Aub Hodgson

Aubrey John Hodgson (9 March 1912 – 1982) was an Australian rugby union forward and represented the Wallabies 11 times.^[1] Rugby writer Spiro Zavos has written that he was "as good as any contemporary player anywhere in the world" at his peak in the 1930s. The Sydney Morning Herald recorded that he can "fill any position in the forwards and his speed and sure hands make him a useful threequarter".^[2]

Aub Hodgson

Vay Wilson "assists" Hodgson with a neck strengthening exercise
Birth name	Aubrey John Hodgson
Date of birth	9 March 1912
Date of death	1982
School	Newington College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) Manly () Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) NSW Waratahs () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1933-1939 Australia 11

Biography

As with many Australian rugby players prior to World War II, Hodgson grew up in a privileged environment with a family of substantial business interests and attended Newington College (1924-1929).^[3] He was six feet one inch tall and weighed 231 pounds.

In 1931, Hodgson was President of the Cullivel Australian Rules Football Club.^[4]

Hodgson was a member of the Wallabies team who arrived in England on 2 September 1939, one day before the declaration of war against Germany. On arrival, he helped fill sandbags, was received by King George VI and then returned to Australia. He and his brother, Ron, enlisted for wartime service in 1940^[5] and this curtailed his chances of winning further representative caps.

He retired from playing in 1946 and became a first grade coach.^[2]

References

1. Australian Rugby – The Game and the Players (Jack Pollard Syd, 1994) pp 227: Hodgson, Aubrey John (1912–1982)
2. Leaving a mark on the game Retrieved 4 July 2012
3. Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp85
4. "1939 - Cullivel Football Club". The Lockhart Review and Oaklands Advertiser (NSW). 18 April 1939. p. 8. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
5. "Aub Hodgson". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 7 June 1940. p. 13. Retrieved 4 July 2012.