I'm a Hawkeye Guy
There's Something About a Magpie
CHALLENGE 19
W e l l i n g t o n
McLean Park, Napier. Saturday, August 30th, 1969
HAWKES BAY 14, WELLINGTON 6 (Half-time 8-6)
For Hawkes Bay: Ian MacRae, Bill Davis & Hepa Paewai tries. Ian Bishop, conversion and penalty.
For Wellington: Ian Stevens, try. Mattie Blackburn, dropped goal.
Hawkes Bay: Ian Bishop, Mick Duncan, Bill Davis, Dennis Smith, Ian MacRae, Blair Furlong, Hepa Paewai, Gary Condon, John Rumball, Rod Abel, Karaan Crawford, Kel Tremain (capt.), Neil Thimbleby, Gus Meech, Hilton Meech.
Wellington: Gerald Kember (University), Michael Knight (Wellington), Bruce Hill (Onslow), Owen Stephens (Athletic), Mark Sayers (University), Mattie Blackburn (Wellington), Ian Stevens (Petone), Andy Leslie (Petone), Graham Williams (Wellington), Paul Delaney (Onslow), Barry Guy (Petone), Wayne Nicholls (Poneke), Gareth Head (Petone), Pat Abraham (Petone), Ken Gray (Petone/capt.)
Referee: K C Gawn (North Otago)
Crowd: 26,292 (1/22)
Net profit to HB Union: $9,200.00
The most eagerly awaited challenge of the season was the showdown with Wellington on August 30th. The 1967 challenge by the boys from the Capital had been an epic cliffhanger and buoyed on by the thought of a repeat, locals flocked to get their tickets, resulting in the single biggest crowd of the three year tenure.
The tension mounted with more than 5,000 Wellington supporters who had traveled to Hawkes Bay, lending vocal support to wide-spread publicity concerning their chances. For the first time in McLean Park’s history, officials ordered the closure of all gates 15 minutes prior to kick off, following crowd disturbances. This was going to be some battle!
Hawkes Bay and Wellington had fashioned for themselves some considerable Ranfurly shield history, going back to 1905, where holder’s Wellington recorded an 11-3 win. In 1920, the Bay were defeated when challenging at Athletic Park by 5-20, but two years later won the trophy for the first time off the champion Wellington side, beginning what would become the first true dynasty associated with the log.
During that first epic reign, Wellington had challenged on three occasions without success; 1923, 6-10. 1925, 11-20 and the 1926 debacle, 8-58, the Bay running in 13 tries, five of them to Bert Grenside.
From the Wellington side which challenged the Bay in 1967, Gerald Kember, Bruce Hill, Mattie Blackburn, Ian Stevens, Graham Williams, Paul Delaney, Wayne Nicholls and Ken Gray would get another crack in shield defence number 19.
Three players who sat on the reserves bench in ’67 – Owen Stephens, Andy Leslie and Barry Guy – were by 1969, mainstays of the 1st XV, while – somewhat surprisingly - Robert Gray (the right winger in challenge seven and one of the more highly rated and respected emerging centre/three-quarters in New Zealand rugby) was relegated to the reserves.
The nation’s top rugby writers were not the only folk talking Gray up. All Black centre/winger Grahame Thorne described him – in a recent ‘Sports Digest’ article - as possessing ‘all the potential in the world’ and ‘one of the two centres in the country who could tear a team to pieces’.
After a brilliant win the week before against Waikato, Hawkes Bay geared itself for the challenge, the only changes to their team were the inclusion of Mick Duncan and Hepa Paewai, back from duty with the New Zealand Juniors the Saturday prior. Duncan had scored the only try of the ’67 encounter and an epic one at that, flashing down the touch line and diving in the corner ahead of a desperate Graham Williams.
Injured early in the 1967 season and missing the last five challenges, Hepa Paewai was playing his first shield match against Wellington and the game offered both himself and his opposite – Ian Stevens – an opportunity to ‘square off’ as it were, both regarded as future contenders for the most treasured and historically bestowed number 9 All Black shirt.
Like Hawkes Bay, Wellington were unbeaten in their eight inter-provincial matches thus far in 1969 with wins over Wanganui (33-0, Wanganui), Wairarapa (15-8, Masterton), Waikato (27-15, Hamilton – an almost identical result to that which the Bay had posted the weekend before), Manawatu (25-6, Palmerston North, again, a similar score-line to that of the Magpies 22-6 win), Canterbury (12-11, Wellington), Taranaki (20-17, Hawera), Bay of Plenty (18-8, Wellington) and Auckland (17-13, Auckland).
The only blemish to their near perfect record was the 6-14 loss suffered at the hands of the touring Welshmen in June. A parochial crowd of 46,000 had roared their approval when Andy Leslie – following up a centering kick from Robert Gray – plunged across the line for a try to level the scores at 3 apiece. But a second penalty goal from Keith Jarrett, right on half-time, (following a late tackle on Barry John) saw the Welsh go to the break ahead by 6-3.
With the good old northerly wind booming down the field behind them in the second half, Wellington – one thought – should have waltzed to victory. Hawkes Bay folk would have noted, following the television replay that Mattie Blackburn appeared to offer little on attack bar kicking for position or drop kicking for goal. This aspect was certainly not lost on Colin Le Quesne.
Mark Sayers also – one of the more graceful attacking backs in New Zealand rugby – caught the Blackburn disease and between them, they kicked away most of the ball that their forwards had strived so hard to win, most of it straight down the throat of champion full-back, John (JPR) Williams.
Gerald Kember again levelled the scores with a penalty goal, following a ‘numbers in the line-out’ infringement. At 6-9 down until the last couple of minutes, the match remained wide open and if not for the ‘kicking obsession that surpassed belief’, as described by Terry McLean in the NZ Herald, Wellington - by changing their tactics - should have gone on to win.
But it was the Welsh who took the initiative and stole the show. Late tries to Maurice Richards and one of individual brilliance from Ray ‘Chico’ Hopkins took the game from the hosts reach, despite the best efforts from the sideline of Leo the Lion to stir and rally the local support.
Referee, Dave Millar of Otago, blew his whistle for no side with a couple of minutes to play still registering on the ground clock, to end the hostilities that had developed following an all-in forward brawl that had erupted after the restart from the Hopkins try.
Without a doubt, the best Wellington back had been Robert Gray. This fact was not lost post-match on the Welsh coach, Clive Rowlands, nor the former Welsh captain Clem Thomas, in New Zealand as a rugby critic. Both had expressed an opinion that Gray was a gifted, attacking centre and one was reminded of a youthful Ian MacRae, possessing a similar stature, weight and with the same turn of speed.
Terry McLean had further commented in the NZ Herald that Gray ‘had looked genuinely dangerous in one or two runs’, but with opportunities limited by the tactics employed by those inside him, his namesake, captain Ken, ‘should not have tolerated it’. Even the great George Nepia felt Robert Gray worthy of special mention, commenting that he was ‘not well served but aggressively minded’.
But after playing in the victories against Canterbury and Taranaki (where Wellington’s four tries were all scored by the All Black three-quarter discards, Michael Knight (3) and Owen Stephens) Bill Freeman’s experimenting with Robert Gray at centre appeared to be over. After starting the representative season in ‘temporary retirement’, Onslow’s Bruce Hill was back in favour with the selector/coach, presumably with one eye already on the forthcoming shield challenge.
Most rugby aficionados in the capital considered Gray unlucky to have been dropped. It is possible that Freeman viewed him as more of a utility back (and he already had Kember in the side – the best utility in the business) and Bruce Hill – equally gifted as an attacker – as more of a true centre.
Further victories, with Hill back, were recorded over Bay of Plenty and Auckland, the latter being on Eden Park the Saturday before Wellington’s challenge. This would have no doubt put the boys from the capital in a buoyant and confident mood a week out from their ‘big match’ and they trained well during the week leading up to the game.
The Gray change of heart aside, Freeman was known to favour retaining an unchanged line-up whenever possible and his vigorous and experienced pack remained virtually intact throughout the entire 1969 season. Half the pack (Leslie, Delaney, Nicholls and Ken Gray) played in all 16 ‘A’ fixtures. A further three (Guy, Head and Abraham) were to miss only one match, with an early season injury to Graham Williams limiting him to 14 appearances.
The same could be said of the vanguard with Michael Knight (16), Ian Stevens, Owen Stephens, Mark Sayers (15) and Mattie Blackburn (14) all testament to this ‘consistency of selection’ policy. Gerald Kember would have surely joined these ranks if not for his injury during the 30-17 win over Otago in Wellington the week after the unsuccessful shield campaign.
Following the 1967 All Black tour of the United Kingdom and France (in which he scored 42 points in seven matches, playing at full-back or second five-eighth), Kember’s rugby was limited in 1968 to just one appearance (at second five-eighth), that being in a 25-16 victory for New Zealand Universities in Wellington against Japan.
He had begun the 1969 season playing in the five-eighths for his club side, Victoria University and also it appeared in Freeman’s reckoning, the selector trying out young Grant Bracefield at full-back in the first three outings. A prolific scorer at College and in Lower grade rugby, Bracefield had notched over 100 points for the Wellington club in his first season of club rugby.
But by the Manawatu match, five days before the Welsh game, Kember had been re-instated at full-back and while he always performed well in this position, it was feared that his attacking prowess was best employed further in and for that reason, it was hoped it would not be missed.
Despite his shortcomings in the Welsh fixture, Mark ‘Twiggy’ Sayers was the man that Freeman wanted at inside centre, which in itself consigned his club-mate Kember to the No. 15 role. The 1968 North Island and New Zealand Universities representative was born in Wellington on May 1st, 1947, and made his debut for Wellington in a 27-3 victory over the Wairarapa in early 1968. He made 11 appearances for the Lions that year and had missed only the opening match of the current season, that being a 33-0 win against Wanganui.
His form and confidence though – it was fair to say – had ebbed and flowed a little during the current season following a long period of illness which had debilitated him since the previous September and would continue to over the summer of 1968/69. But already at only 22, he was regarded by many contemporaries as a deep thinker, with a constructive and innovative approach toward attack-minded rugby, especially given the new laws which were orientated similarly.
After making 31 appearances for Counties (including the preceding seasons shield challenge), 1968 All Black to Australia, Michael Knight, found himself in Wellington (playing for the Wellington club) and soon drafted into the representative outfit on the wing, opposite a fellow AB discard, Owen Stephens.
The son of a professional Rugby League player, Mortimer or ‘Monty’, Owen George Stephens was born in Paeroa in 1947. He played at first five-eighth for the Tauranga Boys High School 1st XV in 1963, before being successfully converted into a winger. His first taste of the ‘big time’ – as it were – came playing in that position for the Bay of Plenty Juniors against Thames Valley in the curtain-raiser to the Springboks-B.O.P/Counties/Thames Valley match in 1965.
After a grand club season, the Unions selector, Ron Bryers, hauled the impressively built 19 year old into the representative squad for an early season fixture against New Zealand Maori in Rotorua. Stephens impressed and scored a try in the Bay’s 13-5 victory. He made 12 appearances in all that season, dotting down on eight occasions, his ‘exciting prospect’ tag earning him two outings for the New Zealand Juniors, against Marlborough and the touring British Lions.
By the start of the 1967 rugby season, Owen Stephens had joined the Athletic club in Wellington and the ‘strong and elusive player’ made the representative side, playing ten matches. He added a further nine in 1968, but had performed well enough in other opportunities that came his way (scoring tries for the Possibles, North Island and New Zealand Juniors sides) that by August – with constant backline reshuffling due to mounting injuries - he found himself included in the reserves for the second test against the French and then – after more re-jigging – in the third test line-up.
Despite Alex Veysey’s comment in ‘The Sunday Times’; ‘Stephens had a most encouraging first test, one which should see him play more games for New Zealand’, it would be his only appearance for the All Blacks. Veysey added that Stephens and Grahame Thorne at centre ‘brought a taste of excitement when they handled the ball’ as the All Blacks – after shooting out to a 16 nil lead – survived a French second half, three try revival (the best form they had shown all tour) to win the match by 19-12.
Although his Possibles side (a 90% test line-up) won their trial match in Wellington on May 17, to select the New Zealand side to face the touring Welshmen, Stephens personal performance was below par and like Knight – who didn’t get to trial at all – the pair found themselves down the current selectors reckoning order in the wing three-quarter department.
He was still a magnificent athlete, a powerful runner with ball in hand and a great asset to Bill Freeman’s Wellington side. In fact, in the Lions nine outings thus far in 1969, Stephens – the Athletic club’s 15th All Black - had scored six tries and Michael Knight on the other flank, eight, testament to the danger the pair presented out wide.
The scrum and flyhalf pairing of Ian Stevens and Mattie Blackburn were back for their second crack at lifting the log from the Magpies. Stevens had made 19 and Blackburn 17 appearances in the black and gold of Wellington since the final challenge of 1967. Stevens had also participated in the early New Zealand trial of 1968, played for the Junior All Blacks in a thrilling match in Wellington against Japan and took the field to replace Sid Going for the last ten minutes of the Inter-Island match in Christchurch.
Although described in the 1970 Rugby Almanack as ‘a lively and efficient half-back, quick to seize opportunities and an outstanding exponent’, Ian Stevens 1969 appearances were limited to playing for Wellington (following his withdrawal through injury from the NZ Juniors trial). Again, he would be understudy to Sid Going for the North verse South match in Wellington on September 13th.
Mathew Blackburn knocked over his customary dropped goal for Southern Maori in a heavy 14-45 defeat to their Northern counterparts in 1968, in Palmerston North. He repeated the formula a year later in Gisborne, where this time the Southern XV earned themselves a share of the spoils in a 17-17 draw. This was followed up by two appearances for New Zealand Maori; a 9-8 victory over Poverty Bay and a 19-26 loss to Tonga in Christchurch.
A highly promising loose-forward, Andy Leslie – of the powerhouse Petone pack – made his representative debut at the start of the 1967 season, in a 6-8 loss to the Wairarapa in Masterton. His appearances for the Lions were limited to only five matches that season, but following a raft of retirements and player movement, the ‘intelligent and useful No. 8’ became a regular during 1968, notching up 15 matches for the ‘A’ team.
Bill Freeman faced the daunting prospect of having to replace five members of his impressive and vastly experienced pack, one which had toppled both the Lions and the Springboks in recent years. Nev MacEwan, Paul Delaney and Jim Finn had all retired from first-class rugby, with Tom Lister and Terry McCashin returning to their original provinces of South Canterbury and Horowhenua respectively.
As well as all the ‘new blood’ brought in, Freeman had to contend with his All Black forwards, Gray and Williams, being only spasmodically available throughout the season and as a result, Wellington returned a less than favourable 12 wins and eight losses playing record. The side had showed notable improvement however, with consecutive home wins over Waikato (29-12) and Canterbury (16-12) to conclude the season.
With his continuity of selection policy again evident, the new pack were – by season’s end – returning to full effectiveness is most departments. Although out of his natural position as a makeshift lock, Wayne Nicholls led by example with his powerful driving play. Leslie and Gray included, it was their Petone team mates who made up the bulk of the new look pack; Barry Guy (who had first represented Wellington in 1965), the former Onslow prop, Gareth Head and a newcomer at rake, Pat Abraham.
Thus, by the time of the 1969 Wellington challenge, those same forwards had played together on over 20 occasions and had developed a certain cohesion. By persuading Paul Delaney to come out of retirement, dangling the carrot of a shield challenge and a match against Wales, Freeman was able to strengthen further his developing pack and therefore return Nicholls to his natural and more effective position on the side of the scrum.
*****
The Bay side had also prepared well for the toughest challenge they’d faced thus far, in this current season. Blair Furlong and Ian Bishop particularly, had seemingly adapted admirably to the new ‘kick into touch’ laws, which certainly encouraged attack, or to be more exact, counter attack.
Likewise, the enemy had crossed the Magpie line as a result more frequently in 1969, King Country in fact, scoring one more than it had taken 16 previous challengers to post three. But largely, Le Quesne, John Buxton and the senior playing members had done their homework well and defensive lines had been successfully redrawn and implemented accordingly.
Le Quesne had been so concerned over the early season form of Bill Davis that just a fortnight prior he had most seriously pondered dropping him from the starting XV, in an effort to get the All Black to think about his game and his subsequent importance to the whole team structure and ethic. But with Duncan and Paewai absent, the Waikato challenge was hardly the ideal place to blood a newcomer to shield rugby, so Davis played.
His timely return to form – with four sparkling tries – were all good news for the Magpies. They approached the Wellington encounter as a solid unit, in form both as a team and as seasoned individuals.
*****
So, on the day it was too close to call and largely came down to exactly that…on the day. As most of us know, sport is often governed by events that do or don’t happen on the field, on the day and can more so be aligned to the mental state of the group as a whole or even what’s going on in the stars at times.
But on the day, Hawkes Bay played as only a provincial side in New Zealand can and that is, as a bonded unit, just as Colin Le Quesne would no doubt have spent a decade of his life during winter months trying to indoctrinate into the heads of his kindred and have them display exactly that on the park.
Wellington, as only teams from certain major cities in New Zealand can, played largely as a bunch of fanciful individuals, without cohesion but with a conservative game plan, built nervously around spasmodic, failed challenges in recent times (which did include the shortest tenure with the Shield in the trophy’s history, just six days).
The match opened in brilliant sunny weather. It was hot and there was no wind as Gerald Kember kicked off and the game burst into the first of a series of forward exchanges, which characterised the tough, hard play.
Wellington scored after six minutes, when Ian Stevens scuttled round the scrum and sent Michael Knight away downtime right wing. The winger outpaced the cover defence before turning the ball back inside to Stevens, who scored wide out.
Rocked back on their heals but undaunted, Hawkes Bay retaliated and after 15 minutes a dropped goal attempt by Blair Furlong was astray, but followed up by Bill Davis. As Kember waited for the bounce, Davis leapt in the air, snatched the ball and scored. Ian Bishop converted and the Bay led by 5-3.
For much of the first half, Wellington looked a team to match Hawkes Bay and the speed of the loose forwards threatened to become one of the dominating issues of the match. Williams, Leslie and Nicholls were forthright and fast in the open, Williams devastating off the back of the line-out. Mattie Blackburn put over his trademark dropped goal to give the challengers the lead back at 6-5, but it would be for the last time in the match.
The Bay were slowly getting into the game. Just before half-time, a quick throw to the line-out set the Magpie pack on the rampage, with Gary Condon, Neil Thimbleby and Kel Tremain to the fore. The rolling, hand-to-hand attack was magnificent. Wellington were unable to counter the ball control as exhibited and the pack drove on to within metres of the line. A quick heel and Hepa Paewai ducked round the blindside and dived over in the corner.
Ahead by 8-6 at the break, the Hawkes Bay team did not rest on their laurels. Shortly after the resumption of play, moving on the short side from a scrum near the Wellington line, Ian MacRae took a pass and lunged through the tackle of Graham Williams to score.
The unconverted try appeared to take some of the stuffing from the Wellington challenge and they now needed more than a converted try to lift the shield. Although lacking any fluent movement, the tension was high, exertion strenuous and the interest and excitement constantly maintained throughout.
But the boys from the capital just could not make any inroads through the Magpie defence and it was an Ian Bishop penalty which rounded out the scoring, awarded the holders following a line-out infringement. Dangerous on attack, dependable on defence, Hawkes Bay’s superbly drilled effort had won the day, although they had to offer their most genuine defence of the season in doing so.
Wellington’s challenge was a genuine one in every sense and the Bay knew full well in advance that there would be no loose-knit encouragement like the preceding Waikato challenge, when Ian MacRae and Bill Davis were able to pipe their tune so freely. Yet the Magpies had worked with singleness of mind to get into scoring positions and then set itself to score its points. Straight forward rugby, played by a team.
Wellington’s game had bristled with some fast and often brilliant individual movement. Andy Leslie, Kember and Stevens were often prominent, but often support was lacking and opportunities to score points went begging. Had Wellington been able to set up attacking variations through the trio from inside the Bay half, points could well have resulted.
If there were some concerns over the holders performance, it was the occasional tackling lapses, which at times left even the most patriotic supporters aghast. The best at exploiting this mild deficiency was Gerald Kember, who twice ‘cut merry capers’ practically right through the Bay team. Although his brilliant, weaving form past numerous defenders earned him high praise, it was a source of anguish to many home supporters, who were grateful for his selection at full-back and not as an attacking weapon in the midfield.
“Fullback wasn’t my favourite position. I had one opportunity to score, just Ian Bishop to beat, but I ran straight into him. Also my goal-kicking that day was pretty off. My main recollection (in both ’67 & ’69) was not playing attacking football enough, especially the game we drew, where we tried to defend a six point lead.” Gerald Kember, 2003
In fact, the Ranfurly Shield - not being able to wrap their arms around it - had become a nemesis to both coach and captain. Bill Freeman had turned out some truly great Wellington sides in his time that had beaten some of the best international sides in the world. The loss to Hawkes Bay was only the 21st defeat in 87 matches since he took over from Clarrie Gibbons in 1964.
But long strings of provincial victories and international scalps are nothing without Ranfurly Shield success, ask any side from any generation. Norman McKenzie, Vic Cavanagh, Fred Allen and Colin Le Quesne himself, most of the great coaches had found a way to return the prized amulet to their region and for lengthy spells.
The loss in Napier was Freeman’s fourth in six seasons in charge and in those four matches, but a single try was registered, as scored by Ian Stevens in the most recent encounter. In 1970, in the final shield match of the season, a dropped goal by Fergi McCormick for new holders, Canterbury, only a minute before full-time, earned them a 3-3 draw and Freeman and Wellington had failed again.
Bill Freeman was a popular and pleasant personality, a competent coach who wooed the press into faithfully printing his utterances and viewpoint. But for the first time during his reign, following the loss to Hawkes Bay, was under scrutiny and having to take criticism because of his failure to bring the shield back to Wellington.
His very patent loyalty to his players had been a tremendous tool in his building a solid team spirit and bond. Once in the side, a player felt he could be rest assured that he would remain in, at least long enough to have been given a fair and extensive trial. But cynically, folk were now suggesting that it was harder to get out of the Wellington side than to get into it in the first instance.
“This year, some people feel that Bill Freeman has been carrying his laudable attitude just a little too far, to the point where stubbornness in adhering to one’s opinions at all costs, cannot be reconciled with flexibility of thought, adaptability and - if you want it - simply the logical course of action.”
Brian O’Brien (Sports Digest, October 1969)
As the criticism mounted - and it was largely based around the retention of the Blackburn-Sayers combination in the five-eighths (at the expense of Gerald Kember at first and Junior All Black, Bruce Niven, at second and bringing in 17 year old prodigy, Joey Karam at full-back) - Freeman became more and more belligerent over the issue, even suggesting, in disparaging terms, on a televised pre-shield match interview, that critics try picking racehorses instead.
Brian O’Brien further suggested that Freeman was ‘flying in the face of public opinion’, which was that the makings of the best set of attacking inside backs Wellington had available for years were not being selected. Most were also of the opinion that following the loss to Wales, alarm bells should have been ringing and that was the time to have acted following Wellington’s obvious ‘tactical bankruptcy’ on the day.
The same critics were mortified when following the loss to Hawkes Bay, where the remainder of the season hinged on nothing at all, Freeman continued to show his loyalty to Blackburn and Sayers. But in the case of the latter, still recovering from illness and unable to reproduce the outstanding form he’d shown the previous season, that loyalty was justified when Mark Sayers became an All Black in 1972.
*****
Gerald Kember injured his hamstring seven days later in a most remarkable match on Athletic Park between Wellington and Otago and did not play again for the Lions that season. He had himself, through three conversions and three penalties, contributed to Wellington’s four-try half-time lead of 30 points to nil, but when injured was replaced at fullback by 17 year old Joe Karam from the Marist Old Boys club. In losing the match, Otago scored seventeen unanswered second half points.
Kember captained the New Zealand Universities side on an eleven match tour to Hong Kong, Japan and Hawaii in February and March of 1970, playing in eight of the tour matches and top scoring overall with 85 points. Other tourists who had played for their province during the Magpie tenure of 1966-1969 included Mick O’Callaghan, Morrie Collins, Howard Joseph, Alan McLellan, Grahame Thorne, Earle Kirton and Ron De Cleene.
Although he did not participate in the May 23rd trials to select the All Black side to tour South Africa, Kember was duly named in that 30-strong squad as a utility back, principally as a back-up fullback to Canterbury’s Fergi McCormick. Before the tourists departed for the republic, Kember made his 44th and final appearance for his province in a 24-16 victory over the Manawatu on Athletic Park, contributing a try, a penalty and three conversions.
Gerald Kember played in 11 of the 24 tour matches in South Africa, including the fourth test in Johannesburg, which would be his only test match appearance for the All Blacks. He scored 14 of New Zealand’s 17 points through four penalty goals and the conversion of Bryan Williams famous try, where he side-stepped two South Africans in the in-goal area before dotting the ball down between the posts.
In 1971, despite his tender age of only 25, Kember retired from rugby to concentrate on his profession as a lawyer, his sole appearance that year being for his beloved New Zealand Universities in their outing against the touring British Lions on Athletic Park.
Although there were other contenders for South Africa (Grant Batty, Bruce Niven, Andy Leslie, Wayne Nicholls, Ian Stevens and Owen Stephens all given an early trial), Gerald Kember was the only Wellingtonian in the tour party as selected and not a single Capital lad featured in the main trial at all.
Ken Gray would almost certainly have made the tour, but like Kember, he retired from all rugby early (aged only 31) at the end of 1969, citing an objection to apartheid and racism, which he personally, strongly believed to be wrong. Rated the best prop in World rugby during 1969, Gray announced his retirement from all rugby in January of 1970, disillusioned with the Government’s decision to go ahead with the tour in the face of much controversy.
Had he toured with the All Blacks, the outcome of the test series may well have been different. Often regarded as one of the strongest men to ever don an All Black jersey, his immense experience and sheer physical strength was sorely missed on tour. His intelligence, mobility in open play and immeasurable ball winning skill at the front of the line-out would also have been invaluable.
The selectors tried repeatedly to persuade him to change his mind, but his own personal opinions and opposition to the apartheid regime prevented that occurrence and made all other speculation regarding the outcome of the test match equation nothing more than hypothetical. There were, of course, many opposed to his strength of morality regarding sporting contact with South Africa, but no one was going to argue against his rugby playing attributes.
By the end of 1969 he had amassed 133 games for Wellington, 50 for the All Blacks (including 24 test matches) and five for the North Island. The All Blacks lost but twice in the test arena when Gray was on the field, such was his part in wearing down and eventually dominating the physical battle with his opposite, instrumental in paving the way to victory.
Ken Gray was heavily involved in local body politics post his rugby career and was elected a Hutt County Councillor in 1971, becoming a Porirua City Councillor in 1973, when the riding of the County he was the member for, joined Porirua City. At the time of his sudden death from a heart attack in 1992, he had been confirmed as the Labour Party parliamentary candidate for Western Hutt, a seat which he almost certainly would have won.
Owen Stephens made 17 further appearances for Wellington (until the end of the 1970 season) and played for the North Island again that year. His disillusionment at not being selected for the Republic and a business opportunity which arose through his employ as an insurance salesman, took him across the Tasman, where eventually he would join Des Connor and Ted Jessop as the only others to play Rugby Union for both New Zealand and Australia.
He started the 1971 year playing club rugby for St George in Sydney and then – fulfilling a long held desire – trialled for the Rugby League side of the same name. His father Mortimer ‘Monty’ Stephens had played the game professionally during the 1930’s. After beginning his career with Auckland and scoring twice against the 1934 Australians, Monty arrived at St Helens in Northern England the following February as a 21 year old left winger, with a rap as being ‘speedy, with a baffling sidestep’. He would later play for the Rochdale Hornets and Bradford Northern.
Owen had made a great fist of his trial with St. George and would have been signed if not for a $6,000 fee exchange requested by the club, which stifled proceedings and ended in Stephens being suspended from returning to Union for 12 months for simply dabbling with ‘the other code’.
Upon re-instatement in 1973, he returned with vigour, scoring two tries on debut for Sydney against ACT. During 1973 and ’74 – in 12 matches for the club – Stephens scored 13 tries. His form was good enough to warrant a New South Wales call-up and he played for the State against the touring Tongans, again scoring a brace. He continued the pattern by scoring twice on test debut for Australia against the Tongans (a 30-12 win at the SCG), earning his second cap in the boil-over, fairytale 11-16 loss at Ballymore the following Saturday.
Stephens then made the Australian side for a tour of Wales and England in November and December of 1973, playing in the 0-24 loss to Wales in Cardiff. Injury prevented him taking his place in the side beaten 3-20 by England, but in 1974 he played twice against the touring All Blacks to round out his International career. He was recalled to the International side following the first test loss in Sydney and the 16-16 scoreline recorded in the second test was the only blemish to the All Blacks otherwise 100% tour winning ratio.
He retained his spot for the final test back in Sydney, but once again the New Zealanders were back to their dominant and winning ways, Stephens old Wellington team-mate and namesake, Ian, scoring one of the three tries posted in a 16 points to 6 victory.
In 1975, Owen Stephens again switched codes, turning out for the Parramatta Eels and despite scoring a then record of four tries in an NRL match against South Sydney and a stint at Wakefield Trinity, was continually hampered by leg injuries, eventually retiring from the sport in 1977.
Michael Knight played 16 matches for Wellington in 1969, scoring 11 tries (including three in one match against Taranaki). In 1970 his form had waned to the extent that he was unable to make the starting XV from mid-season onward (despite scoring another hat-trick in a 25-22 win over Wairarapa in May), Freeman opting for Owen Stephens and Robert Gray instead. In 1971, business opportunities took Knight to Singapore and he never reappeared on the New Zealand rugby scene.
Bruce Hill made four further appearances for Wellington in 1969, but surrendered his centre spot back to Robert Gray for the last two matches of the season, following a 19-24 loss to Auckland on Athletic Park. He was back for the first match of 1970, a 9-8 victory over the recently returned New Zealand Universities side, but that would be his final outing in Wellington ‘A’ colours, Freeman again preferring Gray or principally two new-comers from the University club in Grant Batty and Gary Weinberg.
Mark Sayers was in England during the 1970 New Zealand winter and did not return until May of 1971. His expectation of playing for his province against the touring British Lions did not come to fruition, but unlike his later representative team-mates, he was spared the mauling that they received at the hands of a near test strength line-up, who simply ran amok on Athletic Park.
The Lions had accounted for Counties-Thames Valley (25-3), Wanganui-King Country (22-9), Waikato (35-14) and New Zealand Maori (23-12) before arriving in the capital where (even following four impressive victories) a belligerent New Zealand public perceived they would endure a tougher time of things against Wellington, perennially regarded as one of the country’s best provincial outfits.
So far it had been the forward pack who had done the business for the tourists. A well organised unit, designed and coached to dominate provincial opposition and meet the mighty All Black forwards head on and at their own game. The backs had shown glimpses of the true class they possessed, but in one of the sweetest ironies of all for a Lions team, it just wasn’t clicking and they had yet to put a complete performance together.
But with the talent they had, it followed that sooner or later they would and it happened against Wellington, in what infamous British rugby correspondent, John Reason, describes as; ‘the greatest display I had ever seen from a British team touring abroad’. They cut Wellington to pieces.
The Lions ran in nine tries, four of them to the 20 year old Welshman on the left wing, John Bevan. There we seven of his kin among them, who had toured in 1969 and three Irishmen from the 1966 Lions tour of five winters before. The manner of victory was a tonic for them and all demons from the past exorcised, as neither of those two aforementioned sides were to win a single test on these shores.
The 47-9 victory, in front of a stunned Athletic Park crowd in excess of 45,000, was the biggest hiding a Wellington representative side had been given since the 1926 Ranfurly Shield debacle on McLean Park, where the Magpies scored no fewer than 13 tries, Bert Grenside helping himself to five.
But the match would become a catalyst for Frank Ryan, the new Wellington coach, stepping into the shoes of the much maligned Bill Freeman, who had been a such a splendid servant as long term coach of the representative side. Ryan’s initial squad as selected had failed to impress in their first four outings before the Lions fixture and the in-coming boss had faced the almighty task in having to virtually completely rebuild his rearguard from scratch.
Against Canterbury, the week following the Lions match, he re-introduced Mark Sayers to the backline (his first match for Wellington since October, 1969) and over the next few seasons, indeed until the early 1980’s by influence, that player became quintessential in re-booting the capital side, taking a leaf from the Lions book and mirroring their attack minded philosophy toward back play.
While astute as a coach, Freeman was often conservative and prudent in his approach. Ryan and Sayers initiative was to implement some of the Lions playing methods, most notably to keep the ball alive with decoys, cut-out passes and whenever possible, to counter attack.
Some of the most exciting backs in the country, namely Sayers himself, Dougan, Stevens, Jimmy Brown, Grant Batty, Joe Karam and later in the decade, Alan Hewson, Stu Wilson and Bernie Fraser all called Athletic Park home during the 1970’s.
The Canterbury match was also lost (with Sayers at centre), the new coach moved him in one spot for the match against Otago on August 29th, six weeks later, where he scored a try in the 25-9 victory on Athletic Park.
Although Wellington lost to Southland two days later, they were unbeaten in their final five matches of 1971, which included impressive wins over some of the country’s best; Hawkes Bay (28-10, Napier), Wairarapa-Bush (52-6, Athletic Park), Taranaki (14-12, Athletic Park), Canterbury (24-17, Christchurch) and Auckland (22-14, Athletic Park). Those outside of Sayers scored 16 tries in those final five matches.
Despite the resurgence of Wellington’s fortunes during the latter half of 1971, not a single member of the representative side had made the All Blacks for the test series against the Lions, nor indeed the North Island XV for their annual clash with southern counterparts. But such was the success of the side - continued into 1972 - that by seasons end, four of the Wellington backline had made the New Zealand side to tour the North America, the United Kingdom and France.
Mark Sayers and Ian Stevens were two of the four, Stevens (plagued by a series of injuries during ’71 & ’72) had (under severe pressure from Dave Henderson at scrum-half) re-invented himself as a first five-eighth and was selected in that position ahead of his provincial team-mate, All Black and ex-Magpie, John Dougan, regarded by most as an almost certainty to tour.
While Stevens was injured, Henderson had proven to be a more than adequate replacement, which left Frank Ryan with a bit of a conundrum. When Dougan was in turn injured the following season, Ryan experimented (on a South Island tour) with Stevens playing at fly-half, outside Henderson, more than successfully as it transpired.
Sayers appeared in only 15 of the 32 tour matches and was not required for any of the international fixtures. If the team had been geared around him rather than he to the team, many exciting developments could have resulted. With the management of Bob Duff (coach) and Ernie Todd (manager) approaching the tour with an overly cautious game-plan, it was a great pity that Sayers and his philosophies were not indoctrinated into the side, especially given the excitement he may have brought to the test arena with Bruce Robertson, Bryan Williams, Grant Batty and Joe Karam outside him.
Mark Sayers trialled for the All Blacks again in 1974, but failed to win a place in the side to tour Ireland and Wales. He did play for Wellington against England in 1973, a match won by the home side by 25 to 16 (after leading 21-3 at half-time) and in a highly entertaining game against Scotland in 1975.
At one point - down by 21-30 - Wellington’s fans were offered a glimmer of hope when Sayers kicked ahead and a flying Grant Batty scored to close the gap to just five points. But Scotland had the last say with a converted try at the end to take the match by 36-25. In all, ‘Twig’ Sayers played 94 times for Wellington ‘A’, moving to South Africa early in the 1976 season.
Ian Stevens played 112 games for Wellington between 1967 and 1976 and appeared 33 times in the All Black jersey, including three test matches. Like Sayers, his first national call-up came on the 1972-73 Northern hemisphere tour, where he played in 14 of the tour matches, making his flawless test debut (at first five-eighth) against Scotland at Edinburgh, guiding the All Blacks to a 14-9 win.
His inclusion was at the expense of his old 1st XV mate from Palmerston North Boys High School, Bob Burgess (forced to withdraw through injury), but Stevens played with such composure that he was retained for the next international against England (9-0 to NZ), but lost his spot back to Burgess for the remaining two tests versus Ireland and France.
Very late in the tour, he was required to play half-back (with both Going (ankle) and Colling (hamstring) injured) in the match against France ‘B’ and turned in another solid, eye-catching display. The speed with which he turned ‘bad ball’ to good account was impressive, as were his sharp reflexes and insatiable appetite for work.
He played twice for New Zealand in 1973, against the Juniors in Dunedin and the NZRFU Presidents XV at Wellington, both matches being lost. If the loss to the Juniors was embarrassing, the one-off test match against England in September (beaten in all three of their provincial matches prior) saw All Black rugby at probably it’s lowest historical ebb, at best it’s darkest hour.
Although he faced some incredibly stiff competition to stay wearing the national shirt, he was included in both All Black tours in 1974, first to Australia as understudy to Bruce Gemmell of Auckland (where he played in the third test in Sydney, scoring a try in the 16-6 win) and then on the Irish Centenary tour to that country and Wales at years end.
Following a 16-16 draw in the second test against Australia, generally accepted as a very poor result for the All Blacks, Stevens was brought into the third test side to add more variation from the base of the scrum. His previous two test caps had both been at fly-half, but returning to what most considered his natural position, his performance was described as; ‘a judicious mixture of orthodox and the running game - the very occasional and thus effective running game. Did sufficiently well and should make the Irish tour later in the year’.
By that stage, Sid Going had returned to favour as the country’s number one half-back and Stevens again had to fight off some sound competitors to stay in the mix, most notably from Gemmell, Lin Colling (also Auckland now and returned from an injury which prevented him being available for Australia) and Canterbury’s much lauded and constantly overlooked, Lin Davis.
An indifferent tour, under at times difficult circumstances, didn’t do ‘Nectar’ any favours and he failed to regain his All Black jersey until Argentina in 1976, in the second touring side that year, made up from those who had failed to win selection for the earlier tour to South Africa. He captained that side in a 51-15 win over Tucuman (scoring a try) and played at half-back in both ‘unofficial’ tests.
Part of the problem in Ireland arose from him under-performing himself, behind a pack that was often in trouble. He did turn in one superlative display however, in the 30-15 win over Ulster in Belfast, regarded as one of the finest individual performances of the tour. Whether he chose to pass, kick or run, his option taking was spot on and he had a hand in three of the four tries registered, scoring the first himself having taken a return pass down the blindside from Bryan Williams.
Early in 1977, Ian Stevens went to South Africa to live (a country he had toured with his Petone club in 1974) and played his days out with the famous Diggers club in Johannesburg. In an identical situation to that of 1972 - with both tour half-backs injured - a 38 year old Stevens, in 1986 - was called in as a reserve half-back for the ‘Cavaliers’ match against Western Transvaal.
Matthew Blackburn began the 1970 season as Bill Freeman’s preferred fly-half, but struggled to hold his position when John Dougan returned to the capital and the Petone club. His 56th and final match for Wellington ‘A’ was in a victory over Auckland on Eden Park (19-12) in September of 1970.
The following year he left for Auckland to join the Ponsonby club, but featured in only the first rep outing of the season, an 11-15 loss to North Auckland in Whangarei, a Coronation Shield fixture.
Matthew Blackburn played for Southern Maori in the Prince of Wales Cup fixture’s 1967-68-69 and made two appearances for NZ Maori in 1969. The first of these was in a 9-8 win over Poverty Bay in Gisborne, where he performed sufficiently well to start against the touring Tongans the following month. Although he scored a try, the match in Christchurch was lost by 19-26 and he surrendered his fly-half spot to North Auckland’s Brian Going for the return fixture in Auckland (also won by Tonga by 19-6).
He retired hurt and was replaced by Blair Furlong in the 1967 ‘POW’ Cup match, won by Northern Maori by 21-14. He was able to put over his customary dropped goal however, in each of the three games he was to feature in, the 1969 encounter resulting in a 17-17 draw, a meritorious result for the Southern XV, forever the bridesmaid in the annual fixture on the rugby calendar.
Andy Leslie made the first of his 144 appearances for the Wellington Lions in 1967, but during that season was unable for the most to impose himself upon the favoured loose forward trio of Wayne Nicholls, Graham Williams and Tom Lister. In his first two outings, Wellington were beaten by both Wairarapa and Manawatu, but he was selected on the blindside flank, a role which most would consider that he was too slight to be totally effective in.
But his next appearance, two and a half months later, came at the expense of Nicholls and in his favoured position of No.8. In the match against Otago on Athletic Park, won by the home side by 17-15, Leslie scored two tries, giving Bill Freeman something to consider with an important Ranfurly Shield challenge but a month away.
With Tom Lister returning to South Canterbury for the 1968 season and Graham Williams away in Australia with the All Blacks during May and June, Leslie was finally able to cement his spot at the back of the pack. In fact, it was the beginning of an unbroken sequence of 96 matches for the Lions which ended on September 29th, 1973, with Wellington defeating Wanganui on Athletic Park by 31-12.
The great irony here was, that his impressive sequence was only broken by his almost jaw-dropping elevation to not only the All Blacks, but as their new captain. Coach ‘JJ’ Stewart had watched the rot set in during his first year in charge and in unprecedented and controversial fashion, when he chose his side to tour Australia in early 1974, he literally cleared out the ranks. He deposed the popular Ian Kirkpatrick as captain an had the sheer audacity to drop Sid Going.
Leslie, 29 at the time and post expecting All Black selection, even by his own reckoning, was one of 15 new caps called up during the clean-out, with six All Blacks who had played in the 10-15 loss to England the previous September, never again to wear the jersey. This fact certainly irked southern rugby fans, with Alex Wyllie of Canterbury and Alan Sutherland deemed more worthy recipients for the ‘hard man’ role at the back of the scrum. But Leslie’s superior pace and intelligent, constructive play was of more value to Stewart’s proposed game plan.
He retained his berth at No. 8 and with it the captaincy of New Zealand until the fourth test against South Africa in 1976. Until that ill-fated series, his record had been outstanding; a series win over Australia and one-off test victories over Ireland (15-6, Dublin), unofficially the Welsh (12-3 in Cardiff), Scotland (24-0, Eden Park) and the Irish again on his home track of Athletic Park (his only test cap there) by 11-3.
Andy Leslie played for and captained the All Blacks in 34 matches in total, 10 of those internationals, scoring just the one try, that during the second test against the Australians in 1974. In 1966, he had played for New Zealand in the Softball World Championship’s in Mexico (the kiwi side finishing in very meritorious third place), giving him the added distinction of being a ‘double All Black’.
Calling on their Scottish ancestry, his son’s Martin and John both played international rugby for Scotland during the late ’90’s/early 00’s, while Andy in retirement, fashioned for himself a track record as a coach and an administrator and in 2002, was appointed President of the Wellington Rugby Union.
Graham Williams (following his selection for the United Kingdom tour at the back end of 1967), retained his All Black jersey for the ’68 tour of Australia, scoring 10 tries in his nine appearances, five of those in the 74-0 drubbing of Tasmania in Hobart. His 18th, but surprisingly his final match in black was the second test against Australia in Brisbane.
His involvement with the family business in the motor trade prevented him being in line for selection for South Africa in 1970 and the following season, he was overlooked for Alan McNaughton for the home series against the Lions. The fact that Wellington had been so heavily flogged did not do him any favours in this regard.
But to this day, Graham Williams - with 174 - still holds the record for most appearances for his union, retiring at the end of the 1976 season. His Wellington highlights included back to back win’s over the Springboks and the Lions in 1965 and ’66 respectively and - although their tenure was brief - Ranfurly Shield success in 1974 against South Canterbury, following five unsuccessful challenges in 1964/65/67/69 and 1970. He played twice for the North Island, in 1970 and again in 1972.
He coached at senior level during the late 1980’s/early 90’s and - in charge of the forwards - co-coached the New Zealand Colts side with future All Black coach, John Hart. Graham Williams died in 2018 Williams, aged 72, after suffering for some years from frontal lobe dementia and motor neurone disease.
Wayne Nicholls was a tireless and hard-working flanker or lock, who would have been of great service to the 1970 All Blacks in South Africa, but falls into the category of those unlucky to have never worn the jersey of his country. He was a mainstay of his provincial forward pack for six seasons between 1967-1972, returning for a further seven matches in 1975 and still playing some grand rugby.
His only All Black trial was in 1970 playing on the blind side for the beaten Possibles side (with team-mates Ian Stevens and Owen Stephens) in the early trial. That same season he was to make his only appearance for the North Island, playing at No. 8 in an 11-6 win in Nelson.
Paul Delaney saw the season out, retiring on 92 matches for Wellington since 1961. He too had tasted success in the back to back Boks-Lions wins and had proven time and again to be a hard working, no-nonsense second rower for his province. Regarded as the finest rugby forward ever produced by the Onslow Club, he succumbed to a combination of Alzheimer's and motor neurone disease in 2012.
Delaney’s locking partner Barry Guy, also retired at the conclusion of the 1969 season, having played 42 times for his province. Guy continued to play for Petone through 1971, the club for which he had first represented in 1960.
Gareth Head joined Petone from Onslow in 1966 and would go on to play over 100 matches for the club. He also represented Wellington on 109 occasions, until the last match of the 1975 season against Canterbury. In 1984 he co-coached the Petone senior side with his old club and provincial team mate, Andy Leslie. Head was instrumental in helping to establish the Ken Gary Academy at Petone, but sadly passed away too early in 1997, aged just 54.
Hooker, Pat Abraham, was yet another Petone man who made 39 appearances in all for the Wellington Lions. In 1971, he lost his place in the Petone side to the up and coming Frank Walker (already the NZ Maori understudy to Tane Norton) and his provincial spot to NZ Universities representative, Paul Barrett.
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Some nationally recognised Wellington representatives from both challenges of 1967 and 1969
Other first class matches played in New Zealand on August 30th, 1969 were; North Auckland 47, Tonga 5 (Whangarei). Bay of Plenty 20, King Country 19 (Whakatane). Manawatu 60, Bush 6 (Palmerston North). Wairarapa 17, Wanganui 6 (Wanganui). Canterbury XV 18, Nelson-Bays 12 (Motueka). Canterbury 27, Buller 6 (Westport). Auckland 27, Otago 14 (Auckland). Counties 15, Thames Valley 11 (Papakura). Waikato 24, Southland 3 (Hamilton). South Canterbury 23, North Otago 8 (Timaru). New Zealand Services 20, Mid-Canterbury 16 (Ashburton). Taranaki 17, Poverty Bay 6 (Gisborne).
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On September 6th, the following Saturday, Hawkes Bay defeated Poverty Bay in Gisborne by 19-14. Colin Le Quesne took the opportunity to rest key players for the upcoming North Auckland challenge of September 10th, thus affording starts to the shield reserves; Paul Carney, Doug Curtis, John Dougan, Mike Natusch, Aidan Thomas, Graham Wiig, Phil Pratt and Mike O’Malley.
Hawkes Bay scored four tries through Karaan Crawford, Kel Tremain, Bill Davis and Paul Carney, with Carney converting two and adding a penalty goal.
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Had Wellington been successful in lifting the log ‘o wood, their remaining fixture list would have meant the following Ranfurly Shield defences; Otago (September 6th), won 30-17. Southland (September 9th), won 26-3. Auckland (September 20th), lost 19-24.
Auckland in turn, would have had to defend the Shield on the last Saturday of the 1969 season against North Auckland at Eden Park, the result of that match was a 14-14 draw.
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#1 song in New Zealand (30/08/1969): Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival