I'm a Hawkeye Guy
There's Something About a Magpie
17th defence;
KING COUNTRY
McLean Park, Napier. Saturday, August 9th, 1969
HAWKES BAY 19, KING COUNTRY 16 (Half-time 9-6)
For Hawkes Bay: Mick Duncan T, Bill Davis T, Ian MacRae T, Hepa Paewai T. Ian Bishop 2C. John Dougan DG
For King Country: John Wereta T, Ian Ingham T, George Peake T, Dave Koni T. Maurish Rush 2C
Hawkes Bay: Ian Bishop, Bill Davis, Ian MacRae, Mick Duncan, John Dougan, Blair Furlong, Hepa Paewai, Gary Condon, Kel Tremain, Karaan Crawford, Rod Abel, John Rumball, Neil Thimbleby, Gus Meech, Hilton Meech.
King Country: John Wereta (Otorohanga), Dave Koni (Taumarunui Athletic), Bill McKay (Taumarunui Athletic), Peter Slykerman (Taumarunui Athletic), Alan Kiely (Waitete), Ian Ingham (Kio Kio United), Barry Cull (Taumarunui Athletic), Maurice Rush (Ohakune), George Peake (Kio Kio United), Colin Meads (Waitete) captain, Bill Symonds (Waitete), Tony Marriner (Taumarunui Athletic), Graham Whiting (Taumarunui Athletic), Tom Spry (Karioi), Gordon Hill (Bush United).
Colin Earl Meads (1936-2017)
New Zealand 133 (55 tests)
King Country 138 - 1955-1973
In 1969 – and indeed now over 50 years later – one cannot mention rugby and the King Country without putting the name Colin Meads in the same sentence. For Colin Earl Meads is not only the greatest ever All Black, whose deeds have only become greater in legend as time passes them into iconic folklore, he is considered by most to be the individual epitome of New Zealand rugby, certainly of the 1960’s.
And the towering giant from Te Kuiti came from an era in New Zealand rugby in turn epitomized by farmers, an occupation privy to turning out physically fit and hard men, by nature of their everyday existence working the rugged and uncompromising hills of the country back blocks.
50% of the King Country forward pack were just such hardened farmers, plus in their ranks two bushmen, a logging contractor and an engineer. Their iconic leader had been limited to only a few festive or charity matches in the Bay previously, as amazingly the two unions had little contact between them and Magpie supporters were relishing the opportunity to see Colin Meads take the field as ‘the King’ of King Country.
Meads had first represented the union in 1955, the same year he represented the New Zealand Colts and by 1957 had begun an International career that most would be consummately envious of. By the end of the 1968 season he had amassed 288 first class appearances of which more than 100 and almost 50 tests had been for his country.
He had toured the United Kingdom twice, played in two home series against the British Lions, once to South Africa and one series in New Zealand, played two series against the French at home and played against Australia on numerous occasions on both sides of the Tasman. He was a perennial All Black trialist and had played a dozen times for the North Island.
He had spent most of his career in winning sides at international level and his deeds in black were too numerous to mention, but one of his personally acknowledged highlights was captaining the combined unions of Wanganui-King Country to a 12-6 victory over the 1966 British Lions. George Peak, Maurice Rush and Ian Ingham, who would front up against Hawkes Bay three seasons later, also played in this match.
Ingham banged over a dropped goal that day (as he had the previous year against the Springboks and again in 1968 against the French). An All Black trialist on several occasions, he had played over 100 games for King Country and was generally regarded as one of the unluckiest five-eighths around to have not gained higher honours.
At 31, he was still an outstanding back, as astute and as clever a tactician as he’d ever been. The vice-captain of the side was most adept at directing back play, was a great tactical kicker but if on, would always look for an attacking option first.
Inside him was Barry Alfred Cull, born in Birmingham, England in 1938 and upon his family’s arrival in New Zealand was educated at Taumarunui Primary School and Taumarunui High School, where he spent the 1955-56-57 seasons in the 1st XV, making his senior rugby debut for Taumarunui Athletic in the last year as listed. In 1959 he transferred to Wellington and joined the Athletic club, which contained All Blacks in Nev MacEwan and Russell Watt.
He caught the selectors notice at once and was brought into a ‘Wellington XV’ which hammered Marlborough in Blenheim, Queens Birthday weekend, by 44-0. The tremendous length of his passing and his clever, jinky runs were enough to warrant bringing him into the full ‘A’ side and as such, he debuted on Athletic Park in a 10-5 win over rivals Auckland.
Barry Cull playing for the Athletic club in Wellington, against Taita in 1959. Support comes from my father, Alex McRae, with Maori All Black, Jimmy Taitoko (3) attempting the charge down.
Cull played 14 times for Wellington that season and the Capitals faithful grew used to the sight of him spying a gap and exploding through it, keeping his big forwards on the front foot. In the final match of the season against the Centurions club, marking All Black Roger Urbahn, Cull was certainly the classier of the two scrum halves, earning further commendations for his tidy, swift and lengthy transfers and electrifying breaks up the centre of the field, one which resulted in a splendid solo try.
Already he was being talked about as potentially one of the tour half-backs who should be taken to South Africa in 1960. Unfortunately for him, that was not too be, but he remained the number one half-back in the Capital until the 1964 season, when Brian Coulter was given the nod by selector, Bill Freeman.
Cull returned to the King Country in 1968, making five appearances for the union, but by the 1969 season had established himself as the favoured half-back, although at 31, he was constantly under pressure from the strongly built Malcolm Pevreal (son of former King Country captain, Rhys), who had performed admirably is his limited outings to date.
No. 8, Maurice Rush of the Ohakune club, was the team goal-kicker and had recently contributed 19 (five penalty goals and two conversions) of his teams 25 points scored in a match against the Wairarapa in Masterton. Fast and clever, scoring opportunities contrived through his speed to the loose ball were many. First selected for the King Country in 1962, Rush was nearing 70 games for the province.
Open side flanker, George Peak, had played his 100th match for King Country the weekend before in Raetihi, scoring a try as King Country defeated neighbouring union Wanganui by 20 points to 8. He had played for the combined sides in the win over the Lions and also against the South Africans of 1965 on the Wednesday following the first test, the Boks winning the match by 24 points to 19.
Only Colin Meads and Ian Ingham had represented the union on more occasions than Peak, another farmer from the high country hills near Kio Kio, whose rugged daily life contributed significantly to his supreme fitness, which along with speed were his great assets.
Full-back, John Wereta, was perhaps the most exciting player in the union at at times could be quite brilliant, equally adept at centre or on the wing. In fact, following his debut in 1966, he made eighteen appearances at centre until coming on as a replacement at fullback for Geoff Rumble in a Coronation Shield match against North Auckland early in 1968 in Otorahanga.
The same season he represented Southern Maori in the Prince of Wales match in Palmerston North (at centre) and a fortnight before the shield challenge, played for the same side in Gisborne (at fullback), who earned for themselves a share of the spoils in a 17-17 draw, although they’d have been disappointed at outscoring their opponents by 3 tries to 1, as victories for the Southern outfit were few and far between.
John Wereta had played a sound game at fullback against the French in 1968 in Taumarunui, a match won by the tourists by 23-9, running in five tries to none. Ten days after the shield match, he came on to replace Paul Carney in the second trial for the New Zealand Juniors side to face Tonga in Wellington.
King Country's Ian Ingham kicks ahead, watched by referee, Peter McDavitt and Frenchman Jean Louis Berot - King Country v France, 1968
Showing impressive form as a wing threequarter in 1969 was the well built track sprinter, Paddy Strange. The twenty year old first won a place in the King Country team the season prior, playing in seven matches.
During the summer months he was a star track sprinter for Waikato, winning the 220 yards title at Taumarunui and clipping 0.3 seconds from a 20 year record held by former Empire Games athlete, Clem Parker. Strange himself had reached the 100 yards final in a recent New Zealand track championship.
The highly promising Strange, a North Island secondary schools rep in 1967, began the season with a blaze of tries, scoring five in the first three matches, including three in a 39-6 win over Poverty Bay in Otorohanga, but was then on hampered by injury.
Come the shield challenge, he was bracketed in the programme on the right wing with Peter Slykerman.
After making four appearances in 1967 (three coming on as a replacement), Slykerman had made it back into the squad, having been dropped for the entire 1968 season. Also known as a fast and determined runner from the Taumarunui Athletic, he had recently run in eight tries himself in a single club match, which no doubt helped his cause immensely.
Dave Kohi and Bill McKay – both also from the strong Taumarunui Athletic side and on the back of good club seasons – were debutants at representative level in 1969, but had both played in all six of the King Country’s fixtures prior to their shield challenge. Kohi had impressed in these outings (scoring four in a recent 22-14 victory over Taranaki in Taumarunui) with his speed, determination and low, hard tackling and McKay as a fast, deceptive runner and equally robust in the tackle.
Alan Kiely had played eight matches at first five-eighth for Waikato in 1966 and 1967, his sole appearance the latter year, three days before Waikato’s shield challenge, the Magpies running in seven tries in the 35-9 drubbing. A switch to second five-eighth in 1969 and an outstanding club season with Waitete saw him take that role in the representative lineup and he appeared to have cemented the spot. Kiely had an eye for the gap and was directly responsible for creating many tries for his outsides.
Since the premature retirement of Colin Meads All Black brother, Stan in 1966, Bill Symonds also of the Waitete club, had developed into a first class lock and looked every inch an admirable replacement. Extremely fast for such a big man, Symonds was also regarded as somewhat of a line-out specialist, he and Meads in charge of delivering the backs clean ball.
Two of the front row were bushmen, again an occupation that required outstanding levels of fitness and stamina and this was a noted characteristic in the play of both Tom Spry and Gordon Hill. Both men had made their debuts for King Country in 1965, Spry as a prop, hooker or flanker had played 28 games for the union, but this was only his second appearance of 1969. He hadn’t played since July 12th, when a 25-11 win was registered over the Wairarapa in Masterton.
Gordon Hill had never been able to secure a regular spot in the ‘A’ side, but had crept up to 16 games through six seasons. Some outstanding matches earlier, particularly in the 12-12 draw with Auckland in Te Kuiti had ensured he started in all but one fixture of the current season.
The King Country pack was completed by two exciting newcomers in Tony Marriner & Graham Whiting. The son of former Maori All Black, John Marriner, Tony was in his first season for the King Country. Strongly built, pacy and aggressive, the lively side-ranker had played only one first class match before 1969, that for Southern Maori in 1967 in Wellington, alongside Karaan Crawford, Lou Cooper and his provincial team mate, hooker and captain WR Wordley.
But like Whiting, his club mate from Taumarunui Athletic, Tony Marriner had burst onto the scene and had played in all but one of his unions fixtures thus far in 1969, bagging himself a couple of tries for good measure. But his season was just winding up.
So with Graham Whiting. Born in Wanganui in 1946, who played little rugby in school and was originally a lock in his home town in Taumarunui. Switching to prop and while perhaps a little too big for the position, he soon also made an impact with his size and strength in the King Country representative side.
The meteoric rise of both forwards saw their inclusion in the New Zealand Juniors side which met the touring Tongan's on August 23rd, a nine try, 43-3 rout on a boggy Athletic Park.
Marriner also made the New Zealand Maori side, playing twice against the Tongans; a 26-19 win in Christchurch, the weekend after the shield match, on August 16th and again on September 6th in Auckland, where the tourists turned the tables, winning by 19 to 6.
Tony Marriner (left) and Graham 'Moose' Whiting, 1969
Tony Marriner in action for New Zealand Maori against Tonga in Auckland, Tane Norton in closest support, with Hepa Paewai between them.
The only change to the Magpie line-up from the Manawatu challenge a week prior, was a return to fullback duties for Ian Bishop, meaning that the Bay were fielding probably their best possible starting XV.
The province of King Country was one of the few (smaller) unions in New Zealand who had never held the Ranfurly Shield. Their first challenge had been offered them by Hawkes Bay in 1922, following the Bay themselves lifting the trophy from Wellington a month prior. The powerful Magpie side were far too strong, winning comfortably by 42-8, Bert Grenside scoring three tries.
In 1933 they were beaten 36-0 by Canterbury in the eighth and final challenge of the season. Almost 20 years later, in 1952, they were defeated by Waikato by 18-8 and in 1958, they went down narrowly to Taranaki by 11-15.
Their last challenge had occurred in 1961 during the great Auckland dynasty, going down by 3-17.
Until the days immediately before the challenge, King Country appeared to have slipped in under the radar and weren’t generally regarded as having much chance of lifting the shield. But as the final hours counted themselves down and supporters started to drift south across the border into Magpie territory, none could have predicted what was actually about to unfold.
McLean Park was hard and fast and it was hoped that some grand running rugby would be the order of the day as King Country mounted their first shield challenge since 1961 and the Magpies prepared to defend the trophy for the seventeenth time in it's current tenure. It was warm and sunny, but with a brisk wind from the north gusting across the park, as two giants of the game, Kel Tremain and Colin Meads led their sides out into the cauldron.
The burgeoning reputation of the challenger's, largely ignored by the home supporters, was to the fore quickly and the magpie faithful stunned, when Tony Marriner kicked ahead for Dave Koni to score after just four minutes. But this was only the beginning of the fun and games.
King Country held the lead until mid-way through the first half, when a quick heel (instigated by Tremain) provided Hepa Paewai with an opportunity to set the backs alight and Mick Duncan raced in for the Bay's opening points.
(Right) With Hawkeye watching on in the background, Bill Davis scores the Bay's second try, after Kel Tremain had charged down a clearing kick, extending the Magpies lead to 9-3.
(Left) Playing on the left wing, Mick Duncan races in for the Bay's first try after 21 minutes of the first half, levelling the scores at three apiece.
Four minutes later, Karaan Crawford flung ball from loose play back to Paewai and John Dougan chalked up his third dropped goal in successive shield matches.
With six minutes until the break, Kel Tremain charged down a clearing kick and Bill Davis scored.
Shades of things to come happened right on half-time, when the King Country half-back, Barry Cull, raced wide from a scrum on the Hawkes Bay line and first five-eighth, Ian Ingham, flashed through by the scrum to score. The Bay led by 9-6 at the break and the second half opened with a tremendous burst by the holders.
Hepa Paewai scored a fine try after a brilliant solo run and Ian Bishop's conversion gave Hawkes Bay the two points required to top the table of NZ provinces in points scored in 65 years of Ranfurly Shield rugby.
Ian Bishop's conversion of Hepa Paewai's second half try gave Hawkes Bay a new record of accumulated points in the 65 year history of Ranfurly Shield rugby.
Ten minutes into the spell and Ian MacRae received a reverse pass from Blair Furlong and scored. Bishop again converted and Hawkes Bay had shot out to a commanding 19-6 lead. But if the Bay faithful then decided that the shield was safe, at least for 14 days until the Waikato challenge, they were sadly mistaken and that faith was about to be put to the ultimate test.
Kel Tremain was satisfied with the way things were going and suspected that the Bay may run up something in the vicinity of 40 points. For the first time in the series he and team-mates loosened their approach, assuming that the job was done. Trouble was, Colin Meads had other ideas.
At the same time that Tremain was thinking that he'd got one over his old adversary, the legendary 'Pinetree' had informed his troops to "run everything" and had switched his focus so as to turn the tables on the ups urgent and partially arrogant Magpie outfit.
With his reputable piercing eyes, furrowed brow and fierce determination, Meads inspired an onfield comeback. King Country were by now, making all the play, adding two converted tries (George Peake and John Wereta) to trail the Bay by just three points with six minutes to play. King Country, in scoring four tries, had managed one more than sixteen challengers had before them and although Hawkes Bay held on to win, not since 1934 had a side scored four tries and failed to lift the Ranfurly Shield.
Colin Meads distemper was obvious as his side rallied. At one stage, a touch judge advised referee, John Pring, to count the players. "I think Meads may have eaten one," the touch operator offered.
Neil Thimbleby also remembers an incident, a tete-a-tete he had with the King Country skipper.
"Do that again and you'll be carted off," Meads told Thimbleby, although the latter was not sure if the comment was meant for him.
"Excuse me. Would you be talking to me?"
"I'm talking to some prick about your size and shape," Pinetree retorted.
Ian MacRae runs in the Magpies fourth try, after taking a reverse pass from Blair Furlong. The conversion put the Bay out to a 19-6 lead and the team and all in sundry thought the rest of the match would be a walk in the park.
“I recall attending the King Country challenge in 1969, a time when games were invariably played in mid-afternoon. A student at Victoria University of Wellington, I made a belated decision to hitchhike to Napier to see the game. My girlfriend and I headed out to Paekakariki on the unit and began hitching from there. Almost immediately we struck it lucky. A car stopped and the driver, a friendly Maori gentleman probably in his 40s, informed us he was heading to Napier and, it soon transpired, for the same reason. He was an avid King Country supporter, working for NZ Railways in Wellington. This all seemed too good to be true, a timely and comfortable ride all the way to our destination! We hadn’t gone very far, however, before it became obvious that our driver wasn’t very experienced. Enquiries soon elicited the fact that he didn’t usually drive but had rented a car to go up and see the game. The erratic but not necessarily dangerous driving style certainly got our attention, and thinking of the Manawatu Gorge coming up I at last asked him if he would like me to drive some of the way. There was relief all round when he accepted with alacrity. I settled into the driver’s seat, and we proceeded to Napier, bantering with each other about the likely result. We parted company at the ground, and within a few minutes of the game starting Hawkeye was squawking as the Bay took a seemingly unassailable lead. I started to feel sorry for our companion on the trip up, spending so much of his hard earned cash to attend a game that had quickly turned sour for his team. But, of course, those feelings soon disappeared as King Country staged their fantastic rally in the second half, and the crowd got quieter and quieter as the possibility of losing the shield began to loom. The final outcome, a 19-16 victory for the Bay, was greeted with huge relief. My expectation of getting a ride back to Dannevirke, where we intended to try to get a lift out to my parents’ farm, with family members who would also be attending the game proved ill-founded. So we made our way back to the rental car. Our former companion soon arrived, both elated and disappointed at the outcome of the game. I drove us down to Dannevirke. He got back to Wellington without incident. I know this because I later ran into him one afternoon in the Thistle Inn and we spent a congenial couple of hours reliving the game over a few beers."
Ian McGibbon, 2010
*****
Elvis Presley's In The Ghetto remained in the #1 spot on the NZ Listener charts, for the week beginning August 8th. Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival had jumped one spot, to #2, swapping places with the Beatles The Ballad of John & Yoko.
Other timeless hits in the Top 20 that week included Black Pearl - Sonny Charles, Hair - the Cowsills, My Sentimental Friend - Herman's Hermits, Where's the Playground Suzie? - Glen Campbell, The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel, The Israelites - Desmond Dekker and Oh Happy Day by the Edwin Hawkin Singers.