I'm a Hawkeye Guy
There's Something About a Magpie
CHALLENGE 18: WAIKATO
McLean Park, Napier. Saturday, August 23rd, 1969.
HAWKE'S BAY 27, WAIKATO 13. (Half-time: 11-8)
For Hawke’s Bay: W. L. Davis (4), H. Meech, D. B. Smith (tries); I. R. Bishop (three conversions, penalty goal).
For Waikato: Penalty try (Johnson), M. R. P. Hull (try); N. A. M. Pickrang (two conversions, penalty goal).
Hawke’s Bay: I. R. Bishop; D. B. Smith, W. L. Davis, D. G. Curtis; I. R. MacRae, B. D. M. Furlong; M. A. Thomas; G. A. Condon; J. P. Rumball, K. K. Crawford, R. S. Abel, K. R. Tremain (captain); N. W. Thimbleby, A. Meech, H. Meech.
Waikato: Noel 'Butch' Pickrang (Putaruru Athletic); Pat McGrath (Marist); Andy Johnson (Tokoroa), George Skudder (University), Gary Catley (Taupiri), Hec Schuster (Marist); Kevin Greene (Tech OB); Mike Hull (captain/Tokoroa); Ian Begbie (Taupiri), Martin Gilmer (Hautapu), Jim Barrett (St. Joseph's); Tom Henry (Marist); Gary Bremer (Putaruru Athletic); Joe Wright (Huntly); Brian Forrest (Marist).
Referee: Mr L. O’Keefe (Taranaki). Crowd: 17,385. Net Profit to HBRFU: $4,027.74
On August 16th, between the King Country and Waikato challenges, Hawkes Bay played and defeated Bay of Plenty (a 1968 challenger) by 20-14 in Whakatane. The HBRFU had agreed to playing in the smaller town to give it something of a cash injection, with the Ranfurly Shield holders expected to be a big drawcard. Usually matches between the two unions would be played in Rotorua.
The main rugby ground in the township was suspect to say the least and Colin Le Quesne was instantly concerned about injuries that might occur on the patchy and uneven playing field. The last thing he needed with five more challenges in 1969 was injuries to players.
Hawke's Bay's 20 points were made up of a try to Doug Curtis, a conversion and four penalty goals by Paul Carney and a dropped goal by Blair Furlong. BOP's points were a little more enterprising, running in three tries, one each to Alan McNaughton, Graeme Moore and Alfie James, with Bruce Trask adding a conversion and a penalty.
On the same day, Waikato recorded an 11-3 win over King Country in Hamilton. This was deemed a good warm-up for their shield challenge in seven days time, King Country having caused a raucous during their own challenge the preceding weekend. Gary Catley and John Warren, scored tries for the Mooloo men, with Andy Bell converting one of them. Hec Schuster drop kicked a goal.
New to the Waikato side in 1969 were two players from the Hamilton Marist club in Paddy McGrath and Tom Henry. McGrath had played ten tests for Ireland from 1965, alongside Willie John McBride, Mike Gibson and Ray McLaughlin, great legends of the game. McGrath, from the University College of Cork, was also a member of the Munster team, beaten 6-3 by the touring 1963-64 All Blacks.
Possibly his finest hour in Emerald Green was in a 9-6 win over South Africa in 1965, marking the occasion with a try. He also scored in his last test match, an 11-5 win over the Wallabies in Sydney, as recently as May, 1967. The following year he took up a position at the Waikato Hospital in Hamilton.
Tom Henry was one of several squad members who had moved up after playing prominently for the Waikato Colts.
Another was halfback, Kevin Greene, who looked a potential All Black from a young age. Greene had been singled out as a promising half-back during his time captaining the Hamilton Boys’ High School first XV.
He came more into the national spotlight, leading the inaugural North Island secondary schools team in a curtain raiser to the 1967 jubilee test against Australia, in Wellington.
Returning for a second bite at the log, as it were, backing up from the 2nd challenge of 1967, were the entire front row of Gary Bremer, Brian Forrest and hooker, Joe Wright. Only Andy Johnson from the back division remained.
Martin Gilmer from the Hautapu club had entered the fray in 1968 and was firmly establishing himself as one of the locks by the middle of 1969. But without a doubt, the most important discovery of recent times was the electrifying winger, George Skudder...
The former Te Aute College student (four years in the 1st XV), was plucked from comparative obscurity and thrust into an All Black jersey during the recent second test against the Welsh, when Grahame Thorne pulled out of the team with injury. He capped the achievement by scoring a fine try, showing a display of athleticism that had him instantly earmarked by many for a spot on the proposed South African tour the following season.
Obscurity for most of New Zealand perhaps, but the Hamilton school teacher had already been making waves in Mooloo territory. The speedy winger had excelled during 1968, his first season in senior Rugby, but during the previous winter, he had scored many tries for the Waikato juniors. His 1968 form earned him a call up for Northern Maori in the Prince of Wales match, where he scored three tries and was promoted forthwith, to the New Zealand Maori side to play Manawatu.
Skudder himself, got as big a shock as anyone at his sudden elevation into the test arena. His big break came almost by accident, when he outplayed, before the national selectors, a former All Black winger Michael Knight in Waikato's encounter against Wellington on May 24th, scoring a try in the 15-27 loss.
That was the Mooloo's first hit out for '69 and was followed a week later by a rather surprise 8-6 win over Auckland, in Hamilton, as the Wellington match had been.
DANNY HEARN, the former English international, paralysed after tackling Ian MacRae in an All Black match in Britain in 1967, watched the Waikato challenge as a guest of the HBRU. Pictured are (from left): Hearn’s companion, Andrew Bulmer, the former Hawke’s Bay player and another paraplegic, Tom lngram, Hearn, and the Union’s record keeper, Bill Spain, who was crippled by war injuries.
A cruisey 22-0 win over Thames Valley in Paeroa followed, but a 23-26 loss to Counties was largely unexpected, although the match itself was a terrific spectacle.
Now, with dual internationals on each wing, the Waikato game plan would surely be to win enough ball up front and to shift it wing-ward as soon as possible.
*****
Unusual thus far in the entire two-plus year tenure, but this defence would be played on a cold and wintery August afternoon, on a wet and muddy ground. Two changes were enforced upon Colin Le Qusene, with Mick Duncan and Hepa Paewai (reserve) on duty in Wellington for the New Zealand Juniors.
The opponents were the touring Tongans and they'd never experienced anything like the conditions they faced that day. Athletic Park was an absolute bog, a sea of mud and covered with pools of water. There was some serious consideration given to cancelling the match, such was the state of the ground.
Duly, the Tongan side were thrashed by 43-3, Mick Duncan scoring a try himself from centre and setting up his wingers Dave Palmer from Auckland (3) and Morrie Collins from Otago with tries. The evergreen Doug Curtis came in for Mick Duncan and Aidan Thomas - who hadn't played a shield match since the Wellington challenge in 1967 - came back into the side for Hepa Paewai.
*****
Both teams made exploratory starts, a little cagey about the conditions, but quickly discovered that handling the ball was not going to be as treacherous as first thought. The first 20 minutes was a tentative affair. Ian Bishop opened the scoring with a penalty goal, with a reply soon thereafter by Waikato full-back, Noel 'Butch' Pickrang. 3-3.
There was a warm round of applause for Bishop’s successful goal, because it gave him a total of 146 points in shield Rugby, two more than 1920's hero Bert Grenside, the previous highest Hawke’s Bay shield scorer.
It was Hawke’s Bay who decided it was time to make advances and the side was soon into its stride. The Magpie pack took the bull by the horns and soon enough quality ball was being won for the backs to consider having a dab. With some devastating play, exhibiting grand handling skills in the elements, Ian MacRae and Bill Davis, chopped Waikato to shreds.
Nothing could halt the onslaught of the Hawke’s Bay team, as it shaped up to Waikato, with almost a repeat performance of their staggering 35-9 victory in challenge 2, 1967. In that game, Hawke’s Bay scored seven tries, of which Ian MacRae scored four. This time, it was to be Billy Davis’ turn.
Davis, who was to become the match hero, also had a hand in the first try of the match, when he tackled Andy Johnson before Johnson could gather in the ball on the Hawke’s Bay line. The referee awarded a penalty try to Waikato, the first of the tenure. Pickrang converted, 3-8.
Four minutes later, Davis slashed through a gap, on the end of a reverse pass from Blair Furlong and made amends with a fine try. Then, just before half-time, from a brilliant move in which Davis, Ian Bishop and Dennis Smith brought play to the Waikato line, Smith centre kicked and Hilton Meech was up to gather the ball and score. Bishop converted and Hawkes Bay headed to the changing sheds, ahead by 11-8. But the best was yet to come.
Light showers continued to spasmodically fall throughout the game, but the Magpie forwards were dominating possession in the tight, raced hard and purposefully to the loose ball, engineering unstoppable movements by the backs. It was turning into the Bill Davis benefit match.
MacRae lobbed a high pass which Davis took on his finger tips to score; Davis set up Smith for a try; Davis dummied and sliced through a gap a mile wide for his third try.
Davis scored his fourth on the end of a passing move which included Neil Thimbleby, Gary Condon, John Rumball, Karaan Crawford and Ian MacRae.
Waikato had one brief foray into the holder’s territory and Mike Hull scored a fine try.
It had been a great day for Billy Davis, but an even greater day for the Magpie unit, who hit top form and scored six glorious tries.
Not only was the shield retained – and in grand style – but the holders had overcome difficult playing conditions and shown again that it was a team capable of turning on great rugby, regardless of the circumstances.
A montage illustration put together by staff at Napier's Daily Telegraph newspaper, depicting the four spectacular tries scored by the Hawke’s Bay centre, Bill Davis, during the Waikato challenge. Each action shot shows Davis at the point of scoring.