I'm a Hawkeye Guy
There's Something About a Magpie
Third defence;
WAIRARAPA
McLean Park. Saturday, August 12th, 1967
HAWKES BAY 27, WAIRARAPA 6 (Half-time: 6 – 6)
For Hawkes Bay: Kel Tremain (2), Dave Bone (2), Bill Davis and Neil Thimbleby tries. Ian Bishop, 3 conversions and 1 penalty goal.
For Wairarapa: Dermott Payton 1 penalty goal. Ray Kemp 1 dropped goal.
Hawkes Bay: Ian Bishop, Dennis Smith, Bill Davis, Doug Curtis, Ian MacRae, Blair Furlong, Aidan Thomas, Tom Johnson (replaced by Gary Condon), Dave Bone, Rod Abel, Kaaran Crawford, Kel Tremain, Neil Thimbleby, Myles Reddy, Hilton Meech.
Wairarapa: Dermott Payton (Red Star), Tom Wilkinson (Carterton), Merv Blackwell (Masterton), Basil Shanks (Masterton), Waihaere Mason (Masterton), Ray Kemp (Martinborough), Brent Elder (Red Star), Brian Lochore (Masterton) captain, George Mahupuku (Greytown), David Oliver (Masterton), Robert Meadows (Featherston), Ian Turley (Red Star), Allan Sutherland (Featherston), Brian McCarthy (Masterton), Bill Rowlands (Red Star)
Referee: JP (Pat) Murphy (North Auckland)
Crowd: 18,800
net profit for HBRFU: $7,273.27
The neighbouring provinces of Hawkes Bay and the Wairarapa were old rivals. Bob Le Quesne – father of Colin – had played in the first representative fixture played between the two Unions in 1890. The sides had met in seven previous Ranfurly Shield encounters, all between 1923 and 1929.
The two most famous of these were the 1926 debacle in which the Bay had racked up 77 points (in 1967, that score of 77-14 was still a shield record) and the famous ‘Battle of Solway’ in 1927, where Hawkes Bay had regained the shield from the Wairarapa (21-10) only to lose it again on a residential breach, concerning the eligibility of Wattie Barclay to participate in the game.
In 1929, Hawkes Bay were defeated by 6-10 in Masterton during the first defence of the season. Thirty eight years later the two sides would meet up again on McLean Park for the third challenge of the new tenure.
The Wairarapa side was not a bad one, they had even recorded a rare win over Wellington earlier in the season by 8-6. But since that time a slump in form, collectively and individually, had dampened their keenness and successive loses to Canterbury (3-25), King Country (3-18) and Manawatu (8-14) was not an ideal build up for a shield challenge.
A loss of form at full back saw Toby Hawea dropped from the side and replaced by Dermot Payton, who had last last played for the province in 1965 and then as a five-eighth. Also an excellent cricketer, Payton, an attractive right handed batsman had played for Central Districts since 1964/65.
Selector Alan ‘Kiwi’ Blake (himself a veteran of 108 games for Wairarapa, an All Black in 1949 and with 26 matches for the Maori All Blacks), was hoping that his recall may also be able to alleviate some of his goal kicking concerns.
The back division also included Ray Kemp, an All Black trialist in 1963 and 1965 with over 50 appearances for the Waikato. A 21 year old half back in Brent Elder, whipped from nowhere into the final All Black trial in 1966 and Merv Blackwell, who had previously played for Wellington, NZ Police and the Combined Services.
Basil Shanks on the left wing was a product of Gisborne BHS 1st XV, where he was played as a No. 8 and at centre. Big, strong and quick, Shanks represented Manawatu in 1963 and ’64, whereby he had developed into a fine wing three-quarter. On the other wing, a mutton butcher from Martinborough, Tom Wilkinson had played 20 matches since his debut in 1964.
The challengers had some big units in the forward pack; Robert Meadows (Wellington 1963-64 and All Black trialist 1965-66) and the youngsters Ian Turley and Dave Oliver, both over 6’ 3’, provided a formidable line out force and were all solid toilers in the tight play. Oliver had played 17 matches for Bush in 1965 and ’66, including the match against the Lions for the combined Wairarapa-Bush side.
Flanker, George Mahupuku had first represented the Wairarapa in 1962 and had played for both Southern and NZ Maori. He would represent Southern Maori again the following Saturday in the Prince of Wales Cup match in Wellington, the curtain-raiser to the All Black-Australia Jubilee clash. Northern Maori took the cup with a 21-14 win.
Like Oliver, he (along with Meadows, Elder and his captain Lochore) had played against the Springboks of 1965, a match won convincingly by the tourists by 36-0.
The South Africans dotted down on seven occasions in the game in Masterton, the Western Province duo of Wynand Mans and Andrew Janson scoring a brace each. In perfect conditions, the ‘Boks exploited some poor defence as exhibited by the home XV and revelling in the freedom allowed, romped home to an easy victory. They were too fast in the backs and far outweighed the lighter combined side scrum.
But the combined unions of the North Island’s south eastern sector provided much sterner opposition for the British Lions the following season in going down by just three points, the Tuesday before the second test match in Wellington. Right throughout the match the Lions backs were harried into errors, the home side never letting up in pursuit of tries which unfortunately did not materialise.
Wilkinson, Blackwell, Shanks, Kemp, Elder, Sutherland, Rowlands, Oliver, Meadows, Mahupuku and the captain Lochore had all played in this match, the Lions scampering to a 9-6 win with three tries of their own, one apiece to Keith Savage, Stuart Watkins and Mike Gibson.
Looking now at their shield challenge, there was little doubt that the Wairarapa game would be based around their inspirational leader, the Wairarapa’s twenty third All Black, second All Black captain and most illustrious rugby son, Brian James Lochore.
A love of horses was responsible for Lochore’s first ambition, to become a jockey, but it was apparent as he kept growing that his size would become an issue for that profession. He had been an age-group representative in tennis and highly ranked nationally, but eventually, rugby became his number one sport.
Lochore spent 1956 in the Wairarapa College 1st XV, making both his senior rugby debut for the Masterton club and at representative level for the Wairarapa, as an 18 year old in 1959. His first provincial match was against the Magpies in Napier, coming on as a replacement. Hawkes Bay (fielding Tom Johnson & Lou Cooper) won the match by 6 points to 3.
But the manner of victory had not impressed Colin Le Quesne all that much and he replaced seven of the playing fifteen for the match in Pahiatua against Bush the following week. The result was identical but in reverse and the Fuhrer now had a few major problems to ponder before the next game against the touring British Lions.
One change he had made would have a significant impact on Hawkes Bay rugby for the next decade and beyond. It was the debut of one Neil William Thimbleby, who played every other fixture of the 1959 representative calendar for his province, with only the full-back, Jamieson, from the Waipukurau HSOB club going one better and playing in all thirteen matches.
As is well documented, Hawkes Bay were given a rugby lesson by the Lions, who ran in thirteen tries in recording a 52-12 victory (78-14 today). In match 19, the Wairarapa (combined with Bush) put up a far better performance than the Bay had, although also soundly beaten by 37-11. Young Lochore marked the Scotsman from the Kelso club, George Smith.
Centre, David Hewitt had been the chief destroyer of the three unions. With 18 caps for Ireland between 1958-1965, Hewitt helped himself to four tries against the Magpies and two against Wairarapa-Bush. He added 23 points with his boot in the two matches, contributing 41 of the 89 points registered.
But no less a rugby critic supreme than the legendary T P McLean identified the effort in the latter match of the Masterton man, Brian Lochore, rating it and him as one of the most promising young forwards that the Lions had encountered all tour.
All Black trials in 1961 and 1963 followed for Lochore, named as a reserve for the one off test against England in ‘63. He made his full All Black debut on a Wednesday afternoon in Oxford, on the 1963-64 New Zealand tour to the United Kingdom, France and North America. The AB’s defeated Oxford University by 19-3, Kel Tremain scoring one of the two tries posted, the bulk of the points (13) coming from the boot of ‘The Boot’!
Lochore played sixteen tour matches, including the tests against England and Scotland. On debut, he marked David Perry of Bedford, who went on to captain his country in all four matches of the 1965 five nations championship. The All Blacks won the match by 14-0.
The Scottish match won infamy for it ended in a 0-0 draw, the closest Scotland had ever come to beating New Zealand in a rugby union test match.
With Wilson Whineray retiring from international rugby following the tour, No. 8, John Graham took over the captaincy for the three match home-series against the Wallabies and ‘BJ’ Lochore was not required for national duty.
But having been publicly outspoken about some of the appalling conditions he saw in South Africa in 1960, Graham wouldn’t play against the Springboks of 1965 at home and the Wairarapa man was recalled to the side (Whineray coaxed from retirement to once against lead them).
He played in all four test matches against South Africa and the following season was made captain by new coach, Fred Allen, for the series against the British Lions (scoring a try in the first test in Dunedin, won by 20-3).
His appointment ahead of other provincial captains in Meads, Tremain and Gray, had raised a few eye-brows, but a clean sweep of the test series by New Zealand went some way to justifying ‘the Needle’s’ faith. In seven days time, Brian Lochore would again lead his country in the one off 75th Jubilee test against Australia in Wellington.
*****
The game had barely started when Hawkes Bay suffered another casualty, with Tom Johnson succumbing to his ‘travelling’ hamstring (as the team had jokingly called it) at the very first line out. More than a comic story though, the loss of Johnson, called back into the side by Le Quesne because of the extra line out option he offered, was to have a big effect on the rest of the first spell.
Gary Condon, hardly had time to warm the reserves bench he found himself back on following the Waikato game, when he was out on the field, where he stayed for the rest of the season.
Ian Bishop had opened the scoring early with a penalty goal and when Neil Thimbleby crashed over for a try following ‘Bunny’ Tremain’s charge down of a Brent Elder clearing kick, the Bay were up by 6-0.
The Wairarapa clawed their way back into the game and were looking strong at set pieces. Dermott Payton opened their account with a penalty and – after sweeping onto attack – Ray Kemp was nicely set up to level the scores with a dropped goal. And so was the half-time score, 6-6.
But the manner in which Hawkes Bay dismantled the challengers during the second half, had shades of the previous Waikato match written all over it. Five, unanswered second half tries saw the Bay run out comfortable winners in the end by 27 points to 6.
A forty yard steamrolling surge by Karaan Crawford, shortly after the restart, led to a try beneath the posts for Kel Tremain. Ian Bishop added the conversion. Hawkes Bay, 11-6.
After twelve minutes, Dave Bone came off the back of a scrum near the Wairarapa line and – taking Thomas’ pass - dummied to MacRae moving on the inside. Bone swung the ball back out to Bill Davis, who cut his way through to score. Bishop again converted, Hawkes Bay 16-6.
Mid way through the half, the Bay employed ‘the big push’ and upon shunting the Wairarapa pack back over their goal line, Bone dropped down on the ball for the try. Hawkes Bay, 19-6.
On twenty eight minutes, Tremain took a quick tap from a penalty and charged, like a super powered tank, through the Wairarapa defence to score. Hawkes Bay, 22-6.
The final try came when Davis threw a pass on the blindside, which found Blair Furlong speeding for the Wairarapa line. Furlong linked up with Gary Condon, who in turn found Bone and the latter went in for his second try. Ian Bishop converted and the Bay had won, with an impressive second half, by 27-6.
*****
The Shield match was the last 1967 appearance in Wairarapa colours for Basil Shanks, Merv Blackwell, Brent Elder, Dave Oliver and Bill Rowlands. For Shanks (20) and Blackwell (31) it was their swansong. Tom Wilkinson played for the Wairarapa in 1968, taking his tally of matches to 30. He made a further three appearances for the newly amalgamated Wairarapa-Bush Union in 1971.
Waihaere Mason progressed to 20 with a further eight matches in 1968. Ray Kemp had worn the green of Wairarapa on 22 occasions in 1966 and 1967, he rounded out his lengthy rugby career by making eight appearances for Thames Valley in 1968.
Brent Elder played a further four times for the greens in 1968 before transferring to the Linwood club in Christchurch. He played 12 times for Canterbury between 1970 and ’72, but would have to have displaced Lin Davis for a regular spot and that was unlikely.
Neither Ian Turley or Dave Oliver played in the 1969 shield challenge by the Wairarapa, but both went on to lengthy spells as provincial representatives. Ian Turley, an All Black trialist in 1970, ended his career in 1978 with 136 games for Wairarapa or the combined Wairarapa-Bush unions.
Dave Oliver retired in 1973, having made his debut for Bush in 1965. He played 31 times for Wairarapa-Bush, 23 for Wairarapa and 17 for Bush. Bob Meadows and Brian McCarthy retired at the end of the 1968 with 36 and 21 appearances respectively.
Brian Lochore, George Mahupuku, Dermot Payton, Bill Rowlands and Allan Sutherland would be back again in the first challenge of the 1969 season.
*****
Other first class matches played on August 12th were; Wellington 23, South Canterbury 3 (at Lower Hutt). Waikato 15, King Country 9, at Hamilton. Marlborough and Golden Bay-Motueka fought out an 11 all draw in Blenheim, while Southland reversed the tables on Otago with a 12-6 victory in Invercargill. Poverty Bay recorded a 16-0 win over northern neighbours, East Coast, at Tolaga Bay and Taranaki were too tough at home for Bay of Plenty, victory theirs by 20-6. West Coast had the narrowest of wins over North Otago in Oamaru by 15-14.
*****
The ‘Jubilee Test’ was played at Athletic Park in Wellington, on August 19th, to mark the 75th anniversary of the NZRFU. It was the All Blacks only home test match of the 1967 calendar. The opponents were the Australians, who were heavily outclassed and defeated by 29 points to 9.
The All Blacks were supposed to have toured the Republic of South Africa in 1967, but under the growing weight of anti-apartheid sentiment, the New Zealand government - under better organised pressure from anti-racist organisations - was finally prepared to squeeze rugby bosses, and cancelled the planned tour.
In 1965, South African Prime Minister, Dr. Hendrick Verwoerd inferred in a speech that the government would continue to permit only ‘all-white’ New Zealand rugby teams to tour the country. New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Keith Holyoake, responded by saying that in this country we are ‘one people’ and that the country could not be fully represented by a racially selected team, adopting the 1960 protest slogan; ‘No Maori, no tour!’
This was a bitter pill for the All Black coach, Fred Allen, for his appointment to that role ahead of Neil McPhail the previous season was very much on the premise that New Zealand would be touring South Africa, giving him an opportunity to avenge the 4-0 series defeat he endured there in 1949, as not only an All Black, but captain.
Later in 1967, denied their favourite touring team, South Africa’s new Prime Minister, John Vorster, stated in a speech to the House of Assembly that, while attendance at sporting events would still be controlled under the Group Areas Act, the country would no longer dictate what the racial makeup of visiting sports teams should be.
A tour to North America, the United Kingdom and France at season’s end was hastily arranged as a replacement for the proposed sojourn to the Republic. The ‘lateness of the hour’ resulted in difficulties arranging matches against club opposition, a tradition of earlier tours, with non-Test games now played solely against regional teams.
Five All Blacks, one-third of the team, were making their test match debut for New Zealand in the Jubilee game on August 19th. Surprisingly, given all the new blood introduced, the test match highlighted the potency that Fred Allen was developing within the side. He had the team committed to a 15-man, open game which they implemented almost perfectly on the way to one of the most entertaining home test victories in years.
Bill Davis had played 16 times for his country previously without gaining an international cap, but his early season form for the Magpies had earned him the call up at centre, outside his provincial pal, Ian MacRae.
Likewise, John Major of Taranaki had been on the same tours as Davis and had also played 16 times for New Zealand before making his test debut against the Australian’s. This would be his only test match however, by 1968 he had lost his back-up spot as hooker to Bruce McLeod, to Wellington’s Terry McCashin.
An injury to McLeod had allowed Major to earn his stripes, the same intervention meant test debut’s for Sid Going (Chris Laidlaw) and Brian Muller (Ken Gray). After scouring the country to find the correct man for the job, Allen named Sam Strahan of the Manawatu as the replacement for the retired Stan Meads.
Mac Herewini opened the scoring with a dropped goal and three more points were gained by a Mick Williment penalty. Wallaby number 507, Rod Batterham of the Gordon club, also on debut, streaked across on the left wing for a try to close the gap to 6-3. Williment added another penalty.
A counter attack led by Herewini, with a sensational burst up the middle by Bill Davis, almost put skipper Lochore in for a try, but the No. 8 was called back after the pass he received was deemed forward.
After leading by 9-3 at the break, three tries in six minutes to Davis, Tony ‘Stainless’ Steel of Canterbury and Kel Tremain took the game away from a gallant Australian team. Late in the match, Steel had an opportunity to use his lightning pace to grab a second. On his home track, Mick Williment was on song, converting all four tries.
19 year old Batterham, who had played strongly in Sydney’s 30-8 victory over the touring Irish side and was rewarded with his test cap against New Zealand, scored a brilliant second try, running in a fine piece of counter attacking play of their own to conclude the scoring.
*****
On August 26th, Hawkes Bay played out an 8-8 draw with the Bay of Plenty in Rotorua. The inauspicious nature of the ground and conditions left a lot to be desired and the Bay ruing the fact that some key players may be missing when facing the next challenger, Southland, the following Saturday.
Built on an old dump site, there was little grass on the pitch and mud, in places, was inches deep. Pumice and sand had been poured onto the surface before the match in an attempt to cover up some of the problem areas.
Most seriously injured was Dennis Smith, who literally fell down a hole, which appeared to have been gouged out by a tractor wheel. Smith would be out for three weeks with an ankle injury and miss the Southland match. Neil Armstrong, Geoff Martin and Robbie Stuart were all run on replacements during this match.
Speculation was therefore rife throughout the province all week; could a weakened Hawkes Bay side hold out the mighty Southland forward pack, who had defeated the British Lions but a year ago in their tour opener.
On the same day the New Zealand under 23 trials were held at Rugby Park in New Plymouth. In the early trial the ‘Possibles’ (with Mick Duncan and Gary Condon) won by 8 points to 6. Hepa Paewai played for the defeated ‘Probables’.
No Hawkes Bay players were involved in the main trial and none made the side, which played the one game against Taranaki on August 28th, losing by 6-16. Included in the New Zealand under 23 side were future All Blacks; Graham Williams, captain, Gerald Kember and John Dougan (Wellington), Graeme Thorne and Peter Whiting (Auckland), Ian Kirkpatrick and Kerry Tanner (Canterbury), Bill Currey (Taranaki) and Tony Kreft (Otago).
*****
#1 song in New Zealand (August 11, 1967) - A Whiter Shade of Pale Procul Harum