George Nepia is regarded as the greatest Māori player to have ever taken the field. He perfected the art of the torpedo kick and the tackle, two facets of the game that he executed to perfection. Nepia, aged only 19, stamped his mark on the world stage as fullback of the 1924 Invincibles. In 1935, Nepia switched to rugby league for the British competition.

In 1950 he captained the Olympian Club against Poverty Bay and set three New Zealand records: with his son George ‘Dedum’, it was the first time a father and son played in the same first class fixture; aged 45 years and 158 days, Nepia became the oldest player to take the field in a first-class fixture; and the match gave Nepia the longest first class rugby career. Nepia died in his sleep in Ruatoria in 1986.