1. A Taste of Shield Fever
I had been absolutely desperate to attend a live game of rugby.
My burgeoning interest in the sport (governed by these rugby mad parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties, neighbours, countrymen) and the desire to go to a game was put on hold by my father, despite all my pleas, when he would not take me to a match between Wellington and the touring Welshmen, two months prior to the 1969 Hawkes Bay-Wellington shield match.
I was destined to spend the afternoon at his parent’s house in Constable Street, Newtown, within walking distance of Athletic Park, while my parents went the game. Having attended the pre-match parade through the streets of Wellington earlier in the day, I was disappointed to not be going to the match, something my mother obviously deciphered as more than just whining.
Next thing, with my father not very amused at all, I was off with him instead of her, she’d forgone the occasion to allow me to go in her place. This was a magnanimous gesture on her behalf, especially with all the consequences that went with it.
She and my grandmother didn’t get on all that well. And with my mother staying behind, Granny’s sly grogging wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d anticipated it would be and that set her off. My father was annoyed that he had a six year old in toe, so he wasn’t overly ecstatic either.
Notebook out. first ever rugby match, an international fixture - Wellington v Wales.
I have a subliminal kid flash of walking up the steps of the famed alleyway (which I shall talk about later in the book), entering the ground and seeing the mad-arsed Lion that I’d seen at the parade earlier in the day. I recognised him instantly as the great mascot of Wellington rugby, Leo.
It seemed to me to be like a carnival atmosphere inside the Park, with Leo the lion the King of pre-match entertainment (which at six, was possibly more exciting than the match itself) and some deranged Welsh supporters who wanted to hang leaks from the goal-posts.
The match began in lively enough fashion, with both sides looking to gain an early advantage. Keith Jarrett, the Welsh fullback, let fly with a couple of long range penalty attempts. Graham Charles Williams (26/01/1945-25/01/2018) charged down a clearing kick by Barry John, but Wellington couldn’t capitalise further on the error and turn it into points.
Ray ‘Chico’ Hopkins (9), looks destined to collect the ball from this line-out during the Welsh fixture. L-R; (Wales) Brian and Delme Thomas, Dennis Hughes, Mervyn Davies and (Wgton) Ken Gray, Paul Delaney, Barry Guy and Andy Leslie. When I spoke to Chico in 2007, he still had the match ball from this game.
Matiu Blackburn (1944-07/12/2017) was unsuccessful with a dropped goal attempt. Andrew Roy Leslie (10/11/1944-) and Mark Sayers (01/05/1947-) shot away and almost put Nectar in for an early try.
At fourth attempt, Jarrett converted a penalty giving the visitors a 3-0 lead.
A parochial crowd of 46,000 then roared their approval, when Leslie – following up a centring kick from Robert L Gray – plunged across the line for a try to level the scores at 3 apiece. A second penalty goal from Keith Jarrett, right on half-time, following a late tackle on Barry John (1945-2024), 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 assumed – 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. That would certainly not be lost on master-tactician, Le Quesne.
The very first play after half-time provided, in a nut shell, the home side’s strategy for the second half. Blackburn seized the ball and - supposedly tactically kicking - punted the ball no fewer than 75 yards, straight into the dead ball area. At this painful experience, senior citizens began to mutter.
'Twiggy' 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 Peter Rhys Williams (1949-2024).
Veteran New Zealand rugby Writer, Sir Terrence Power McLean (1913-2004), expressed an opinion in his book Red Dragons of Rugby, that the employment by the five-eighths of the long-range kicking tactic on attack had been the staple of New Zealand rugby since the end of WWII and rugby folk had long since become bored with it.
​
“Those long kicks that boomed down the field, of which one was surprised they did not plunge into Cook Strait, wasted both time and effort and - what was more - they were extraordinarily dull to watch. The first head which should have gone on the chopping block was that of Ken Gray, the captain. Blackburn is a compulsive kicker, having only this and the dropkick as attacking weapons. Gray should have perceived that his name-sake, Robert Gray, in the centre, was a springy, leggy lad with a likely look about him and that Knight and Stephens, on the wings, were, as All Blacks, worth at least more than walk on parts. For a major province to play this sort of guff was galling - infuriating rather.”
Terry McLean (Red Dragons of Rugby, 1969. P111)
At 6-9 down, the hosts were still in with a right royal show. Like the well-drilled side they were, they often won the ball, but Blackburn chiefly, continued to boot it into orbit. Nectar was firing out passes with speed and efficiency and while Robert Gray, Owen George Stephens (09/01/1947-) and Gerald Francis Kember (15/11/1945-) were all promising at times, the namby-pamby punting crisis put paid to any realistic chance Wellington had of winning the contest.
In the end it was the Welsh who took the initiative and stole the show. Hooker, Norman Gale, twice won heels against the head, right on Wellington’s line and at the second of these, ‘Chico’ Hopkins nipped around the blind, going left, and with the smartest of sidesteps, was into the scoring area before Leslie or Wayne John Fairfax Nicholls (20/11/1944-15/08/2017) knew he was even there.
Robert Gray in action during the Welsh fixture. John Dawes in the background, would return to New Zealand as captain of the all-conquering British Lions in 1971.
As he scored and leapt madly into the air, he was fervently embraced by delirious Welsh supporters, who had rushed him from the dead-ball area. Jarrett converted and Wales went ahead by 14-6.
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 which had erupted after the restart from the Hopkins try.
As the blows began to rain, Delme Thomas was ejected flat on his back-side and Millar had to let shrill his whistle several times before the mill eventually stopped. Old-timers were aghast and mumbling inanely, rollie’s hardly moving in their mouths. Embarrassing technical incompetence of the hitting. Not one blow worthy of remembrance had been struck!
_edited.jpg)
_edited.jpg)
Ian Stevens and Mark Sayers (aka: Nectar & Twiggy). Wellington-Wales match programme of 1969.
I was converted. Although Wellington were beaten, I thought this rugby thing was a grand lark and if every game was like this one, phew! I wanted more. There were a couple more disappointing moments and a few more ‘no’s’ along the way, but my next big break was rather a fortuitous one, in that I was in Hastings for the August school holidays with my mother and sister.
My whinging at Bruce had obviously worked and being the loving, gracious man that he was - and my grandmother equally gracious in giving up her season ticket also - I was (unbelievably) off to the cauldron of McLean Park for another Hawkes Bay-Wellington Ranfurly Shield match.
Another event of absolute world wide significance occurred just six weeks before the Wellington shield challenge, one which at six years of age, was positively exciting and I was totally fascinated and engrossed.
This was possibly because my class - and indeed most schools I expect - were following the Apollo 11 mission with much interest.
It was commonly known and assumed that if the mission were successful, man would walk on the surface of the moon for the first time. This information fuelled interest further, as it was indeed 'a giant step for mankind' and fulfilled a national goal as proposed in 1961 by President John Kennedy, effectively ending the 'Space Race' (a cold war competition between the USSR and the USA).
NASA and the American government and inhabitants were so besotted with getting to the Moon ahead of the Russians and before the end of the decade, that the whole thing played out like a Hollywood blockbuster, which was again, part of what made it all so exciting. The newspapers and television were a media circus.
Ironically, it was a new moon in New Zealand and the middle of winter, so going outside in the evening to look at the moon was a dead waste of time.
The three astronauts who crewed Apollo 11 became household names; Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and the mercurial Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin. Armstrong, as history has it, was the first human being to step onto the moon, doing so - while the world watched and waited - on July 21 at 02:56 UTC
A newspaper 'cut-out' of 'Buzz' Aldrin made my All-Stars side, who occasionally played charity fixtures. They sort of filled the 'rugby-men' role of the likes of the Centurions or Saracens. Donald Duck was the half-back.
The crew of Apollo 11; Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and 'Buzz' Aldrin.
Notebook out; second match attended, Hawkes Bay v Wellington. First Ranfurly Shield match.
After entering the ground through the members entrance, we bumped into Colin Le Quesne. He and Bruce greeted each other as the old mates that they were. I remember my Grandfather saying; “he’s up from Wellington, but I’ve convinced him to support the Bay.”
This old guy with a deeply lined face, but one I could tell was the epitome of sage and wisdom, looked down at me with a menacing frown upon it. Turncoat, he was clearly thinking. Nah, he’s just a kid! I was feeling the pinch of his piercing stare, when all at once he wryly smiled and professed that, either way then, I’d go home a happy child.
He was correct. For whatever the result had been, for a six year old boy it was all about the occasion; the drama, the tension. Sport; the modern day Coliseum.
The atmosphere was a jump up from the Wellington-Wales fixture. Gone was the carnival atmosphere, replaced by a tempestuous cauldron of brimstone and fire. I’d never witnessed anything like it. It put the pictures in my head that I’d imagined, having listened to the 1967 challenge over the fence at Uncle Bob Thorpe’s.
Everyone inside the ground was on edge, wound up like cuckoo-clocks. The match itself, just as tense and very exciting throughout. The place was jam packed and I so small that I missed a great deal of the match from simply not being able to see through adults who couldn’t sit still.
The partisan crowd really got vocal behind the holders. Although but six years of age, I had been afflicted with ‘Shield Fever’ and upon reflection, I’m not certain that the tempestuousness of that cauldron was ever re-kindled any other place or time during any subsequent matches that I attended. Grant Batty’s try against the British Lions in Wellington, 1977, perhaps?!
I hadn’t fully committed to supporting the Bay though, because my own special rugby heroes were Wellington players. My father would always talk of C E Meads (King Country) and he always had tremendous respect for any forward who donned the silver fern. If I’d fessed up to him that my favourite players were backs and weren't even All Black’s (chiefly Ian 'Nectar' Stevens and Mark 'Twig' Sayers), he’d almost certainly have taken the piss. To UK or South African readers, this is very much a kiwi thing to do; Chatise or bully anyone with a different point of view, even if they are just a little kid.
But I knew quite a bit about the Wellington side by now. After the Welsh game, I had read the newspapers and followed their fortunes through the provincial season and by the time they played the Bay, I was familiar with the names of the players that made up the representative side.
is engulfed by the tackle of Robert Gray
Wellington v Wales, 1969
is engulfed by the tackle of Robert Gray
Click on the image at left to view photographs of the Wellington-Wales encounter, June 7th, 1969. Athletic Park in Wellington.
For folk from the Hawkes Bay, 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 that epic cliffhanger and buoyed on by the thought of a repeat, locals flocked to get their tickets, resulting in the single biggest crowd (26,292) 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 indeed!
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 at Athletic Park. 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. On the train home, one Wellington player was heard to comment that the ‘clackety clack, clackety clack’ of the train even sounded like the ’58-8’ scoreline, further humiliating the players from the capital.
Largely because Hawkes Bay were often appalling between the 1930’s-1950’s and because if Wellington secured the Ranfurly Shield, they never held it for long, the two sides never met again in a shield match until 1967.
From the Wellington side which challenged the Bay that year, Gerald Kember, Bruce L Hill, Mattie Blackburn, Ian Stevens, Graham Williams, Paul Delaney (11/7/1939-05/10/2012), Wayne Nicholls and Kenneth Francis Gray (24/06/1938-18/11/1992) 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’. Presumably, Thorne meant that he was the other.
Wellington were unbeaten in their eight inter-provincial matches in 1969, before their shield challenge, with away wins over Wanganui, Wairarapa, Waikato, Manawatu, Taranaki and Auckland. Home wins had been recorded against the old foe, Canterbury and Bay of Plenty.
In the match against Auckland at Eden Park, a big second half effort, with Wellington controlling possession and territory, saw them through to a 17-13 victory.
Besides the vigour of Ken Gray in scrum and line-out, plus the wide-ranging excursions of Andy Leslie and Graham Williams in the loose, Wellington had cause to thank the fluent play of Gerald Kember at fullback and the occasional sharp break by Mark ‘Twig’ Sayers at second five-eighth, who scored one of his sides three tries.
Ian Kirkpatrick scores the only try of the Canterbury match. Wellington players from left; Robert Gray, Owen Stephens, Mark Sayers and Ian Stevens. Number 12 for Canterbury is Derek ‘Bluey’ Arnold.
10,000 people had turned up at Athletic Park, to watch the home side take on the Cantab’s. Despite the near perfect conditions, the first half saw little imaginative rugby.
Wellington had trailed for most of the game and had looked a beaten side, but the match, which had slumbered along, exploded into life in the final 20 minutes as the home team stole it in the final tense moments.
Canterbury, through Ian Andrew Kirkpatrick (24/05/1946-), had scored the only try, but three penalties by Gerald Kember and the trademark dropped goal by Mattie Blackburn had ensured a 12-11 win.
The architects of the dramatic reversal were the Wellington forwards, who rose to magnificent stature, when all had looked lost. Unaccustomed as they were to playing on an Athletic Park with no wind and a firm surface, Wellington had little answer to the bustling tactics of a robust, mobile Canterbury side, who led by 8-3 at half-time, but probably deserved a greater margin.
Although lacking cohesive application, Canterbury’s policy was to hit Wellington hard from the very start, taming them at their leisure. Captain, Ian Penrose, skilfully directed the concerted surges, with Jake Burns and Alister Hopkinson dominating the tight work. Kirkpatrick was supreme in the loose.
Exchanges were lively, but untidy and scrappy as play drearily moved about the field. There was a lot of physical effort, but not much positive purpose to most of the play. Penalties were commonplace, Wellington enjoying a definite advantage in this respect.
There was little back play in the first half, neither side electing to move the ball in orthodox fashion from set play. In fact, the ball never reached the Wellington second five-eighth, Twig Sayers, until 20 minutes had passed. Up to that point, Blackburn had either kicked or dropped it.
The Canterbury back-line were restricted in their well-meaning efforts also, by a hesitant performance behind the scrum from Lyn Davis, who was slow in clearing the ball and far from accurate. Nectar Stevens completely outplayed Davis (the All Black reserve scrum-half against the Welsh), the passes from the tousled-haired youngster were long and precise, while his cover play was exemplary.
Although he was outstanding in all aspects of play and, indeed, enjoying the purplest of patches in form throughout 1969, a wholly unsympathetic section of the crowd had given All Black fullback, Fergi McCormick, the Athletic Park raspberry.
Sensing that they were making few friends, Wellington introduced some imaginative patterns into their play as the second half wore on and Canterbury had a turn in desperate defence.
The match took a dramatic turn when the Wellington forwards - the tight contingent led magnificently by Ken Gray, assisted by Gareth Head - became rampant and dominant. Forward drive was intimate and strong, with some very fine inter-passing.
Paul Delaney and Barry Guy held their own at line-out time and the loose trio of Graham Williams, Wayne Nicholls and Andy Leslie were admirable in stifling Canterbury’s attack.
Fergi’s counterpart, Ged Kember, landed a third penalty goal, closing the gap to just two points. The educated left boot of Blackburn then brought the crowd to it’s feet, when his magnificent dropped goal sailed between the Canterbury posts.
Now there was purpose, application and patterned rugby in the game, as Wellington held a slim one-point lead and the Cantabs threw everything but the Millard Stand into the fray. The home sides goal line was pounded by the red and blacks, who went seriously close to scoring on a couple of occasions.
But the Wellington defence, reasonably sound throughout, had become well-nigh impregnable at this tense stage. There was no respite for them though, as Canterbury were camped near the Wellington try line for the final couple of minutes and the winning try had seemed all but imminent.
The home side held on grimly until the referees whistle sounded for no-time.
The only blemish to Wellington’s winning record before their shield challenge, had been the 6-14 loss suffered at the hands of the touring Welshmen on June 7th. Even then, it was a match that the home side may well have won, by changing tactics that clearly were not working.
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 his opportunities were limited by the tactics employed by those inside him. 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 Orton Knight (20/5/1945-) (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.
Robert Gray in action against Auckland on Athletic Park in 1968. In the background is Petone and Wellington lock, Barry Guy.
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 Wellington tight five pack were largely unchanged in 16 matches played in 1969. Seen here at training are from left; Wayne Nicholls, Ken Gray, Barry Guy, Pat Abraham, Paul Delaney and Gareth Head.
The Robert 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.
Freeman had faced the daunting prospect of having to replace five members of his impressive and vastly experienced pack following the completion of the 1967 season, one which had toppled both the Lions and the Springboks in recent years. Ian Neven MacEwan (1/5/1934-), Paul Delaney and Junior M 'Jim' Finn had all retired from first-class rugby, with All Black’s, Thomas Norman Lister (27/10/1943-23/7/2017) and Terrence Michael McCashin (18/1/1944-31/10/2017), 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 1968.
With his continuity of selection policy again evident, the new pack were – by season’s end – returning to full effectiveness in most departments. The side had showed notable improvement, with consecutive home wins over Waikato and Canterbury to conclude the season.
Although out of his natural position as a makeshift lock, Wayne Nicholls led by example with his powerful driving play. Andy Leslie and Ken 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, Patrick W V 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 same could be said of the backline regarding consistency of selection. Michael Knight (16), Ian Stevens, Owen Stephens, Mark Sayers (15) and Mattie Blackburn (14) all testament to this. 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.
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, Twig 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 just 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 similarly orientated.
After making 31 appearances for Counties, 1968 All Black to Australia, Michael Knight, found himself in Wellington (playing for the Wellington club) and was soon drafted into the representative outfit on the wing, opposite a fellow AB discard, Owen Stephens.
Owen Stephens is halted in his tracks by Mick Duncan during the Hawkes Bay-Wellington Ranfurly Shield challenge of August 30th.
The son of a professional Rugby League player, Mortimer or ‘Monty’, Owen 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 Sidney Milton Going (19/08/1943-17/05/2024) 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-South match in Wellington on September 13th.
To complete the build up to my attendance at a Shield fixture for the very first time, I attended my second pre-match parade in a couple of months, on this occasion, through the streets of Napier before the 1969 Hawkes Bay-Wellington Ranfurly Shield challenge.
Matiu 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.
​
**********
​
The Hawkes 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.
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.
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.
Line out study during the Wellington challenge. Ken Gray and Pat Abraham for Wellington. Gary Condon, Kel Tremain, Rod Abel, Neil Thimbleby, Karaan Crawford, Gus and Hilton Meech for the holders.
So, on the big 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 the time.
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.
On the other hand, Wellington, as only teams from certain major cities in New Zealand can, played largely as a bunch of fanciful individuals, without cohesion and 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.
Although I was supposedly supporting the Bay, I could not mask my absolute delight when, six minutes into my second ever live game of rugby, Ian Stevens scuttled round the scrum and sent Michael Knight away down the right wing. The three-quarter outpaced the cover defence before turning the ball back inside to Nectar, who scored wide out.
Less than ten minutes of the match had gone and I knew already that I’d be going home and asking my mother to stop cutting my hair, noticing how Nectar’s blond crop had grown since the photo’s I’d seen of him in 1967.
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.
I remember the crowd going absolutely berserk when Davis scored. The noise was unbelievable and I knew something had gone down, but was unable to see through a forest of grown men. I asked my grandfather, who rarely swore, what had happened.
“Billy fucking Davis”, was all he could get out in his heightened state of euphoria.
Bill Davis (with Gerald Kember left sitting on the ground) and Hepa Paewai (in the tackle of Owen Stephens), post Hawkes Bay’s two first half tries in the August 30th Shield fixture.
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 hallmark 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 Magpies 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.
In the tackle of Graham Williams, Ian MacRae scores, the shield safe for another day. Andy Leslie is left on the ground, Gerald Kember watching on and Wayne Nicholls too late to intervene. Hawkes Bay support comes from Rumball, Paewai and Tremain.
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.
An Ian Bishop penalty which rounded out the scoring, was 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 also 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 mostly 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 ‘Nectar’ Stevens in the most recent encounter.
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, he was under scrutiny and having to take criticism because of his failure to bring the shield back to the Capital city.
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 Raymond Niven and secondly bringing in 17 year old prodigy, Joe 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 particularly, still recovering from illness and unable to reproduce the outstanding form he’d shown the previous season, that loyalty was justified when 'Twig’ Sayers became an All Black in 1972.
The Hawkes Bay win over Wellington had been of such a meritorious nature, that Uncle Don, after all in sundry had knocked down a couple of beers each, was quick to unlock his liqueur cabinet and reach for the Drambuie. Kel and the boys had done it again and must be toasted accordingly. The laughter and joviality was infectious and booze flowed freely throughout the night. Even my grumpy old Grandmother transformed into a wonderfully entertaining woman for the evening.