Alonzo Stephen "Lonnie" Spragg (2 October 1879 – 12 February 1904) was a

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player who represented Australia. Spragg, a

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, was born in

Redfern, New South Wales Redfern is an Southern Sydney, inner southern suburb of Sydney located south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Local government in Australia, local government area of the City of Sydney. Strawberry Hills is a locality ...

and claimed four international rugby caps for Australia. He did not start playing rugby until he was seventeen and two years later he made his Test debut was against Great Britain, at Sydney, on 24 June 1899, the inaugural rugby Test match played by an Australian national representative side. Due to funding constraints he was one of only six

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

players (with Charlie Ellis, Hyram Marks, Bob McCowan, Peter Ward & Robert Challoner) selected to make the trip to Brisbane four weeks later for the second Test.Howell p19 Zavos describes Spragg as a "crack three-quarter" and a "brilliant outside back".Zavos p95 He quotes contemporary commentators describing Spragg as "''possessing rare gifts, denoting a special aptitude for the game.....a splendid kick, either place or drop and eager and capable on defence"'' Spragg was also a state representative oarsman, and a cricketer who captained the Norths Brisbane Cricket Club. Spragg died in February 1904 at the age of 25, from appendicitis and peritonitis. A memorial was erected at Toowong Cemetery to his memory. 1899 Australian Team

Published references

* Collection (1995) ''Gordon Bray presents The Spirit of Rugby'', Harper Collins Publishers Sydney * Howell, Max (2005) ''Born to Lead – Wallaby Test Captains'', Celebrity Books, Auckland NZ

Footnotes

External links

Spragg Stephen Alvinzo
– Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search (Note that his middle name is wrong). {{DEFAULTSORT:Spragg, Lonnie Australian rugby union players Australia international rugby union players 1879 births 1904 deaths Burials at Toowong Cemetery Rugby union players from Sydney Rugby union centres New South Wales rugby union team players Queensland rugby union team players