I'm a Hawkeye Guy

5th defence

 Taranaki 

 

 

 

McLean Park, Napier. September 16th, 1967

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HAWKES BAY 16, TARANAKI 3 (Half-time: 8 - 3)

 

For Hawkes Bay: Blair Furlong & Aidan Thomas tries. Ian Bishop, 2 conversions and 2 penalty goals.

 

For Taranaki: Kerry Hurley, penalty goal.

 

Hawkes Bay: Ian Bishop, Doug Curtis, Mick Duncan, Dennis Smith (replaced by Frank Jones), Ian MacRae, Blair Furlong, Aidan Thomas, Dave Bone, Gary Condon, Rod Abel, Kaaran Crawford, Kel Tremain, Neil Thimbleby, Myles Reddy (replaced by Gus Meech), Hilton Meech.

 

Taranaki: Kerry Hurley (Okato) replaced by Brian Gilhooly (Tukapa), Lloyd Clarke (Stratford), Guy McCutcheon (Stratford), Bill Currey (Opunake), Jim Irving (Stratford THSOB), Ross ‘Pascoe’ Brown (New Plymouth HSOB), Dennis Wards (Tukapa), Trevor Jenkins (New Plymouth HSOB), Murray Wills (Patea), Alan Smith (Stratford), Ian Eliason (Kaponga), Bruce Collins (Clifton), Ash Gardiner (Tukapa) replaced by Fred Harris (New Plymouth HSOB), John Major (Inglewood United), Brian ‘Jazz’ Muller (Eltham) 

 

Referee: CF (??) Robson (Waikato) Crowd: 24,200 net profit for HBRFU: $9,504.00

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“Man for man, the Taranaki match was the hardest Hawkes Bay had to face during 1967. The feeling was in the game, from the public, the press and the players. They certainly had the strongest forward pack and we met them with ours, which had a reputation of being open and loose. The fact that we played the hard forward struggle and won made it the best game for me, undoubtedly.”

Colin Le Quesne, (Shield ’67)

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  There was little doubt that the Taranaki challenge was the most eagerly awaited of the 1967 series and was in fact, the fourth biggest (crowd wise) of the entire three year tenure. Ferdinand was coming to town and many considered this would also be the toughest challenge the Magpies would endure of the three that remained in the season.

  Somewhere during the preceding week, another outbreak of Shield fever occurred and once again it had struck down the provincial inhabitants, in epidemic proportions. Persistent showers of rain fell throughout the week, as if to endorse the disease and folk were also of the opinion, this would play into Taranaki’s hands.

  For within their forward pack were no fewer than four All Blacks, who had been recently selected for the end of year tour; Brian ‘Jazz’ Muller, John Major, Alan Smith and Murray Wills.

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  From farming stock near Stratford, Alan Smith was a new All Black, having first represented Taranaki as a 19 year old in 1962. He was battling with Sam Strachan of Manawatu (particularly) for the locking position, as recently vacated by Stan Meads. Smith played five matches for the New Zealand under 23 side which toured Australia in 1964 and was marked down as a top prospect at an early age.

  Murray Wills, a product of south Taranaki and the son of Cliff, a fine and rugged player for Taranaki between 1926 and 1934, first made the Taranaki side as a 20-year old in 1962. He was in the Taranaki team which lifted the Ranfurly Shield in 1963 and played in many of the defences in the 1964-65 seasons.
  He was also in Taranaki sides which met the touring Springboks and Lions in the 1965-66 seasons and gained the first of his eight All Black trials in 1965. Regular appearances at trials and his consistency for Taranaki saw him win a place on the 1967 tour. 

  An industrious and energetic loose forward, at his best in the open side role, he was in conflict for the No. 7 All Black jersey with another terrier-type in Graham Williams of Wellington. His appearances on tour were limited to just five games with Williams playing in all the test matches.

  Two other forwards in this mighty pack would go on to become All Blacks; Ian Eliason (already a New Zealand Junior) and the rawboned, 20 year old, prop Ash Gardiner.

  There was class in the Taranaki back division also and none finer than the great All Black first five-eighth, Ross ‘Pascoe’ Brown, son of the 1924 invincible, Handley. Although in somewhat the twilight of his career by then, Brown had played no fewer than 146 times for Taranaki since 1953 and had worn national colours from 1955-59 and again in 1961-62.

  He had been through two great shield reigns with his province and played a leading role in the latter as the captain. ‘Pascoe’ Brown was a potent weapon for Taranaki with his late career found talent for drop kicking goals. He landed 10 in the 1964 season alone, including three in a shield defence against North Auckland.

  Although only listed as a reserve for the match, Neil Wolfe was another former All Black with a fine and long record for the amber and blacks. He made the last of his three appearances for the North Island in 1966 and although he hadn’t worn the International black shirt since 1963, was a perpetual trialist, principally as a utility back.

  Winger Bill Currey would become an All Black in 1968. The former Auckland Grammar 1st XV member had moved south to the Taranaki to take up a teaching position at the start of 1967. After just six games for the province he found himself named in the New Zealand U23 side and subsequently was rewarded further with an All Black trial.

  Second five-eighth, Jim Irving, came on as a substitute for NZ Juniors in a 19-8 victory against Marlborough two days before their clash with the British Lions in 1966.

  An ex-Auckland colt, Brian Gilhooly, was another member of the U23 side (coming on as a replacement in that match and also in this shield challenge, for Kerry Hurley). Gilhooly would later play for Wellington, Horowhenua and Hawkes Bay. 

  The Brian Gilhooly Memorial Cup has been played for every year since 1996 by the colts sides of Napier Old Boys Marist (whom Gilhooly had coached prior to his premature death) and Hastings Rugby and Sports. He was, for a time, the proprietor of the Criterion Hotel.

 

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  Besides the rain, the other notable event in the week leading up to Saturday, September 16th, was a ruckus over tickets at McLean Park on the Tuesday when they went on sale. The never ending quest for match tickets, often like gold to get hold of – plus reports of scuffles and queue jumping – had prompted fractious conditions in Napier.

  With Bill Davis still carrying his ankle injury, but Dennis Smith now available, Le Quesne was able to move Mick Duncan to centre, without losing any quality out wide. That was the only change to the Bay side from the Southland challenge of fourteen days prior.

  In between times, Bill Davis, Ian MacRae and Kel Tremain had been named in the 30 man All Black squad for their Northern Hemisphere tour, beginning on October 14th in Vancouver. Between the two North Island provincial power houses of Hawkes Bay and Taranaki, they would have seven current, two former and seven future All Blacks on display (or the reserves bench) this day.

  But Colin Le Quesne believed that the Bay were hard done by when it came to trials and selections and stated that he was personally disappointed that more players did not receive the national recognition he felt they deserved. For example, in this particular match, Neil Thimbleby had completely ‘out-scrummaged’ Brian Muller, yet wasn’t given even an early trial berth in early September.

 

“Looking back, I am only sorry that having the shield, did not give one or two other players the pride of wearing the silver fern, which I think they richly deserved. However, it is a problem of not being in a main centre where publicity of deeds well done are spread nationwide and this, in some way, helps one along the path to this emblem, for which we all strive.” 

Kel Tremain (Shield ’67)

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With the game being played with all the intensity of a test match, Ross Brown attempted to use his boot to keep field position assured for the challengers, but the Bay, onto this, literally shut him down. Another Magpie under-rated at national level, Gary Condon, shadowed Brown all afternoon, the ‘maestro’ later confessing to him being ‘a damn nuisance.’

  Ian Bishop and Kerry Hurley exchanged penalties and at half time, Hawkes Bay led by 8-3. In his first match back, Dennis Smith succumbed again to his ankle injury and was replaced by Frank Jones. That was it for Dennis Smith for the season, he would sit out the last two defences against Otago and Wellington over the next two Saturdays.

  The second spell began with Hawkes Bay again dominating the early forward exchanges. In another Herculean effort, Tremain – carrying half the Taranaki pack with him – charged to within a few metres of the challenger’s line. From the ensuing scrum, Dave Bone picked the ball up and passed to Aidan Thomas, the little half back scoring in the tackle of Ross Brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Ian Bishop added two more penalties, the second ruled out when an over-zealous Doug Curtis was judged to have got in front of the ball. His personal haul of 10 points for the match took him to 58 in total during the first five defences.

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  Taranaki faced two other unsuccessful ’67 shield challengers in their forthcoming season finales. A 13-3 victory over Waikato in Hamilton on September 23rd, was followed a week later by a 12-22 loss in Palmerston North to Manawatu.

  Winger, Lloyd Clarke and centre, McCutcheon did not play for Taranaki again in 1967 following the Hawkes Bay match. At season’s end, Brian Gilhooly transferred to Wellington. Ross Brown would play the first match of 1968 against Wanganui - his 150th for Taranaki - before announcing his retirement.

  John Major also retired during the 1968 season, after the provinces fifth outing, a hard fought 6-3 win over Hawkes Bay in New Plymouth. He had given Taranaki yeoman service, playing 73 representative matches and a leading role in the 1963-65 Ranfurly Shield era. Major typified the honest, hard working forward, the heart and soul of Taranaki rugby that is the dairy farming breed.

  Murray Wills - through ill luck, limited opportunity and constantly battling a niggling groin injury - never quite managed to bridge the gap from provincial to international level.

 

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  Other representative fixtures of September 16th were; North Auckland thrashed Waikato 23-0 at Whangarei. Wanganui easily accounted for Horowhenua at home by 31-6. King Country worked hard for an 8-6 win over Poverty Bay in Gisborne, while Manawatu had too much in the tank for Marlborough in Blenheim, winning by 15-5. Bay of Plenty held on for a 12-9 win against Counties in Papakura and Canterbury edged out Otago by 12-10 in Dunedin. Mid-Canterbury recorded a win over South Canterbury at home in Ashburton by 22-6 and in the days other ‘big game’, Wellington completed the double over Auckland, winning on Eden Park by 14-6.

 

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  Had Taranaki lifted the shield from the Magpies, they would have to had put it up for grabs against Waikato the following Saturday, a match they won by 13-3. They would have retained the trophy until the 1968 season, whereby a realistic challenger list may have read as follows: v Wanganui (won 14-9), v Manawatu (won 23-12), v King Country (won 8-6), v Canterbury (lost 3-19). Matches against Hawkes Bay and Wellington would have followed in September.

  Canterbury would have been called on to defend the shield in matches against Otago (won 9-6) and North Auckland (won 5-3), Southland (won 24-6) and South Canterbury (won 18-11), although the final match was officially listed as 'a Canterbury XV', it would have most likely have been given full shield match status.

 

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#1 song in New Zealand (15th September, 1967) - 'Thanks to You' Mr Lee Grant