Tom Cross

Tom "Angry" William Cross was a New Zealand rugby footballer who represented New Zealand in both rugby union and rugby league.

Cross worked as a labourer and while in Petone worked at the Gear Meat Works.

Cross was originally from Dunedin and played rugby union for the Kaikorai Club in 1896. Cross was considered a very large man for the times and he represented Otago from 1898 to 1900. He then joined the Linwood club in Christchurch and represented Canterbury from 1901 to 1902, gaining South Island selection in 1902. By 1903 he had moved to Wellington and played for both the Poneke and Petone Rugby Clubs. He again earned provincial selection, playing for Wellington. When in Wellington he played for the North Island, being one of the first players to have represented both Islands. He ended his rugby union career on a sour note, being sent off for foul play in a club match and subsequently suspended for the rest of the season.

Cross made his All Blacks debut in 1901 and won selection again in 1904, 1905 and 1906. At the time he was regarded as one of the "hard men" of New Zealand rugby.

Being an excellent support player despite his large size made him an automatic selection for the professional All Blacks in their 1907–08 tour of Great Britain and Australia. He was one of six players from the Petone Rugby Club selected. While on tour Cross played in all eight test matches and, along with Wright, Johnston and Pearce, made up the core of the forward pack during the tour. He was sent off in the third test match against the Northern Union but scored a try in the second test against Australia.

On his return to New Zealand, Cross represented Wellington in provincial matches against Auckland and Taranaki. On 9 October 1909 he was part of the Wellington side that defeated Auckland, in Auckland, 22-19. This was the first of only five victories for Wellington over Auckland in over 100 years. Cross retired after the 1909 season.

Like five other members of the touring party Cross is buried at Karori Cemetery.

Cross was named in the Second-row in the Petone Panthers' Team of the Century in 2012.