Francis John Pickrang (18 February 1915 – 23 May 1999) was a rugby union and rugby league player. He represented the New Zealand rugby league team in 2 tests against England in 1936. In the process he became the 245th player to represent New Zealand. Pickrang also played rugby union for Waitanguru, Maniapoto, Pinedale, Putaruru, and represented King Country Rugby Football Union. In rugby league he played for the Manukau and Ponsonby United clubs in Auckland, as well as representing Auckland, and the North Island. He later moved to Whangārei where he played for the City club and played one match for Northland. Pickrang enlisted in the New Zealand military and fought in World War 2 as part of the 2nd N.Z. Expeditionary Force.
Early life Francis John Pickrang was born on 18 February 1915. His mother, Wilhelmina Elizabeth Pickrang (nee Dymock) was born in Otago. She married Anselmo Pickering (spelling later became Pickrang) who had been born on the island of Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. Ansell had been shipwrecked onboard the Weathersfield in 1888 off the Wellington Heads. He died on 20 September 1912. They had four children, Horiana Eliza Pickrang (b. 1905), Charles Edward Pickrang (b. 1907), Violet Adelaide Pickrang (b. 1911), and Ansell Fitzgerald Pickrang (b. 1913). Ansell was born on 15 January, less than four months after the death of his father. Violet died aged eight months on 27 August 1912, three weeks before her father's death. Charles was a good rugby player in the Ashburton region, playing for Rakaia and later for Petone in Wellington. The newspapers would often describe him as a “half-caste Zulu”. He largely went by the name ‘Ted’ and after moving to Australia to pursue a boxing career he fought under the name of ‘Sam Kauri’. He also played two games for North Sydney in the New South Wales Rugby League competition.
Frank was born two and a half years after the death of Anselmo and had no father's name recorded on his birth registration. His mother remarried in 1920 to Charles Thomas Pudney.
Playing career Rugby union Waitanguru and Maniapoto It appears that Pickrang moved from Wellington sometime around the start of 1935 and aged 20 began playing senior rugby for the newly formed Waitanguru club in the King Country competition. Their section of the competition was in the Maniapoto sub union. His first match in their black and green jerseys was against Pio Pio on May 12, 1935. His side lost 13-8 and with him being new to the area he was described as “a tigerish Islander in the forwards”. He played in a match with Ōtorohanga on May 19, and then against Old Boys a week later was said to have “again played a splendid game, and was probably the best forward on Rugby Park”. Against Waitere on June 1 Craig “and Pickrang – Waitanguru's second star forward – collared clean around the ankles, and many a Waitere player can vouch how effective this tackling, so seldom seen here, was last Saturday”. He played further matches against Hangatiki, Te Kūiti, and Ōtorohanga and was regularly having his fine play commented on. Before the Maniapoto representative side was picked it was said in the King Country Chronicle that “it will take very strong opposition to oust Pickrang out of a place”. He was duly selected in the second row for the Maniapoto side to play against Ōhura on June 29. In the team was also Len Kawe, the Māori All Black who would also later play with Pickrang at Manukau rugby league club. Maniapoto won 6 to 3 at Te Kūiti. Pickrang was said to have “sent his backs away” early in the second half after breaking away with the ball at his feet. He set his backs away again after taking a kick and at the end of the movement McLeod scored what turned out to be the winning try. J. Craig was said to be their best forward but was well supported by Davis and Pickrang.
He played further matches for Waitanguru against Waitete and Te Kuiti in July before being picked again to play for Maniapoto to play against Waipa. In the side with him was Angus Gault who would also later convert to rugby league and play with Pickrang for New Zealand. Maniapoto won 6-3 with Pickrang and Gault “particularly good in the tight work”. On July 27 he played in the green and white of Maniapoto for the third time, this time against Kawhia. He played in the second row once more in a 25 to 6 win. He played one more match for Waitanguru against Hangatiki on August 3 before he was selected for King Country.
King Country Pickrang was not initially named to play in his representative debut for the King Country match with Waikato but he came in as a replacement. King Country were defeated 20-19 at Rugby Park in Te Kūiti on August 10. He did “good work” along with Kemp, Craig, and Nelson in the forwards but their scrum and line out struggled. A week later on August 17 he was playing for the sub union representative side of Maniapoto again in a Peace Cup match with Matamata on their opponents rain soaked ground. They were defeated on fulltime by Matamata 12-11 who retained the trophy. During the first half Pickrang scored a try when “Evans dribbled on [following a break] and served Pickrang for the latter to score a fine try” after thrusting his way over the line. Pickrang was then chosen to tour with King Country on their short trip to play Thames Valley at Paeroa and Bay of Plenty at Tauranga. King Country defeated Thames Valley 22 to 16 “after a bright, open game”. They played Bay of Plenty on August 29 at the Tauranga Domain and won 22-17 with “Kemp, Pickrang and Bradshaw … conspicuous in the forwards”.
Just 2 days later Pickrang was busy for Waitanguru in a match against Te Kuiti. He scored four tries in a 25 to 15 win. The first came after Craig made an opening and he took a pass to score between the posts. The second after he broke “from the side of the pack” and ran over. The third occurred after “following through”, and the fourth when he ran in support of Phillips who had broken through and took a pass from him. He was then selected to play for King Country again against Taranaki Colts on September 7. Taranaki won the match, played at the Taumarunui Domain before a crowd of 1000 by 13 points to 8 with Pickrang in the second row. Pickrang's final game of the season came on September 28 for King Country against the Hawkes Bay Colts. The match was played at the Ohakune Domain and saw the Hawke's Bay Colts side run out 20-12 winners. King Country played poorly and it was said “the King Country forwards were not much better than a club team. Nelson and Pickrang were the pick of them”.
Rugby league Move to Manukau rugby league club in Auckland At some point following the end of the 1935 season Pickrang moved to Auckland to play for Manukau in the Auckland Rugby League competition. Manukau had been granted senior grade status for the first time in many years and recruited a large number of rugby representatives from around the country including Pickrang. He made his debut on May 2, 1936, for Manukau against Devonport United (North Shore Albions) on the Carlaw Park number 2 field. Manukau were outclassed 27 to 2 though with so many players new to rugby league it was generally thought that they showed positive signs. The Auckland Star said “Pickrang (14st. 8lbs) is a most rugged sort” and along with Angus Gault was “splendid”. His second match of rugby league was against Richmond Rovers and saw Manukau with a 14-8 upset win over the reigning champions. It was said that “[Len] Kawe and Pickrang stood out in the forwards, the latter playing an inspired game”. He scored a try in the win after snapping “up in the loose to score a fine try” and was “easily the best forward on the ground”. The New Zealand Herald wrote: “the outstanding forward was Pickering (sic), a solidly built Māori, whose following up and fine tackling were a feature of the game. Pickering handles well and showed excellent control of the ball in dribbling rushes”. The King Country Chronicle had noticed that Pickrang had moved to Auckland and joined the league code. They quoted from the Herald's report and said “Pickrang has evidently Anglicised his name for Auckland's benefit, but the photograph soon dispels any doubt that it is indeed the smiling “Pick” known to Maniapoto who is so specially mentioned”. The following week he scored again in a 24–18 loss to Ponsonby United. Then in their round 4 win over City Rovers 22-20 he was said to be “good in the rucking”. Against Mount Albert the Auckland Star said “of the forwards Pickrang was outstanding, and was probably the best ruckman on the ground. He lent any amount of weight in the pack and was always chasing the ball”. There was doubt that he would be able to play in the next match with Marist Old Boys but he arrived just as an emergency player was about to take the field. Manukau won easily by 39 points to 18.
Auckland Māori and Auckland selection His form had impressed the selectors enough to be chosen in early June to train with the Auckland Māori side in preparation for their game with Auckland on Kings Birthday later in the month. Against Newton Rangers on June 13 he was said to once again be “the best forward on the ground”, and he scored a try after he combined with Len Kawe and Proctor to help secure a 15–14 victory. And again against Devonport United on June 20 Pickrang “stood out as the best forward on the ground, his all-round play being one of the features of the game”. He was then named in the starting side to make his rugby league representative debut against Auckland in the second row. The Auckland Māori team won 30 points to 21. Pickrang stood out in the forwards along with Steve Watene, Kawe, and Minnix. Pickrang scored early in the match after gathering the ball from a loose scrum and scoring near the posts to narrow the score to 8-5 after Auckland led early. Following the Round 9 loss to Richmond 27-11 Pickrang was selected to train in an Auckland squad to prepare for the English team which was touring later in the season. His weight was listed in the selection list as being 13 stone 12 pounds. He then played in another match for Manukau against Ponsonby which was won 14-12.
North Island selection Pickrang was then named by selector, Bert Avery, in the North Island side to play against the South Island in their annual inter-island fixture. He was chosen to play in the front row at prop alongside Jack Satherley of the Richmond club at hooker and Joe Coutts (Wellington) in the other prop position. The match was played at Carlaw Park before a crowd of 15,000 with the North Island winning 21 to 16. The Auckland Star stated that “Pickrang and Coutts were the best of the North pack”. While the New Zealand Herald singled out Pickrang and Harold Tetley as the best forwards. At one point in the second half he broke away and after a “passing bout” Lou Brown scored to make the score 19 to 8. The Herald wrote a short piece on Pickrang which said “the outstanding forward for the North Island was Pickrang. He was with the play all the time, tackled splendidly, and proved a great asset to the side in going down and checking the strong rushes of the opposing pack”. They also named him in what they thought the New Zealand side to play England might be.