted, and twins Walter and Lionel. They originally moved to Australia, but their whites settlement law caused them to move again. They travelled to Sydney before boarding the Makura for Hawaii on 6 May 1912. While living in Honolulu for 2 years they had another son, Wilfred Brimble on 16 November 1913. Both Walter and Wilfred would also go on to represent New Zealand at rugby league.On 21 April 1915, the family departed Honolulu, Hawaii destined for Auckland on board the S.S Niagara. The family travelled in steerage with Harold occupation stated as a salesman, John and Cyril were "students" and Jane a "housewife". The whole family was listed, with ages in brackets as Harold P., John, Cyril, Edward , Lionel, Walter, Jane, and Wilfred. They were all listed as being English as nationality aside from Jane who was listed as "African" and Wilfred whose nationality was American as he had been born in Hawaii. After arriving in Auckland the family settled in Onehunga, a modern-day suburb in central Auckland though at that time was considered more on the southern boundary of urban Auckland. While there a seventh son, Amyas, was born on 4 April 1917. Amyas and Harold both died in the Spanish Flu Epidemic. Harold died on 21 November 1917, aged 37, while Amyas died on 17 May 1920, aged 3.
Playing career
Brimble grew up in the Onehunga area where the Manukau Rugby club was located at that time before it later moved to Māngere. They played most of their matches at present day Waikaraka Park.His older brothers John Pierrepont Mhlabani Brimble and Cyril Brimble were both accomplished rugby and rugby league players themselves and Ted was to follow them into the Manukau Rovers rugby club.
The very first mention of Brimble in the Auckland newspapers of the time was on July 9, 1923. He kicked a penalty goal for the Manukau Cruising Club's sole rugby league team which was playing in the 6th grade B section. Also in the side was Roy Hardgrave who scored 2 tries in the same game, which they won 18-0 over Richmond Rovers. Neither of them were full members of the side and were actually playing for the Manukau club but were on a bye and were most likely 'ringins'. The team ceased to play later in the season. Then on 28 January 1924 he placed third in the 50 Yard Juvenile race at the Basin Reserve in Onehunga at a celebration to mark the one year anniversary of the Manukau Cruising Club. He finished behind Roy Hardgrave who won and would also represent New Zealand at rugby league in the 1920s.
In late July, Brimble was chosen to attend Eden Park along with 39 other boys on 1 August in order to help the selectors chose an Auckland Primary Schools representative side.
Rugby career
Manukau Rovers rugby
In 1925 older brother John was playing for the Manukau Rovers rugby club senior side, with a Brimble listed in the 4th grade team and another in the 5th grade side, most likely Cyril and Ted respectively due to their age difference. That same year John was selected for the Auckland B representative team to play North Waikato in July.In 1927 Ted won a medal for the most improved third grade player award at the club's annual ball at the Orpheum Hall in Onehunga. The senior award went to Cliff Satherley who would later switch to rugby league as well and also play for New Zealand. Walter Brimble won the same award for the seventh grade side. Then in 1928 he was still playing for their 3rd grade side, along with his brother Cyril. John was still in the senior side, with Walter progressing to the 6th grade with other brothers Wilfred and Lionel in the 7th grade A and 7th grade B teams. John was chosen for the Auckland A side to play Bay of Plenty making him the first of all the brothers to play a full senior representative match, with five of them eventually achieving the same feat.
Ted made his first appearance for the Manukau senior side, which played in the B grade, in a match against Tramways on 18 August. They won a “sparkling game of rugby” by 22 points to 0 on their home ground. Their selection was last minute with only six senior players present they filled the remainder of the positions with their 3rd grade intermediate side which Cyril and Ted were part of. The Auckland team was playing the same day which most likely accounted for some of the absences, notably older brother John who was away in the side. The Auckland Star remarked that Cyril “at centre, played a good game, being ably supported by his brother, “Arab” Brimble, who delighted the crowd with his solo play”. “Arab” must have been an early nickname for Ted, perhaps on account of his skin colour.
In 1929 Ted had become a regular in the senior side which was now in the top division, making his first appearance at five eighth in their opening round match against City on 27 April. They won the match 30 to 9 at Onehunga with Brimble kicking a drop goal and John scoring a try. Karl Ifwersen, the former All Black and New Zealand rugby league international was playing for City, now aged 36. Brimble's drop goal came after A. Bryers passed to him and he “side stepped for position, and potted a neat goal”. The following week Manukau beat Marist 8–6 with Brimble dropping another goal midway through the second half to give Manukau the win after they had trailed 6–5. The Sun newspaper said “viewed broadly, it was Satherley's game in the first spell, and T. Brimble's in the second. Brimble was actually Manukau's handiest back. Only 18, he is a five eighth with a wealth of promise”. The Auckland Star commented that “the hero of the match, T. Brimble, first five eight, gave a dashing display for his size, being brilliant on defence and tricky on attack. He fumbled his passes on a few occasions, but made up for this, with a great field goal from an almost impossible position with Marist players all round him. He is very light, but is not afraid to go down on the ball in front of a pack of big forwards”. The following week they played at Eden Park against Ponsonby and lost 29–17. The Sun said “Bryers, Manukau's hard-working and enterprising little half, and the nimble Brimble, were effective inside backs, and Turei and Linden were both honest workers”. The Star said Brimble “showed up in the early stages for strong running, but later he was regularly pocketed, and his failure to send the ball along smartly often lost chances”.
They played Training College again at Eden Park on 18 May and lost 25 to 11. Ted scored two tries in the loss. At one point he was involved in a Manukau attack “which went from one twenty-five to the other. Falwasser, Linden and the Brimble brothers scattered the defence, and Linden was almost over”. His first try came after he supported Falwasser who was tackled two yards from the line and he picked up the ball to score. His second came when he received the ball from a scrum near the line and cut in to score near the posts. He scored again the next week against University in a 9–6 loss at Eden Park, touching down “for a fine try … after some bright passing”. Older brother John scored their other try. In a match with College Rifles a week later at Onehunga which they won it was said that he and Falwasser “were too well watched to be seen to advantage”. They had another win over Technical Old Boys at Onehunga a week later and the Star reported that “Brimble was up to his usual standard as a sound defensive player, being the only Manukau back to tackle his man low”. Then in their next match on 8 June at Onehunga they drew 10–10 with Grammar Old Boys. He gave Manukau the lead in the final quarter after “cutting in and giving Turei a clear run in”. The following week saw John sent off for talking back to the referee in a 6 July loss to Marist and a suspension for a week. There was relatively little mention of Ted over the remainder of the season as Manukau began their Pollard Cup games though the Sun did say that he stood out along with Albon and Satherley in a 22–3 win over North Shore on 3 August. At the club's end of season prize giving it was noted that John had achieved Auckland representative honours while Wilfred and Lionel had been members of the champion sixth grade side.
The 1930 season was to be Ted's last playing rugby union. He began the year playing for Manukau once more but was to only play 6 matches for them from May until early June. On 3 May he went off with an injured ankle in the second half after having been “conspicuous” in the game prior. Earlier in the match he had been involved in attacking play with Jones and after he “carried the ball to Marist's line … he fell heavily against the post”. He had recovered in time to play the next week against City at Onehunga in an 18–0 win. He was “prominent in good runs” along with Thomas. Two weeks later in a loss to Ponsonby at Eden Park the Star remarked that Brimble “was one of the weak links in the Manukau line, and the black rearguard were never really dangerous as a scoring machine”. The next week against Technical Old Boys he “got through a good deal of work” in a 9–6 loss. In his last ever game for Manukau he scored a try in a 17 to 8 win over Grafton.