I'm a Hawkeye Guy
There's Something About a Magpie
POVERTY BAY
McLean Park, Napier. Saturday, August 3rd, 1968
HAWKES BAY 21, POVERTY BAY 5 (Half-time: 9 - 0)
For Hawkes Bay: Karaan Crawford, Mick Duncan and Tom Johnson tries. Ian Bishop dropped goal and 2 penalty goals. Blair Furlong dropped goal.
For Poverty Bay: John Collins try. Murray Hollis conversion.
Hawkes Bay: Ian Bishop, Doug Curtis, Bill Davis (replaced by Dennis Smith), Mick Duncan, Ian MacRae, Blair Furlong, Hepa Paewai, Tom Johnson, Gary Condon, Rod Abel, Kaaran Crawford, Kel Tremain, Neil Thimbleby, Gus Meech, Hilton Meech.
Poverty Bay: Murray Hollis (Marist BOB), Tom Hindmarsh (Ngatapa), Mike Parkinson (Gisborne HSOB), Pat Ransley (Marist BOB), replaced by Tony Hansen (Gisborne HSOB), John Collins (Marist BOB), Huru ‘Sonny’ Rutene (Rangatira), Tuia Taare (Horouta), Graeme Allen (Marist BOB), Gary Hayes (Ngatapa) captain, Hiki Swann (Gisborne HSOB), Brian McCallion (Marist BOB), Mervyn ‘Buster’ Taylor (Ngatapa), Nui Tibble (Gisborne Maori Club), Grant Allen (Ngatapa), Jim Kouka (Young Maori Party)
Referee: KC (Kevin) Gawn (North Otago) Crowd: 14,249 Net profit to HBRFU: $5,649.28
The cover of the August 14th edition of the Gisborne Photo News and the photo spread on pages 6 and 7.
As with the first two challengers of 1968, Poverty Bay had never held the Ranfurly Shield and had, in fact, only participated in seven challenges in the Unions history. Two of those matches were against the all conquering Hawkes Bay outfit of the 1920’s.
In the first of these matches played in the rain in Hastings in 1923, the Magpies scored five unconverted tries in winning by 15 – 0. In 1924, on an equally heavy ground in Napier, the Bay equalled Auckland’s record victory of margin in an interprovincial game in smashing the aspirations of Poverty Bay by 46 points to 10, running in eleven tries, four to Bert Grenside. Their last challenge had been eight years prior in 1960, when defeated by holders North Auckland, by 24 – 3.
The current Poverty Bay outfit was not given any more hope of lifting the log than Bush or East Coast had been given before them, a shortage of name players or players with any genuine ‘big game’ experience cited as the principal reason for their poor odds.
They did have in their ranks, 1964-65 All Black, John Collins, a couple of other NZ trialists and a smattering of NZ Maori representatives. Collins had made his debut for Poverty Bay in 1958 (he retired at the end of the 1968 season, having played 49 times for the province). In 1959 he received his first All Black trial, but then spent the years 1961-63 in Malaysia with the New Zealand army.
Following a good Prince of Wales Cup match in 1964, he was selected for the NZ Maori team. A strong running, hard tackling midfield back - capable of playing either second five eighths or centre - Collins had an especially fine tour of Fiji, after which he was chosen to represent the North Island.
A solid display in the inter-island match (won 12 – 9 by the North, in Auckland) saw him make the All Blacks for the first test of 1964 against Australia. A back injury ruled him out of the second and third tests but in 1965 another good showing for the North Island won him a second test berth, in the first of the series against the Springboks.
He was dropped for the second and third tests after playing in an All Black team that won by 20-3, scoring five tries to none. Because of injury, he missed playing for the combined Poverty Bay-East Coast side against the Springboks. But he was in the Maori side which met the tourists and won a recall for the fourth test at Eden Park. With Mac Herewini on his inside at first five eighth and Ron Rangi outside him at centre, he was part of an ‘all Maori’ midfield.
Collins had a more rewarding season in 1966, playing for both Poverty Bay-East Coast (scoring a try in the 6-9 loss) and NZ Maori against the British Lions (marking the legendary Irish mid field back, Mike Gibson). In 1967, he received two All Black trials, but in the latter – to pick the side to tour UK, France and North America - he suffered from being in a ‘Probables’ side hammered by 37-0.
Others in the Poverty Bay line-up with more than straight provincial experience were; Graeme Allen (lock, NZ trials, Junior All Blacks), Pat Ransley (wing, NZ trials, NZ Maori – scored the winning try against the 1961 French tourists on McLean Park) and Sonny Rutene (NZ Maori).
Collins, Rutene, Mervyn ‘Buster’ Taylor and Nui Tibble had played for Poverty Bay-East Coast side against the 1966 Lions. Rutene and Tuia Taare (then an East Coast player) played for the combined Unions against the 1959 Lions, a couple of days after the tourists had handed Hawkes Bay a fearful 52-12 hiding in the first match of the New Zealand section of the tour.
Sonny Rutene also played for NZ Maori against the 1959 touring Lions. Pat Ransley, Tuia Taare and Mervyn Taylor had played the tour opener for Poverty Bay-East Coast against the 1965 Springboks.
The biggest crowd of the season thus far turned up at McLean Park for the challenge, but the 14 odd thousand was still well down on the gate attendances from the previous year. The Hawkes Bay Union had been under scrutiny with the New Zealand rugby public and top sports journalists, who figured that the Bay administrators had ‘sorted out all the easy games to defend the shield’ and this was reflected at the turnstiles.
But the way the cards fell, annual fixtures against neighbouring unions that had been going on for decades – chiefly Bush, East Coast and Poverty Bay – were all home matches for Hawkes Bay in 1968. And these unions – like any country wide province from North Auckland to Southland - were entitled to have a crack at the log o’ wood.
*****
On August 3rd, it was Poverty Bay’s turn at wrestling the trophy off of their southern neighbours. The first half passed in a most innocuous fashion, Ian Bishop giving the holders an early lead with a penalty goal. He added a second and Blair Furlong a dropped goal and at the break the Bay led by 9 – 0.
But the half time chatter amongst the crowd was more about just what was going on exactly? For the first thirty minutes, Poverty Bay did not win a single line out (final tally would be 22 – 7 in the Magpies favour) and how the holders had enjoyed around 90 per cent possession and yet had made so little headway. Poverty Bay were no match in the forwards, hooking the ball in scrums only to be pushed off it. By game’s end, Gus Meech had secured no fewer than fourteen tight-heads.
With no ball to play with, Poverty Bay had little choice but to spoil every effort Hawkes Bay made, this in the face of their pre-match press quoted intention to challenge with positive rugby. To this end, Poverty Bay had won the toss and given the Magpies the first use of the breeze, which unfortunately for the challenger, had completely dissipated by the break. The wind hardly even fluttered the flags in the second forty minutes.
Not long after the restart, Karaan Crawford crashed over for a try in the corner, after standing off the line-out in a role reminiscent of the great ex-All Black flanker from North Auckland, Peter Jones. Tom Johnson scored next after a series of attacks on the Poverty Bay line, to extend the lead to 15 - 0.
With ten minutes remaining, Poverty Bay cleared from their own line with a wild speculator, the ball gathered in near the ten yard line by Ian Bishop. The full back took a backward glance over his shoulder, turned and calmly let fly with a drop kick at goal. As the ball sailed between the uprights, he had become only the fifth player in Ranfurly Shield history to have passed 100 points for his province during a tenure.
In 1968, that record belonged to Mike Cormack of Auckland with 177 points. Buddy Henderson (Canterbury, 163), Bert Grenside (Hawkes Bay, 144) and David Trevathan (Otago, 118) the previous quartet to have achieved the milestone.
Four minutes from time Mick Duncan darted over for his fifth try of the shield campaign, completing Hawkes Bay scoring in this game and opening up a lead of 21 – 0. The last word however went to Poverty Bay when John Collins slipped the defensive net and beat Doug Curtis to score near the posts, only the second try the Bay had conceded in the ten previous challenges. Murray Hollis converted.
*****
The win had come at a greater cost for Hawkes Bay, with injuries to key mid field backs, Davis and MacRae. Davis left the field at half time with a reoccurrence of a hamstring injury (to be replaced by Denis Smith). MacRae made it to the end after aggravating an old back injury, but both would miss the third test against France the following Saturday and neither would travel south with the Bay team the following Monday, the Magpies heading away for their annual four yearly, four match tour of the South Island.
*****
Poverty Bay went on to have a meritorious victory over Marlborough in Gisborne on August 27th, by 17 – 15, three days after the southerners had unsuccessfully challenged Hawke Bay for the Ranfurly Shield. Three losses to Bay of Plenty (0-3), an Auckland XV (11-13) and Counties (3-30) completed their season, whereupon in the backs, Murray Hollis, John Collins and Huru Rutene announced their retirements. Likewise, Gary Hayes, Brian McCallion, Nui Tibble and Jim Kouka in the forwards called it quits at the end of 1968.
*****
In other matches played around the country on August 3rd, 1968, Marlborough defeated the West Coast in a Seddon Shield challenge in Blenheim by 14-8. Otago handed Southland a veritable hiding in Invercargill, winning by 24-6, but the biggest victory margin of the day involved two challengers in the ’68 season, with the Bay of Plenty dishing it out to East Coast in Whakatane to the tune of 41-8.
*****
On the same day as the Poverty Bay challenge, the touring French carved out for themselves a gallant 10 – 6 victory over North Auckland on a sodden Okara Park in Whangarei. The startling play by the Frenchman in such adverse conditions ensured one of their finest performances on tour, with two tries in the first half (to Walter Spanghero and Jean-Marie Bonal, both converted by Pierre Villepreux) to a Ken Going penalty.
A storming comeback by North Auckland in the second half, led in the poor conditions by a powerful forward display, kept the tourists searching in the defensive quarters, but they were able to withstand the strong home town challenge and hold on for a deserved victory. The only addition to the half-time score was the addition of a second Ken Going penalty.
On Monday August 5th, the Hawkes Bay rugby team set off for their annual (four yearly) four match tour of the South Island, the sixth such tour since the second world war.
Try scoring in the Poverty Bay match (Top Left) Referee Gawn signals
a try and it's Tom Johnson beneath the pile of bodies. (Top right) A
popular try to Karaan Crawford. (Below right) Mick Duncan chimes in
and (Below left) Ian Bishop converts the try by to bring up his 100
points in Ranfurly Shield rugby.
Photo's published in the Gisborne Photo News (Top left) Graeme Allen kicks ahead. The
clock shows 21 minutes and the challengers trail by 6-0. (Top right) Line-out study; Grant
Allen, Nui Tibble, Graeme Allen, Brian McCallion and Hawkes Bay; Gus Meech, Hilton Meech,
Karaan Crawford, Kel Tremain and Gary Condon
South Island tour, 1968
It was known that a hamstring injury would prevent Bill Davis from making the trip, but Ian MacRae’s decision to stay behind as well was very much a last minute affair. With Dougan, Albert and Armstrong jostling for the position owned by MacRae, the opportunity presented by the injury to Davis, allowed the Fuhrer further experimentation with a move that he knew was going to be right one, bringing Mick Duncan in from the wing to centre. Duncan was the biggest back in the line, weighing more than Ian MacRae even and was a powerful, explosive runner with ball in hand.
Still a tad circumspect Le Quesne, added Ken Darlington of the Taupo club (and ‘B’ team representative) to the travelling party for their southern sojourn. Kel Tremain would only available for the first match against Canterbury, before heading back to All Black duty for the third test against France. This meant a call up as loose forward back up for Phillip Pratt, also a promotion from the ‘B’ team. Pratt had made his senior debut for Taradale in 1966.
The squad and management left Napier on Monday, for Tuesday’s game against Canterbury in Christchurch, which opened the South Island tour. The Canterbury fixture, labeled ‘the battle of the giants’, befitting the status of two of the country’s premiere provincial outfits, was much anticipated by both sets of supporters and was regarded by many as Hawkes Bay’s most important fixture of 1968 – shield or no shield!
The fact that Canterbury had unsuccessfully lodged a case for a ‘special challenge’ of their own, only added fuel to the fire and now the Bay – three days after a defence of their own against Poverty Bay – would have to front up against the red and blacks in the hostile environment that was Lancaster Park, Christchurch. All ears in Hawkes Bay that Tuesday afternoon were glued to the nearest radio available.
The same eight that took the field against Poverty Bay were employed to take on the might of the Canterbury pack, unbeaten so far in 1968; Johnson, Condon, Abel, Crawford, Tremain, Thimbleby and the Meech boys. The Canterbury pack boasted current All Black hard man Alister Hopkinson in the front row with future All Black prop, Kerry Tanner on the other side, who had played for the New Zealand Juniors against the touring British Isles side in 1966.
Ian Kirkpatrick was not available for the match, but Alex Wyllie (who had played for the South Island in 1966 and 1967 and received an early All Black trial in 1967 and again in 1968) and the most charismatic leader, No. 8 Ian Penrose, made up a strong loose forward contingent. Yet another future All Black in Jake Burns of the Marist club, would lock one side of the scrum.
The Cantabs (especially with Davis and MacRae missing) certainly had a distinct edge in the back division. Incumbent New Zealand full-back, Fergie McCormick (the vice-captain) and second five-eighth, Wayne Cottrell (called into the second test side to play France with Bill Davis’ withdrawal) led a back line that included one ex-All Black in first five-eighth, Bruce Watt and two who would go on to wear the silver fern, Lyn Davis at half back and Howard Joseph at centre. Two other All Blacks were injured and not available for the match; Tony Steel and Derek ‘Bluey’ Arnold.
For the Bay, Aidan Thomas was given a run at half back and it was Bruce Albert who got the nod to start at second five-eighth, with John Dougan taking his place on the reserve bench, testament also to his ability to provide cover in most back line positions, whether obvious or not.
“Jackie was a very clever little footballer. Actually, I think his right position was as a winger. I’ve often regretted I never played him on the wing, but we were well served there by Mick Duncan, Dennis Smith and Doug Curtis and the opportunity never presented itself. But Dougan had an individualistic flair which would have been suited to the wing.”
Colin Le Quesne (Shield Fever)
Hawkes Bay established an early lead in the match through a try to Kel Tremain, converted by Ian Bishop who also added a penalty goal. The Magpies then set up a rock-hard defence which Canterbury, despite attack after spirited attack, could not break down. A Fergie McCormick penalty provided their only scoring and few achievements during 1968 caused as much excitement with the good folk of the Bay as their teams 8-3 victory over Canterbury.
Meanwhile, in Hamilton, the French concluded the provincial section of their tour with a 13-8 win over Waikato, in a match described as ‘an unexpurgated stinker’ and one of ‘bad rugby, bad blood, persistent whistle and persistent law-breaking’. Tempers flared and harsh things were done, players from both sides punching relentlessly and putting the boot in at will.
The French forwards were able to get their brilliant backs any amount of ball, but behind the scrum, flanker-come-half back, Jean-Pierre Salut (covering the position because of the broken thumb Marcel Puget received during the second test) ran far too often with ball in hand, instead of feeding his guild edged back division. France overcame a 3-8 half time deficit to win the match, with second half tries to Jean-Paul Baux and Michel Billiere, both converted by winger-turned full back, Jean-Marie Bonal.
Bonal was back on the wing for the third test the following Saturday, as the French completed their New Zealand tour in Auckland’s third test. Calling it ‘common sense’, the tourists made a sweeping nine changes to the lineup defeated in the second test a fortnight earlier, in a last ditch effort to increase its amount of possession and win one of the three matches in the test arena.
With Sid Going (in for the injured Chris Laidlaw) scoring two first half tries, the All Blacks shot out to a 16-0 lead and in essence the match was done and dusted. The French did win their share of ball, especially at line-out time, but were wholly uncommitted around the fringes and this is where the All Blacks were not far short of superb.
The second half was a completely different affair as a French revolution was truly launched and the tourists hit arguably the best form of their entire tour. With Jo Maso in sublime form, the tricolours scored three glorious tries – as only they can – one each to Jean Trillo, Christian Carrere and Jean-Pierre Lux, before finally succumbing 12-19 and with it, the test rubber 0-3.
The Hawkes Bay side had made it as far south as Timaru, where after somewhat of a struggle they eventually were able to overcome the effort of the home side, South Canterbury, winning by 19-12, ironically the same scoreline as the test match in Auckland. The home side was unfortunately without their All Black loosie from the Timaru HSOB club, Tom Lister, but the pack still contained two recent New Zealand trialists in flanker, Ray Vercoe and hooker, Ken Milne.
Paul Carney, Ken Darlington and John Dougan were all given a run in the backs, with Hepa Paewai starting at half back. Phil Pratt made his full Hawkes Bay debut, with Jeff Brownlie, Robbie Stuart and Graham Wiig given run on starts. For only the second time in 1968, Myles Reddy took the field as rake.
Big Karaan Crawford was in dynamic form, spearheading the drive to victory with two tries of his own. An injury he collected along the way meant that he would miss the next match against Otago, which would eventually prove critical. John Dougan, Dennis Smith and Mick Duncan also scored tries for the Bay, with Paul Carney adding two conversions.
Following the South Canterbury match, the team travelled to the tourist resort of Queenstown for some rest and relaxation, before undertaking the journey through breathtaking Central Otago, en route to Dunedin for the third match against Otago, eager to extract revenge for their close but failed shield challenge in Napier the previous season.
The 1968 Otago team were arguably a stronger unit than they had been the previous season and were always a difficult side to overcome on their home ground of Carisbrook, such was the fervor of home support for them and on most occasions, the adverse Dunedin weather. The loss of a player the calibre of Chris Laidlaw (transferred to Canterbury) would affect most provincial outfits, but in Lin Colling (one of three brothers to play for the ‘Dark Blues’ during the 1970’s), they had a most admirable replacement.
A 6-12 loss to France had been the only defeat in their five matches played before the clash with the Ranfurly Shield holders. Wins had been recorded over South Canterbury (24-8), North Otago (26-11) and Mid Canterbury (24-12) at Carisbrook and a 24-6 victory over neighbours Southland in Invercargill. The selectors – Messer’s Watson, Bell and Wilson – were in favour of being consistent in their selections and this helped establish a great team unity.
The side – led by Hugh Morrison of Clinton – included current All Blacks in Earle Kirton and Tony Kreft (called to Australia earlier in the season to cover forward injuries) and a further three who would later wear the New Zealand shirt; Laurie Mains (having displaced Evan Taylor as full back following the loss to France), Duncan Robertson and Colling.
The absence of Tremain and Crawford in the pack proved to be a telling factor, Pratt, Stuart and Brownlie – although all admirable up-and-comers – had only thirteen appearances between them. Including Stuart, the tight five were able to hold their own, but Otago – with the added experience –certainly had an edge in the loose forward department and this set up the platform for their 14-3 win.
Karaan Crawford’s injury ruled him out of the Prince of Wales cup match in Palmerston North, the day after the Otago game and subsequently, an appearance for New Zealand Maori against Manawatu the following day. Hepa Paewai played for Southern Maori, beaten 45-14 by their northern counterparts and was therefore unavailable for Hawkes Bay’s match with Otago (and also the match against Southland which followed on the Saturday). He was a reserve for the Maori against Manawatu, with Sid Going gaining the half back berth.
Aidan Thomas started at half back and Bruce Albert was given a run on the wing, with Dennis Smith rested. For the first time, a new combination was tried in the five eighths, with Blair Furlong at first and John Dougan at second. Although the team was soundly beaten, the grouping had shown a glimpse or two of promise, so much so that Colin Le Quesne paired the couple again for the match against Southland three days later.
Otago thoroughly deserved its win, scoring three tries in the process, one each to Dave Edward, Lin Colling and JC Adams. Laurie Mains added a conversion and a penalty. Hawkes Bay’s only points came courtesy of a penalty goal kicked by Ian Bishop. Otago would only be beaten once more in 1968 and then only by three points (6-9) by Canterbury in Christchurch.
On Thursday the team traveled further south to Invercargill for the fourth and final match of its brief tour. Karaan Crawford returned to the pack and after an indifferent display by Gus Meech against Otago, Myles Reddy was given the job as hooker for the day.
Southland – the only side to have beaten the touring Hawkes Bay team in 1964 – was having a dismal time of things in 1968. A two point loss to the French was followed up by a solid 29-11 win over Mid Canterbury, but losses to Otago (6-24) and then North Otago (12-17) were not ideal in preparing to host the Magpies.
They still possessed two recent All Blacks in their ranks in Jack Hazlett of the Drummond club and Ian ‘Spooky’ Smith (Woodlands) and some solid scrummagers and ball winners in Ken McRae, Gerald Dermody and the dynamic young flanker, Bob Barber, but were largely short on experience in the back department which at times was critical to their results.
Hawkes Bay carved out for themselves a solid 24-12 win, scoring six tries to three (for the Bay; Mick Duncan and Denis Smith a brace each, plus Karaan Crawford and Hilton Meech), with Ian Bishop converting three of them. With Crawford fully recovered from injury and back to his marauding best and the new Furlong/Dougan combo raising a few eyebrows and gaining nods of approval, Hawkes Bay were altogether too strong for the Southlanders to deal with.
So, three wins in four matches for the Magpies, scoring 54 points (including 12 tries) and conceding 41 (6 tries), with Crawford, Duncan and Smith leading the way with three each. Top point scorer was Ian Bishop with fourteen.
On the same afternoon, the Bays next opponent, Marlborough (who had a Ranfurly shield challenge back in Napier the following Saturday), were defending the Seddon Shield for the third time in a month, fighting hard for an 11-3 win over Buller in Westport.