I'm a Hawkeye Guy

20th defence:

​

NORTH AUCKLAND

 

McLean Park, Napier. Wednesday, September 10th, 1969

 

HAWKES BAY 10, NORTH AUCKLAND 8 (Half-time: 0 – 8)

 

For Hawkes Bay: Ian MacRae and Kel Tremain tries. Ian Bishop, 2 conversions.

 

For North Auckland: Bevan Holmes, try. Sid Going, dropped goal. Brian Going, conversion.

 

Hawkes Bay: Ian Bishop, Mick Duncan, Bill Davis (replaced by Doug Curtis), Dennis Smith, Ian MacRae, Blair Furlong, Hepa Paewai, Gary Condon, John Rumball, Karaan Crawford, Rod Abel, Kel Tremain, Neil Thimbleby, Gus Meech, Hilton Meech.

 

North Auckland: Ray Trigg (Dargaville), Terry Whitehead (Kerikeri), Rod Jones (Omaha), Les Bradley (Mid-Northern), Joe Morgan (Mid-Northern), Brian Going (Mid-Northern), Sid Going (Mid-Northern), Laly Haddon (Omaha), Don Hewitt (Whangarei HSOB/captain), Jon Young (Ruawai), Bevan Holmes (Kamo), Max Robinson (Kerikeri), Peter Mac (Whangarei HSOB) (replaced by Fred Morgan (Mid-Northern)), Frank Colthurst (Kerikeri), Richie Guy (Waipu)

 

Referee: AG Derby (King Country)  

Crowd: 20,574 (9/22)

Net profit to HBRFU: $6,300.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clearly, one needed nerves of steel to turn up at McLean Park during the great Hawkes Bay reign of 1966-69! As with Wellington in 1967 and Auckland a year later, the twentieth defence of the Ranfurly Shield during the Magpie tenure, would get to within the final sixty seconds of regular playing time before the holders were able to snatch the points they required to retain the trophy.

 

And even then, as with the infamous penalty awarded the Bay in the final minutes against Auckland in 1968, the match concluded in the most controversial of situations with a Tremain try (which tied the scores at 8-8, enough for the Bay to hold the shield), it’s awarding in the first instance most hotly contested and wholly disputed by the challengers, who believed that the ball had been grounded short of the try-line by the Bay skipper.

 

The real controversy concerning the North Auckland challenge had begun way back before the season’s commencement, when the representative calendar was being set by the NZRFU. As with similar issues raised before the Otago challenge of 1967, the holder of the Ranfurly Shield was given first option by the Rugby Union at determining and setting its fixture list.

 

The HBRFU had accepted a proposed challenge from the North Auckland union for 1969 (the two sides having not met for forty years) and had set the date as Saturday, September 6th. The North Auckland union duly protested, as New Zealand Maori were playing Tonga the same day at Eden Park in Auckland and they did not want to challenge Hawkes Bay without their trump card, the famous Going brothers, sure to be required for the Maori side.

 

While Colin Le Quesne reasoned that both sides may be affected, as the Bay may have been without Hepa Paewai, Karaan Crawford or Blair Furlong, the northerners remained adamant and refused to accept the date, forcing a compromise from Le Quesne, the match being switched to Wednesday, September 10th.

 

That date issue was not the only such problem that Le Quesne and the HBRFU were in ‘hot water’ over. The two-yearly northern excursion to play both Auckland and Counties fell in 1969 and – as opposed to all other occasions under the le Quesne reign – the Fuhrer decided to do the Counties union a financial favour by giving them the Saturday gate and Auckland the midweek fixture.

 

Auckland had also protested to the NZRFU over the proposal, as their union believed that a decent cash injection would be generated by hosting the shield holder on Eden Park during the weekend. The Hawkes Bay unions proposed schedule was confirmed by the NZRFU, prompting a leading comment from Auckland coach, Ron Don; “It’s a pity the two best unions in the country can’t play on a Saturday!”

 

Le Quesne was overheard stating in reply; “What makes him think that Auckland has got the second best team in New Zealand?”

 

As it ultimately transpired, Sid Going was not involved in the New Zealand Maori match against Tonga (won by the Tongan’s by 19-6), nor was he officially injured, many believing that he was actually saving himself for the shield fixture (and probably the North versus South match the following Saturday). Ironically, Hepa Paewai took Going’s place and the Bay’s reserve loose forward, Tom Davis, played on the flank. Two North Auckland players were involved in the match; Sid’s younger brother Brian at first five-eighth and Laly Haddon at number eight. But not Sid. Tactics?

 

Hawkes Bay had a selector-coach, affectionately known (although of course there is an element of truth in every nickname given) as the Fuhrer, which because of the historical significance, needs no further explanation. The man at the helm of North Auckland rugby was none other than fifty-seven year old Ted Griffin, who had acquired the equally militant handle of ‘the Churchill of North Auckland’.

 

Similarities between the two autocratic coaches had oft been drawn, with Griffin admired in the far north for his blunt, no-nonsense style. It was an approach considered abrasive and irascible, yet by results gained, a thoroughly effective one. These were of course, a lot of the trademarks of Le Quesne’s own coaching methodology. They were also both great thinkers of the game and naturally – as their nicknames implied - tactically savvy, with their sides thoroughly prepared for the job at hand.

 

In 1937, Edward Griffin and Bob White – at the request of a former North Auckland first five-eighth, Charlie Robbins – transferred from Whangarei to Napier to play club rugby. Griffin was then selected to lock the Magpie scrum with ‘Tori’ Reid, one of four All Blacks in the Hawkes Bay pack.

 

He played ten matches during that year, including Hawkes Bay’s first ever win on Eden Park, beating Auckland by 9-5. An injury to his ear during that match resulted in him having to withdraw from the Bay side to meet the mighty Springboks in Napier.

 

In 1948, Griffin succeeded Archie Sowman as sole selector-coach of the North Auckland team, a position he had held for twenty one years, four years aside, 1953-56 when he sat on the North Island panel. His first assault on the Ranfurly Shield in 1950 was a successful one, not only for himself as a coach, but also for the unions boss, Duncan Ross, whose shrewd legal brain ensured his team would ultimately challenge someone that year, as it eventuated, it was South Canterbury on the final Saturday of the representative season.

 

Ross had meticulously scrutinized the small print of shield regulations and drawn attention to one particular rule which stated; a challenge accepted by one union had to be accepted by the new holder. The appeal lodged with the NZ Rugby Union had created quite a stir and it raged on throughout the season and in many ways, set a precedent for seasons to come, particularly when it came to shield rules being strictly adhered to.

 

As was largely predicted, the North Auckland team were too good for their southern opposition, chalking up a 20-9 victory, although the try honours were shared at two apiece. The victorious side contained the famed Smith brothers, All Blacks Peter and the captain, Johnny, legendary Maori All Black’s in half-back ‘Doc’ Paewai and winger Nau Porua ‘Brownie’ Cherrington and an 18 year old, raw boned forward from the far north, Peter Jones (who had been given the nickname of ‘Tiger’ by Ted Griffin).

 

The new, new holders had also gone within a whisker of beating the touring British Isles side in 1950, going down by 6-8 and held the 1956 Springboks to 0-3. Ted Griffin would fashion for himself a grand record against overseas opposition, with wins over major playing nations in Australia (1958, 9-8), France (1961, 8-6) and most recently, the Tongans. In 1970, North Auckland would add Fiji to that list (17-6), plus New South Wales (21-6).

 

Griffin spearheaded another successful shield raid in 1960, when North Auckland took the log from Auckland with a 17-11 victory. After one successful defence against Poverty Bay (24-3), the trophy returned to Auckland, eleven days after it had been won, when Auckland beat their northern counterparts in Whangarei by 6-3. 

 

Unsuccessful challenges in 1961 (11-26) and 1962 (3-8) against Auckland and 1964 (8-12) against Taranaki ensued that the men from the big Kauri forests of the north were overdue and keen to get their hands on the shield before the decade’s end. 

 

When the 1969 North Auckland squad, management and supporters arrived in Napier to challenge the Magpies for the log ‘o wood, they were unbeaten thus far in their seven previous outings. A 3-3 stalemate with Auckland in Whangarei was the only blemish in their match record, with wins recorded against Counties twice (25-6 in Whangarei and 5-0 in Papakura), Bay of Plenty in Rotorua (28-11) and all at home; Thames Valley (24-0), Southland (38-6) and their shield challenge dress rehearsal, a 47-5 thumping of the touring Tongans. 170 points scored for with a paltry 31 against.

 

They were the current holders of the Coronation Shield (a regional trophy contested between Auckland,  Bay of Plenty, Counties, King Country, North Auckland, Thames Valley and Waikato), having taken it from Auckland with a 14-6 win on Eden Park in July, 1968 and thereafter putting together a successful string of 11 defences. Ironically, following their unsuccessful Ranfurly Shield challenge in Napier, they would surrender the Coronation Shield to Waikato, losing at home by 12-13.

 

Playing ranks also contained their only current All Black, one Sidney Milton Going from the Mid-Northern club (although Denis Panther had been called into the All Black reserves the season before, for the third test against France). Throughout his lengthy playing career, ‘Super Sid’ would experience all that the game of rugby could offer an individual, most of which is detailed a few pages further on, but possibly the greatest analysis of him as a player is as described in the following passage;

 

‘A bundle of barbed wire, cast iron and rubber. Sid runs like a slippery eel making for water. Without warning, he can explode like a bunch of fire-crackers and some of his fantastic feats on the field could only be equalled in a top-line circus.’

 

Ted Griffin brought Sid Going into the North Auckland set up in 1962, the eighteen year old making his debut against Counties as a replacement for regular half-back, Pat Marshall. Going then went to Canada as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but was back playing rugby in the far north in 1965. He played against the Springboks for both North Auckland and New Zealand Maori, scoring an epic try only two minutes into the latter fixture.

 

A ‘blinder’ for North Auckland against Counties in Whangarei (a 15-6 win) and an appearance against the 1966 Lions was followed by his first All Black trial and inter-island match. His test debut came against Australia in 1967, at the expense of an injured Chris Laidlaw, followed by selection to the United Kingdom at year’s end, where he played in eight tour matches, including the test against France, marking the occasion with a try.

 

Going toured Australia early in 1968 and was understudy to Laidlaw during that test series and the first two against the French, back home on kiwi soil. But in the third test in Auckland, a finger injury to Laidlaw again gave Going an opportunity and he turned in one of the finest running half-back displays seen for some time, scoring two tries in the process.

Laidlaw’s decision to take his Rhodes scholarship at Cambridge University in 1969, possibly saved him the indignity of surrendering his test place to Going, as the man from the north was certainly in vogue with the weight of public opinion, as endorsed by the national selectors when playing him in both tests against the Welsh side earlier in June.

 

Sid was also of course, one of three brothers in the then current North Auckland line-up. The eldest, full-back Ken, had first represented the union in 1963, had been in the NZ Maori squad since 1966 (the same year as he received his first of six consecutive All Black trials) and had played for the North Island in 1968. 

 

Brian, a hard running, sure handling and quick thinking first five-eighth, was first called into Griffins rep side in 1966 as an eighteen year old, but had to withdraw because of military training commitments. By the latter stages of 1967 he had forced his way permanently into the starting team, displacing former Maori All Black and North Island representative, Ted Thompson. 

 

The trio were all in the Northern Maori XV which won the Prince of Wales Cup, beating their southern rivals by 45-14, in Palmerston North in August, 1968. Ken scored two and Sid a try. Ken converted six of the eleven tries scored by the Northern side. Two days later, Brian and Ken scored all their teams points as NZ Maori defeated Manawatu by 11-6. The Tom French Cup, for the outstanding Maori player of 1968 was awarded to Sid (who had also collected the Cup the previous year).

 

When Brian came on as a replacement for Owen Stephens of Wellington in the inter island match of 1968, all three Going boys created a piece of history for themselves; ‘three brothers in the same North Island side’. Sid scored two tries and Ken converted five of the six tries in total posted by the North, in their 34-17 win in Christchurch.

 

All three played for North Auckland against the French side the same year and by now had added to their arsenal, the ‘blindside triple scissors movement’, which would become not only dangerously effective, but world famous by the 1970’s.

Unfortunately for North Auckland, a farm accident a fortnight before their shield challenge ensured that Ken would take no further part in rugby for the rest of the season. His replacement, Ray Trigg of Dargaville, was a solid performer and renowned tackler, who could play in most positions throughout the backline, but he lacked the attacking flair and ability to link back movements that were the hallmarks of Ken’s game. 

 

For once, the men from the North’s strength proved to be their archives heal. Ken’s untimely injury had caused a major headache for Griffin, as the monopoly that the eldest of the Going boys had on the No. 15 jersey of North Auckland had exposed a particularly unexperienced underbelly. Trigg had made just one appearance, that being against Tonga on August 30th and the ease of victory ensured that not a whole lot could be gleaned from his performance and it was certainly not going to be anything like the cauldron that was McLean Park, with such a lot at stake. 

 

They were also going to have to do without their 1968 New Zealand Junior and then All Black reserve (and 1969 trialist), the dynamic winger, Dennis Panther. Dennis (with Neil and Ian) was one of three brilliant brothers – all backs - from the Awanui club in the Mangonui Sub-union. In 60 first class games, Panther had scored 40 tries, 30 of them for North Auckland. 

 

He had already dotted down nine times in only seven appearances this year, including four against the Tongans on August 30th. But that was to be his last match for the season. With his name printed in the match programme, Dennis Panther was forced to withdraw from the team for their shield challenge through injury and his experience, pace and aggression would be missed. His name was often mooted when most were putting forth wing candidates for the proposed South African tour in 1970.

 

The loss of he and Ken Going caused considerable disruption to a well experienced and proven ‘back three’. There was little doubt that the battle ahead was likely to be a titanic one up front in the forwards, but the unorthodox, unpredictability of Ken’s general play was exactly the sort of ‘routine-disrupter’ type that terrified Le Quesne and the Bay.

 

Other players to keep an eye on in the backline for the Magpie party were Les Bradley on the left wing - enjoying a grand debut season - and the impressionable second five-eighth, Joe Morgan, brought into the side as a twenty-one year old in 1967 by Griffin.

 

Morgan had spent two seasons in the Whangarei Boys High School 1st XV in 1962 and ’63. Bradley, a prominent track sprinter, was also one of three brothers, from the Ruawai club, the other two, Maurice and Merv, who would both play for North Auckland also. His swift, eager and elusive bursts had earned him a ‘Junior’s’ trial earlier in the season.

 

At centre was Rod Jones, brother of Murray who had propped the scrum for Auckland the season before in challenge fourteen. The 23 year old plumber from the Omaha club, born and bred in Warkworth,  was big and powerful and at 6’ 6” and 14 stone, was a hard man to pull down. Other noted rugby attributes he possessed were speed and that of being ‘a grand tacker’. He had played in all but one of North Auckland’s fixtures in 1968, having previously represented Auckland two seasons prior to that.

 

There was a rugged, well drilled look about the forward pack, collectively equipped with both brawn and brain. With an average age of a staggering 28, they had experience aplenty. They were led by a great old ‘terrier’ type open side flanker and champion jumper near the back of the line-out, in former All Black trialist, Don Hewitt.

 

Thirty year old hooker, Frank Colthurst, had played over 100 first class matches. He had made 49 appearances for Auckland and 27 for Thames Valley, before his work as a stock and station agent took him to Kaikohe in 1968. The nephew of legendary All Black hooker from the Waikato, Has Catley, Colthurst had spent four seasons in the Howick High School 1st XV (1952-1955), making his Auckland debut against Hawkes Bay in 1959. He played for the North Island in 1964 and ’65 (and he was a reserve on September 13th, three days after the shield match) and appeared in six New Zealand trial matches. 

 

How he was never called for higher honours was a bone of contention with many folk, especially those in Northern climes. The hooking position in North Auckland was one akin to an embarrassment of riches.

 

No. 8, Laly ‘Tracker’ Haddon, had played for the Taniwha since 1963 and made the New Zealand Maori  side the following season. He began his career on the wing, but moved into the pack with no loss of speed. His ‘8-9’ combination at the scrum-base with Sid Going became a key cog in the rugged North Auckland wheel.

 

He played against the 1965 Springboks for both North Auckland and the Maori, but missed the Lions match the following season through injury and was overlooked in favour of Bay of Plenty’s Eru Beattie for the Maori fixture.  He did receive an All Black trial however, in 1966.

 

Laly Haddon had the misfortune to be showing his wares as a speedy, tough No 8 at the same time as Brian Lochore was in his pomp for the All Blacks. He had played for the Maori against the touring Tongans only day’s prior.

 

The props, Richie Guy and former Taranaki representative, Peter Mac, were both torrid and powerful in their propping positions, while mobile and Omni-prominent in forward rushes. Guy had first played representative rugby in 1966 at the relatively late age of 25, but since his inclusion had cemented his place as the union’s number one tight-head prop.

 

Like Haddon with the Lochore conundrum though, New Zealand were so well served by prop forwards that Richie Guy and Peter Mac weren’t really close to the mix, although Mac had received a North island trial in 1968.

 

More common ground between Le Quesne and Griffin was shared regarding All Black trials in general, more importantly the fact that national selectors had shown an almost blatant disregard for their unions, despite both being close to the best provincial units in the country. Le Quesne had made perfectly clear his feelings concerning certain Hawkes Bay players whom he believed had deserved to gain higher honours, equally Griffin had a few gripes of his own toward this end.

 

One youngster making a big impression though, was the baby of the North Auckland pack (at 23), a school teacher from the Kamo club, Bevan Holmes. Having made his provincial debut in 1966 (replacing the injured Haddon), Holmes had become more of a regular choice in 1967 and by 1968 had played his first All Black trial, for the North Island and for the New Zealand Juniors in a 19-23 loss to the touring Japanese.

 

Holmes had scored a try and captained the Juniors a couple of weeks earlier against Tonga, the Baby Blacks romping to a 43-3 win in Wellington. Mick Duncan had also played for the Juniors (missing the Waikato shield match) and like his captain, dotted down for one of the nine tries posted by the home team. Bevan Holmes would make his second North Island appearance three days after North Auckland’s challenge.

 

Rounding out the forwards were 30 year old Max Robinson on the blind side of the scrum, a non-stop rampager with an ‘unbeatable’ smother tackle and Jon Young, a young lock from the Ruawai club, noted for his fine line-out jumping and long range goal kicking ability.

 

Following the earlier controversy and then injuries to key personnel during their preparation and build-up, things began looking alarmingly ominous for the Northerners when the closure of Whangarei Airport on the day of their departure, disrupted their travel schedule further.

 

But they duly arrived and took the field, the first and only mid-week defence of the Magpie tenure of 1966-1969. And almost before the 20,000 strong crowd were seated and giving the game their full attention, Sid Going had put over a wobbly dropped goal and the challengers were ahead by three to nil.

 

Coupled with Frank Colthurst taking four tight-heads off Gus Meech in the opening five minutes of play, this was looking likely to be the titanic struggle that most had anticipated. Not that the holders were being outplayed. Rod Abel and Karaan Crawford were dominating the line-outs, to such an extent that the first North Auckland ‘take’ was not registered until the 35th minute.

 

But for all the possession they were attaining, the Bay could not get on the scoreboard, such was the resolute defence of the challengers. And North Auckland, playing with the advantage of a stiff breeze in the first half, seemingly could not add to their lead and maximise the benefit from the elements.

 

There were two dramatic incidents left in the first stanza though. Firstly, in attempting to score a try, after taking a pass from Mick Duncan (which was then ruled as ‘tackled ball’), Bill Davis broke his ankle and was replaced by Doug Curtis. The six weeks required to be spent in plaster, effectively ended his 1969 rugby season. 

 

Then, with the half-time break in sight, Bevan Holmes crashed through the tackle of Blair Furlong to score a try, close enough to the posts for Brian Going to eventually convert. His first attempt had been kicked away by a charging Ian MacRae, the referee ruling in favour of Goings argument that he was merely moving to adjust the ball. 0-8 down at the break. Suddenly it didn’t look to rosy for the McLean Park faithful.

 

Twelve minutes after the re-start, the Magpies were back when Ian MacRae scored between the posts. Ian Bishop added the extra points and the Bay now trailed by just the three points. Parity was a try, a penalty, a dropped goal…anything would do! But resistance was stubborn. It was all Hawkes Bay by this stage, but attack after attack had been thwarted as the challengers clung to their slender lead. 

 

But like Wellington (1967) and Auckland (1968) before them, North Auckland had failed to put the Magpies away when they had the ascendency during the game and now they were hanging on for their lives. By losing sight of the objective and not adding to their lead, they would have to endure the black and white onslaught that was the final ten minutes. The combat became gladiatorial as the Bay smashed into a ruck right beneath the North Auckland goal-posts.

 

Hilton Meech reeled from one such attempt with what was later diagnosed as a fracture to his collarbone. He has stated that had he known the severity of the injury it is doubtful whether he would have come from the field in any case, such was the indelible team spirit and their single-mindedness in defending the Ranfurly Shield.

 

But for all that, the game was slipping away. The situation was tense and precarious. There was a look of desperation on the faces of the home side, as repeatedly they tried to breach the stout defence of the challenger. As he had done in the same circumstance against Auckland the preceding season, even Ian Bishop came flying into the attack as the ‘all up and in’ call went out.

 

It was also a time for cool heads and as the game reached flashpoint and nerves were shattered, nobody noticed as Kel Tremain slipped from the blindside to the back of a scrum close to the North Auckland line, with a Hawkes Bay feed. The fervent crowd were losing faith that the Magpies could pull off a third ‘Houdini’ act and the unbearable thought that the shield may go was looking a distinct reality.

 

In one final Herculean act, 60 seconds left on the clock, Tremain, having ensured that the scrum screwed sufficiently, picked up the ball and fair launched himself at the opposition line. As he drove his sixteen stone frame forward, amid the scramble of bodies, the Bay players raised their arms in the air. Above the deafening roar of the crowd, generated of sheer will, the shrill whistle of referee Derby of the King Country could be heard, his raised arm confirming a try for the Bay skipper.

 

The incident itself would be the most controversial and hotly disputed act of the 1969 shield season, if not the entire tenure. Immediately Sid Going, on hands and knees, was pointing and protesting that Tremain had ground the ball short of the try line. Howls of derision rung out from other North Auckland players and their ‘angry gesticulations’ and protests raged on as Ian Bishop converted the try.

 

The match was over, tired smiles of relief spread across the faces of the holders. Hawkes Bay had pulled yet another iron from the fire and naturally, the North Auckland players, coaches and management were bitterly disappointed. There challenge had been an exceptional effort overall and to come so close to meeting it’s objective, they were all gutted.

But the controversy regarding the Tremain try had only just begun. In Whangarei, photographs were published which (it alleged) provided evidence that he had NOT scored. In Napier and Wellington, the opposite, the same photo’s from a different angle, with (alleged) proof that he DID score. The photographs themselves were totally inconclusive.

 

Kel Tremain himself believed that he had grounded the ball on the try line, but was pulled back by his legs. The awarding of the try in the first instance renders all subsequent arguments as purely academic, the try is listed in all Ranfurly Shield records, but to this day there is still hot dispute from both camps.

 

 

“I was down on my hands and knees right beside him and he was about 12 inches short. The referee was in no position to see whether he’d scored or not.”

Sid Going (‘Super Sid’)

 

“I had as good a view as anyone and he put the ball down on the line all right. I would maintain that to my dying day. I was on the side on which he went and he got there all right. It was a split second thing sure, but that’s all it has got to   be.”

Ian MacRae (‘Shield Fever’, Lindsay Knight)

 

 

The outcome was that Hawkes Bay had successfully defended the Ranfurly Shield for the 20th time, but it had come at a cost. Two key players throughout the entire three year campaign would not take the field again for the Magpies during the tenure.

 

In the case of Hilton Meech, who had played in all 20 defences thus far, it meant bringing in the largely inexperienced Graham Wiig for the final two matches against Taranaki and Canterbury, where he would have to oppose Brian Muller and Alister Hopkinson respectively. He had acquitted himself well against the former on debut the season before and it was hoped that he would take that into the shield arena.

 

Earlier experiments playing Mick Duncan at centre would pay dividends now, with having to reshuffle the back division to accomodate the loss of Bill Davis. The All Black centre had been in scintillating form during the second half of 1969. He had single-handedly destroyed the Waikato in challenge 18 and had some devastatingly brilliant moments against Wellington.

 

Le Quesne had done well in blooding younger players in non-shield matches for just such eventualities as the dilemma he was now facing. A good stock of reserves had always been maintained to cover for the unforseen, which generally speaking would revolve around the advent of injuries to key players. Now was the time for Le Quesne to put his faith in his own convictions and back young Wiig to do the job.

 

And the Saturday following the North Auckland challenge provided a prefect opportunity for the Fuhrer to ask the squad of ‘splinter bums’…who was up for the challenge of shield rugby? Originally not selected, Mick Duncan and Ian MacRae were now on North Island duty (called in to replace Bill Davis and Gerald Kember respectively) with Blair Furlong taking his place in the reserves.

 

The rest of the squad headed to Tokomaru Bay for the annual clash with the East Coast, beaten by the Bay the previous season in challenge nine by 31 points to nil. Dennis Smith (playing at centre), Doug Curtis, Crawford, Thimbleby and Rumball were all backing up from the North Auckland match, as tired and beaten up as they must have been.

 

Thus, Le Quesne was able to play all his shield reserves in Paul Carney, the Havelock North midfield pairing of John Dougan and Mike Natusch, Aidan Thomas, Phil Pratt, Tom Davis, Mike O’Malley, Richard Robinson and Graham Wiig. Peter Hobdell of Napier Marist made his debut on the wing and subsequently joined the reserves for the remainder of the shield series.

 

East Coast were dismantled and vanquished by 51-3, the Bay running in 11 tries. Curtis (3), Smith and Natusch (2), Dougan, Pratt, Crawford and Rumball dotted down, Paul Carney adding nine conversions. Le Quesne had a few things to think about during the week before naming his side to face Taranaki on September 20th in challenge 21.

 

*****

 

North Auckland did not play on September 13th, but as mentioned previously, were beaten on the 20th by Waikato and in doing so, lost their grip on the Coronation Shield. Following the loss and without Ken Going and Dennis Panther for the last match on Eden Park against the old foe, Auckland, Griffin moved Sid Going to full-back and Rod Jones to the wing, discarding Ray Trigg and TA Whitehead altogether. Neither played for their union again.

 

The match ended in a 14-14 draw, bringing the curtain down on the 1960’s for the men in Cambridge blue. In Ken Goings absence, the team had lost two and drawn one of their last four matches, tainting the tail of what otherwise was a very good season, results wise.

 

1970 was in many ways a similar season for North Auckland, winning nine matches, drawing and losing two of each. Ten North Aucklander's appeared in the May trial in Wellington for the upcoming tour to South Africa; Morgan, Panther, the Jones and Going brothers (Sid and Ken), Guy, Holmes, Colthurst and former Canterbury hooker, now residing in the far North, Gary Bacon. 

 

The forward pack was much unchanged, the addition of Rod Jones brother, Murray, from Auckland resulting in Peter Mac making only three appearances. Following an appearance at the All Black trial, Denis Panther was lost early in the season, breaking his leg in a match against New South Wales in June.

 

At the completion of the 1970 domestic season, Don Hewitt called it a day having made 121 appearances for the Cambridge Blues since his debut in 1959. Max Robinson (62 games, 1961-70), Peter Mac (39, 1967-70) and Paul Younger (41, 1965-70) also, did not play for North Auckland again post 1970. Max Robinson died in 2015.

 

Of the 10 trialists, only Sid Going and Bevan Holmes were selected for the trek to South Africa, the latter a first time New Zealand representative, his selection the fruition of early promise. In fact, Bevan Holmes, a most resourceful loose forward, equally adept at lock, made 31 appearances for his country between 1970-1973 on two overseas tours, without playing a single test match.

 

His appearances in the republic were limited to just seven (scoring five tries). Sid Going toured as understudy to Otago’s Chris Laidlaw and played 14 matches in total, including just the one test, that being the fourth in Johannesburg, following Laidlaw contracting appendicitis. After the All Blacks were  so soundly defeated by 3-14 in the third test and Bill Davis took it upon himself to implement a necessary tactical change to the way the backline functioned with much success (much to the displeasure of coach Ivan Vodanovich), Going may well have been preferred for the final test in any case.

 

With Chris Laidlaw gone from New Zealand in 1971, Sid Going took over the official mantle as the country’s No. 1 scrum-half and as such, he played in all four tests against the British Lions, on each occasion marking the great Welshman, Gareth Edwards. In fact, it was probably a toss up between the pair as to who was the best half-back in International rugby at the time. 

 

Edwards had toured New Zealand with the Welsh national side in 1969 (and marked Going in the two test matches) and because of the Welsh dominance of the ‘Five Nations’ Championship (‘Triple Crown’ winners in 1969 and 1971) and Going’s understudy status to Laidlaw when available, probably held the slightest of edges. Sid gave a masterful display, attacking around the rucks and fringes during the second test in 1971, the only of the series won by the home side, but generally was overshadowed by Edwards throughout the series (although he did leave the field after only eight minutes during the first test in Dunedin)

 

When the All Black selectors named their first test line-up, following the bitter Canterbury fixture the Saturday prior, the general feeling around the country was one of; ‘It’s South Africa all over again’, a reference to the errors made whilst touring the Republic the season before. 

 

Journalists generally thought Messrs Vodanovich, Duff and Walsh were ‘having a laugh’ by naming six new caps in their line-up to take on the unbeaten Lions. Six became seven - almost half a team - when Keith Murdoch pulled out of the named first test side, enabling North Auckland to rejoice in the fact that his replacement - another new All Black - was Richie Guy.

 

With all respect to Guy, who certainly acquitted himself well throughout all four tests, the selectors sticking with the front row of Muller-Norton-Guy, the loss of Murdoch was a big blow and one bearing strange connotations, the absolute hallmark of Murdoch himself. 

 

Following the All Blacks hard fought 19-15 victory over Northern Transvaal the preceding year, Keith Murdoch showed that there wouldn’t be a more powerful scrummager in world rugby, when he almost bent the immensely strong ex-Springbok Ronnie Potgieter in half during one scrummage.

 

After playing an equally powerful and robust match during the All Black trial, Murdoch was eventually selected ahead of Guy, even though, in mysterious circumstances, he had failed to front for Otago for their tour match against the Lions. He continued the trend by pulling out of the test side through injury, although to this day no-one has been able to establish whether this claim was genuine or not.

 

Future All Black coach, Eric Watson, who knew Murdoch the man as well as anyone through his Zingari-Richmond club and Otago provincial association, admitted that ‘the hardest job was to get Murdoch motivated to actually play’.

​

 

''Keith was a fine person, he would do anything for you. He was a gentleman. He was probably over-rated as a player though. Players with less ability who gave 100% were more valuable. He played some mighty games - I remember one against Wellington when he played like a great All Black - but I had to find reasons to get him to play. He would play                                                                        about one good game out of every four.’'                                                                                                                                           Eric Watson (‘Otago Daily Times’, 2014)

 

 

Although the North Auckland challenge fell short in Napier, the union’s moment in the sun was not all that far away and eventually they did win the Ranfurly Shield again, when they defeated holders, Auckland, by 17-12 on Eden Park in September of 1971.

 

Other survivors from their unsuccessful shield raid in 1969 to taste shield success that day were; Les Bradley, Rod Jones, Joe Morgan, Brian and Sid Going, Laly Haddon, Frank Colthurst and Richie Guy. Following their fine performance against the touring British Isles the previous month, North Auckland were firm favourites to take the shield North.

 

Even the recently departed British Lions manager, Doug Smith (who had amazingly predicted the exact outcome of the test series; The Lions by two tests to one, with one being drawn), when rung in the middle of the night back home in the UK and asked his opinion, predicted that North Auckland would lift the shield from the Auk’s.

 

On the Saturday preceding the vital fourth test match, the Cambridge Blues had gone down by just 5-11 to the Lions and only a try by Welshman, John Bevan (which equalled the Individual record of 17 tries on a New Zealand tour, set by Irishman, Tony O’reilly in 1959) gave the tourists the relief which had been sort for the previous 79 minutes.

 

Although outscored by three tries to one, North Auckland’s was a grand affair. Ken Going entered the backline, passed to Rod Jones who, following a strong burst, fed the ball back inside to Joe Morgan. Evading the desperate lunge and attempted tackle of Mervyn Davies, Morgan’s break had left a hole for Richie Guy to waltz through and score by the posts. Ken Going converted and North Auckland went to half-time with a share of the spoils at five apiece.

 

In fact, the Northerner’s had shown more enterprise than the All Black backline could muster during the disastrous third test and Lions captain, John Dawes later eluded to the fact that they were one of the few provincial outfits that set about playing attacking rugby of their own, therefore forcing the Lions to concentrate on defence as well as their natural propensity to attack.

 

Unfortunately for them, their line was breached twice more in the second half, but their absolute resolution in defence, planned and implemented accordingly, had been a real feature of their performance. Equally, the exotic ‘triple scissors’ moves in the backline, courtesy of the Mid-Northern club representatives, the three Going brothers and Joe Morgan, had the Lions bamboozled on most occasions, despite their own pre-tour homework in this regard.

​

 

"Ken and I sort of messed around on the lawn and later Joe Morgan was involved at the end of the move and Ted Griffin encouraged us to try. We had the guts to try it. It's a shame those sort of things are not done now because we used to score heaps of tries from those razzle-dazzle, pretty loose and unorthodox sort of stuff.”

Brian Going (Northern Advocate, 2011)

​

 

Their favourite tag was confirmed with their defeat of Auckland, the Ranfurly Shield returning to Whangarei for the fist time since 1960, the northern neighbours engaged in one of the great shield matches, in a ‘super-charged’ atmosphere, in front of 47,000 people crammed into Eden Park.

 

The match - for both good and bad - belonged to Sidney Milton Going. He darted from the scrum and outwitted the Auckland loose forward trio en route to what was becoming his customary try on Eden Park. The hero turned villain when a rush of blood saw him take a tap penalty instead of clearing his line, the resulting kick being charged down by Alan Watkins, who upon following up, scored a vital try enabling Auckland to regain the lead with only 17 minutes to play.

 

Ken Going was livid with his brother! Behind the posts, while the conversion was being taken, he had to be pulled away from his sibling by Richie Guy, fearing the worst may eventuate. Sid atoned for his erratic behaviour two minutes later, by kicking a sensational 53 metre penalty, in ‘round the corner’ style to the amusement/bemusement of the crowd, giving the challengers the lead back by 14-12. North Auckland then finished the match strongly, with Denis Panther adding a try to round out the scoring.

 

Ted Griffin had coached three sides to shield glory; 1950, 1960 and now in 1971. The defeat of Auckland also saw the Coronation Shield returned to the northern-most union in New Zealand and both trophies were up for grabs the following weekend when King Country arrived to try their luck and despite winning a Lions share of the possession (and an 18 to 8 penalty count going in their favour), were repelled by 16 points to six. After making 44 appearances for North Auckland, Frank Colthurst turned bench warmer following the 1971 season, losing his position to the up and coming Peter Sloane from the Hikurangi club.

 

Sid Going, Richie Guy and Bevan Holmes were all included in a 28-man All Black squad which embarked on a rare internal tour in May and June of 1972, before the touring Australians arrived in early August. By the time of the test series against the Aussies, Guy appeared to have fallen from favour, Murdoch, King Country’s Graham Whiting and Otago’s Jeff Matheson seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order as props and Holmes was surplus to requirement.

 

But as the Ranfurly Shield season got underway, the scalps of Buller (35-0), Poverty Bay (31-3), Manawatu (4-4), Taranaki (27-15) and Bay of Plenty (22-6) were taken (a draw as good as a win for North Auckland against Manawatu) before Auckland reclaimed the brace of trophies with a 16-15 victory at Okara Park, in what is commonly regarded as the most famous rugby match in North Auckland/Northland history.

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

When Whiting was forced to withdraw with a fractured jaw, the injury received during the recent third and final test against the Australians, local hopes lifted considerably, but on the day it was his fellow lock, Andy Haden who acted as destroyer, his line-out takes responsible for setting up at least three of Auckland’s scoring moves. His efforts were largely responsible for Auckland’s success on the day and could not be ignored, the young lock playing his way into the All Blacks for the upcoming tour to the Northern hemisphere.

 

Auckland’s tenure was brief, Canterbury relieving them of the silverware on a Tuesday afternoon, while on a North Island tour, with a 12-6 win, Doug Bruce scoring the only try of the game. Just for good measure, Canterbury defeated North Auckland by 19-14 the following Saturday, leaving no one in doubt that they were deservedly taking the shield back to the South Island with them. They in turn, rounded out one of the more interesting seasons of Ranfurly Shield rugby, arguably since 1950, by defeating West Coast (47-3) and Otago(23-9).

 

Denis Panther retired at the conclusion of the 1972 domestic season having represented North Auckland on 85 occasions. Wayne Carey, who had spent the majority of his career as reserve half-back to Sid Going, did not play for the union again either, having made 30 appearances since 1965.

 

The same pair of Sid Going and Bevan Holmes were the only North Auckland representatives named in the All Black side to tour North America, the United Kingdom and France over the New Zealand summer of 1972/73. This was somewhat of a moot point with folks from north of the big smoke. Ken Going, Joe Morgan and/or Richie Guy particularly could all consider themselves unlucky to have not made the trip.

 

Sid Going played in 19 tour matches, including all five test matches (Wales, Scotland, England, Ireland and France), scoring tries against the Scots and the Irish. Bevan Holmes played only 13 games, his cause not helped by being in losing sides against North-Western Counties (14-16, Workington), Midland Counties West (8-16, Moseley) and in the 3-3 draw with Munster in Cork.

 

Post tour, Bevan Holmes was not selected for New Zealand again, but when he retired in 1978 he had made 90 appearances for North Auckland since first selected in 1966 and most certainly would have become a centurion for his province, had he not taken a rugby hiatus for three seasons during the mid 70’s.

 

Laly Haddon ended his career at the completion of the 1973 season (77 matches since 1963). He had been an All Black trialist in 1966 and played for New Zealand Maori against Waikato in 1964, Horowhenua and South Africa in 1965, Bay of Plenty and the British Lions in 1966 (and again in 1971), Poverty Bay and Tonga (twice) in 1969, North Auckland and Fiji (twice) in 1970, the Californian ‘Grizzlies’ in 1972, Western Samoa, Vava’u & ‘Ena Combined, Patron’s XV, Suva-Rewa XV, Fiji (twice), North-West Fiji and in an 8-18 loss to the All Blacks in 1973.

 

Haddon received a Queen's Service Medal in 2009 for his services to conservation across the Auckland region over three decades. He was an early supporter of New Zealand's first marine reserve at Leigh, served on the Auckland Conservation Board, was chairman and a member of the Hauraki Gulf Forum and contributed to the local Maori community as Ngati Wai Trust Board chairman. He died at his Pakiri home, north of Auckland, at the age of 74 in 2013.

 

Les Bradley pulled the pin the same year having played 56 matches for the Cambridge Blues since the 1969 season. Richie Guy retired at the end of 1974 having racked up 94 games for the men with the famous Kauri tree motif. Rod Jones made just one appearance in 1975, taking his tally to 72, before also retiring from the sport at provincial level. He had trialled in the North Island section of the All Black trials of 1970.

 

Like Colin Le Quesne, Ted Griffin had always lamented the fact that despite sides he coached being in the top half dozen provincial outfits in the country at the time, so few of his men got to wear the silver fern. Frank Colthurst and Denis Panther had been reserves in home test series, Bevan Holmes had toured away twice, as no more than a dirt tracker. Only the talents of Sid Going (simply too much for national selectors to ignore, although he was never really regarded by them as being ahead of Laidlaw if the Otago man was available) and Richie Guy had truly been recognised.

 

But in 1974, the national honour was bestowed on two others, who by that time it seemed a reality that the opportunity may have passed them by. First Joe Morgan was rewarded with a spot on the tour to Australia, playing in six matches, coming in to the third test side in place of Canterbury’s Ian Hurst (who did not play a test match for New Zealand again) and he was joined by Sid’s brother, Ken, on the end of year tour to Ireland.

 

While Morgan made the Australian trip, Sid Going did not. His sensational axing was headline national news, the selectors having had the audacity to opt for Auckland’s Bruce Gemmell instead, backed up by Ian Stevens of Wellington, who could also cover No. 10. 

 

Stewart had a theory that Sid Going was at least partly responsible for the general looseness that had crept into All Black forward play during the early 70’s, owing to the pack having to fan out whilst following him on one of his many jinking runs. Part of his game plan was to have those forwards once again operating as a united, tough and uncompromising pack, which included the need for a certain type of half-back, possibly one lesser inclined  to show the ‘individual streak’ that Going possessed.

 

It was not an uncommon theory regarding ‘Super Sid’. The verdict was often out with many folk as to whether or not he should be regarded as the AB’s number one half-back. There was absolutely no denying his total brilliance, nor the fact that on his day he could be and regularly was a match winner and that fact is paramount when weighing the pros and cons of the issue. But a considerable amount of rugby folk believed that the backline - with such incredible talent as was amassed at times throughout Goings career - suffered from lack of fluidity, cohesion and worst of all, opportunity while he was there. 

 

Whatever the opinion, the Australian experiment had not really worked and by seasons end, Going had firmly re-established himself as the country’s number one half-back and it was often mooted but never proved that for his inclusion on the Irish tour, brother Ken, aged 32, was going to finally get his well earned All Black jersey.

 

Ken himself may well have worn that jersey earlier in his career, if not for the mortgage on the position that Mick Williment and Fergi McCormick had held and when the selectors had opted for other names instead, overlooked, Ken was certainly their equal, more than in some cases. It was a similar story for Morgan, who was 26 when finally called for national selection. He’d watched on early in his career as the likes of other talented midfield backs in Wayne Cottrell, Lyn Jaffray, Mark Sayers, Ian Hurst and Bill Osborne were preferred. 

 

John ‘JJ’ Stewart indicated that he’d have preferred to have had Morgan in his test line-up for the one of test against the English in 1973 and backed that up by picking him instantly when Eric Watson replaced Bob Duff on the selection panel the following season.

 

After solid performances against Munster, Leinster and Ulster, Joe Morgan was selected at second five-eighth for the ‘one off’ test against Ireland at the end of 1974, a match won by the All Blacks by 15-6, all New Zealand’s points registered by the Wellington full-back, Joe Karam. 

 

His performance in marking 1974 British Lion to South Africa, Dick Milliken, had been outstanding during the All Blacks impressive 30-15  victory over Ulster, Morgan also running in the AB’s fourth and final try of the match in the 75th minute. His robust defence in the Irish test was exactly why ‘JJ’ Stewart had appealed for his inclusion the preceding year against the English and a cut back inside to set up second phase play he had made, directly led to Karam’s try - via his Mid-Northern club mate in Sid Going - the defining moment of the International. 

 

He was replaced for the tours two other ‘big’ matches against a Welsh XV (12-3) and the Barbarians Club (13-13) by Ian Hurst, but following these two matches, Hurst would not play for his country again. The following season he was playing for North Otago and the relative obscurity of a minor union did not do him any favours personally, by that time apparently regarded behind both Morgan and Otago’s Lyn Jaffray.

 

Ken Going did not have a happy time of it in Ireland, overall, making just three appearances. On debut in Cork against Irish Universities, his erratic first half performance (missing three kicks at goal and numerous for touch) was turned around by a boot change at the interval, whereupon he landed two second half penalty goals, enabling the All Blacks to get home by 10-3.

 

He played in a hard fought 8-3 win over Leinster and made his third and final All Black appearance in a  25-3 victory against Connacht in Galway. This was the only match of the three in which brother Sid also played, unfortunately, the pair could not have had more contrasting games. While the younger Going was in superb form, timely with the tour ’s bigger matches just around the corner, Ken’s goal kicking particularly, had sunk to previously unfathomable depths.

 

He was successful with only two kicks at goal from nine attempts (four successes from 18 attempts in his three matches) and only able to convert one of the All Blacks five tries, which had made for a difficult job in putting away a relatively innocuous provincial unit in Connacht. For that, his attributable attacking flair had created tries for Terry Mitchell and Grant Batty in the first half and contributed to the try of the game, scored near the death by Ian Kirkpatrick, started by Batty and Bruce Robertson inside their own 25 metre line. Ken’s conversion of this try ‘raised a cheer’ with the Galway crowd.

 

Ken Going made 10 appearances for North Auckland in 1975, before retiring having played 130 matches for the Cambridge blues since 1963, scoring 714 points. Between 1966 and 1971 and then again in 1975, he was a frequent attender of All Black trials and in 1968 he played for the North island, brother Brian also coming on as a replacement, joining brothers Ken and Sid in a rare treble. The three siblings were often together in national Maori sides. 

 

Ken played 24 matches for New Zealand Maori between 1966 and 1975, including internationals against Tonga, Fiji, the California Grizzlies and the 1971 Lions and on a Pacific Islands tour in 1973. He was usually at fullback but occasionally for the Maori moved to the midfield to accommodate another solid player, the big kicking ‘Butch’ Pickrang.

 

He quickly turned to coaching and administration with his Mid-Northern club and in 1985-86 he was the North Auckland representative selector-coach. Ken Going died of cancer in 2008, aged 66.

 

Sid Going was joined by Hamish Macdonald (who had returned to the province from Canterbury) in the All Blacks, for their only test of 1975, the infamous ‘water polo’ match against Scotland on Eden Park. In the appalling conditions that prevailed before and during the match, a try by Macdonald (converted by Joe Karam) saw the AB’s ahead by just 6-0 at half-time, a lead converted into a 24-0 romp, Bryan Williams (2) and Duncan Robertson adding second half tries.

 

Again, Joe Morgan had been overlooked for Lyn Jaffray in the starting line-up at inside centre. When Bruce Robertson withdrew from the side through injury, 20 year old Bill Osborne of Wanganui was called in as his replacement and 1974 All Black, Greg Kane of Waikato, added to the reserves to cover the midfield.

 

Morgan did play for the North Island, in a rare loss to their southern counterparts in Christchurch, by 14-17 (marking Jaffray) in 1975 and the Otago man held his test spot in the test against Ireland and then the first test of the 1976 series against South Africa. But Joe Morgan was called into the second test line-up, which was not only the sole All Black victory of the series, it was his try (having received a reverse pass from none other than Sid Going) which sealed the win and is possibly the most memorable moment of the entire tour. He played 12 matches in total, including the last three tests.

 

Having lost his test spot to Canterbury’s Lin Davis for the Irish test in Wellington (won 11-3 by New Zealand) Sid Going made 13 appearances on tour and in turning the tables, was preferred to Davis for all four test matches. In the second, besides the pass which put Morgan in for the games only try, he sent a ball back between his legs to Doug Bruce, from which the Cantab dropped a goal to extend New Zealand’s lead to 15-9, with 15 minutes to play.

 

In 1977, again amidst speculation that he was ‘over the hill’, with knives out, Sid Going retained his test jersey, at least for the first two tests against the touring British Lions. But when the Lions took the second test in Christchurch by 13-9, several changes were made for the third, the one gaining the most universal approval seemingly replacing Going with Davis. 

 

Lyn Jaffray was another to play his last test match that cold July afternoon, but once again Joe Morgan’s non-selection in favour of Bill Osborne as his replacement did seem to indicate that time was up for both North Auckland men in the black jersey and that is how it transpired. 

 

Sid and Brian Going made their final appearances for North Auckland in 1978, both joining their retired elder sibling, Ken, as provincial centurions; Sid (110) and Brian (102) matches for the union. Joe Morgan played for the Cambridge blues until 1981, finishing up on 165 games, still the individual appearance record to this day. Tragically, Joe Morgan died five days after sustaining severe head injuries in a fall at a construction site in Whangarei in 2002.

​

*****

​

North Auckland players to have played against Hawke's Bay in challenges 21 in 1969.

​

BRADLEY, Leslie John (Mid-Northern). Winger. 56 matches for North Auckland between 1969-1973.

COLTHURST, Francis John (Kamo). Hooker. 45 matches for North Auckland between 1968-1976. Auckland (45), Thames Valley (27).

GOING, Brian Lionel (Mid-Northern). 1/5. 102 matches for North Auckland between 1967-1978.

GOING, Sidney Milton (Mid-Northern). Halfback. 110 matches for North Auckland between 1962-1978.

GUY, Richard Alan (Waipu). Prop. 94 matches for North Auckland between 1966-1974. 

HADDON, Laly Paroane (Omaha). No. 8. 77 matches for North Auckland between 1963-1973.

HEWITT, Donald Wolleston (WHSOB). Flanker. 121 matches for North Auckland between 1959-1970. 

HOLMES, Bevan (Kamo). Lock. 90 matches for North Auckland between 1966-1978

JONES, Roderick Ross (Omaha). Centre. 72 matches for North Auckland between 1968-1975. Auckland (1) 

MAC, Peter Boyd (WHSOB). Prop. 27 matches for North Auckland between 1968-1970.

MORGAN, Frederick Thomas (Mid-Northern). Forward. 18 matches for North Auckland between 1969-1976.

MORGAN, Joseph Edmund Mid-Northern). 2/5. 165 matches for North Auckland between 1967-1981.

ROBINSON, Maxwell John (Kerikeri). Flanker. 35 matches for North Auckland between 1968-1970.

TRIGG, Ray S (Dargaville). Fullback. 4 matches for North Auckland in 1969.
WHITEHEAD, Terrence Alfred (Kerikeri). 2 matches for North Auckland in 1969.

YOUNG, Jon Edwin (Ruawai). 10 matches for North Auckland between 1967-1969. 

​

#1 song in NZ (05/09/1969): 'In the Year 2525' by Zager & Evans