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11. Trials & Tribulations

Final New Zealand tribalist's, 1972: (by provincial affiliation)

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Auckland (7): Ken Carrington, Andy Haden, Laurie Knight, Dave Palmer, Peter Whiting, Bryan Williams, Ron Urlich.

Bay of Plenty (1): Alan McNaughton.

Canterbury (9): Bill Bush, Stu Cron, Lin Davis, Duncan Hales, Ian Hurst, Ron Lockwood, Hamish Macdonald, Tane Norton, Alex Wyllie.

Counties (2): Bob Lendrum, Bruce Robertson.

King Country (1): Graham Whiting

Manawatu (4): Bob Burgess, John Callesen, Kent Lambert, Sam Strahan.

Marlborough (2): Brian Ford, Alan Sutherland.

Nelson Bays (1): Trevor Morris.

North Auckland (5): Bevan Holmes, Brian Going, Sid Going, Joe Morgan, Peter Sloane. 

North Otago (1): Phil Gard

Otago (10): Lindsay Clark, Don Colling, Lin Colling, Lyn Jaffray, Greg McGee, Jeff Matheson, Keith Murdoch, Dave Pescini, Gary Seear, Graham Sims.

Poverty Bay (2): Ian Kirkpatrick, Mike Parkinson.

Southland (2): Frank Oliver, Ken Stewart.

Taranaki (2): Ian Eliason, Alistair Scown.

Waikato (5): Paul Anderson, Greg Kane, Doug Phillips, Butch Pickrang, George Skudder.

Wairarapa-Bush (1): Neil Purvis.

Wanganui (1): Sandy McNichol.

Wellington (12): Paul Barrett, Grant Batty, John Dougan, Robert Gray, Noel Hawkins, Dave Henderson, Joe Karam, Al Keown, Andy Leslie, Mark Sayers, Ian Stevens,  Dennis Waller. 

 

Union’s with no trialist’s

Buller, East Coast, Hawkes Bay, Horowhenua, Mid-Canterbury, South Canterbury, Thames Valley, West Coast.

 

Changes before the trial on September 23rd

Sam Strahan made himself unavailable to tour owing to personal/business reasons. Dennis Waller was promoted from the reserves to the early trial and Ian Eliason from the early to the late trial to replace Strahan. No replacement for Waller was called for. Disturbing footnote; No Meads or Strahan for the tour now, leaving Pole Whiting as the only lock with test match experience. Dubious!

 

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The All Black trials of September 23rd, 1972

 

First New Zealand Trial; Athletic Park, Wellington. 1:15pm

PROBABLES (Black): Lendrum, Sims (replaced by Ford), Robertson, Gray, Sayers, Burgess (c), Phillips, McGee, McNaughton, Seear, Callesen, Hawkins, Bush, Norton (v/c), Clark.

POSSIBLES (White): Pickrang, Carrington, Hurst, Skudder, Gard, Stevens, Going (c), Leslie (v/c), Cron, Waller, Lockwood, Knight, McNicol (replaced by Keown), Sloane, Oliver.

 

Probables 32 (McNaughton, Lendrum, Sayers, Burgess and Gray tries. Lendrum 3C, 2P), Possibles 26 (Skudder (2), Waller and Leslie tires. Pick rang 2C, 2P).

 

Second New Zealand trial; Athletic Park, Wellington. 2:45pm

PROBABLES (Black): Karam, Palmer, Kane, Hales, Parkinson, Jaffray, Davis (v/c), Holmes, Scown, Whiting, Macdonald, Wyllie (c), Matheson, Urlich, Whiting.

POSSIBLES (White): Morris, Williams, D Colling, Batty, Purvis, Dougan, L Colling, Sutherland, Kirkpatrick (c), Haden, Eliason, Stewart, Lambert, Pescini, Murdoch.

 

Possibles 26 (Batty, Colling, Kirkpatrick and Stewart tries. Morris 2C, P, DG), Probables 4 (Palmer try).

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  After all the talk about the trial system, the trials themselves were more in the true tradition of trial matches than most had hoped for. Pretty erratic and spasmodic play by and large, as is often the case, with most facets of the game cancelling out another.

  Going into the on field evaluations, inside centre was still one area of genuine concern, according to the selectors. Now that Bruce Robertson had been ‘discovered’ and looked likely for a lengthy stint at centre, back-up for him was required and also that more irksome position of second five-eighth.

  In the main trial, the incumbent, Mike Parkinson, made no impact at all and was in the badly mauled Probables side. His opposite, the virtually unknown Neil Purvis from Wairarapa-Bush, looked out of his depth at that level, although his tackling had been outstanding.

  In the early game, Twig was up against the fading one-test veteran, Phil Gard. He’d been playing centre for Wellington since the match against South Canterbury in August, but was equally competent one inside and to my unbounded joy, this durability helped earn him the tick I’m sure. 

  While the performance of young Ian Hurst (marking Robertson), was one of quality, in fact, one of three true stand-out performances that earned individuals their plane tickets, there was a feeling that Mark Sayers could be a distinct influence in the touring team, as a thinking player and a fine ball distributor.

 

Mark Sayers scores during the early trial at the Park on September 23rd. Tackler is Sid Going. Twig’s Probables side won by 32-26. 

 

  Hurst too, had shown enough in this regard, that he thought in terms of ensuring that his wingers had silver service. He was also robust defensively and appeared - like Robertson - to have a big future ahead.

  Greg Kane and Don Colling had made little inroads in the main trial, Kane still carrying a shoulder injury. Colling would have to settle for the fact that he had enjoyed an outstanding season for Otago.

  So, Robertson and Hurst (centre’s), Sayers and Parkinson (second five-eighths) got the nod and were charged with remedying the troubles in the middle of the backline.

  Another who used the trial to take the bull by the horns, elevate his own game and cement his spot was Southland’s Kenny Stewart. He lived up in every way, to the reputation he had built for himself in the deep south and until injured, enhanced further on the Juniors tour to Australia.

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  Again, whispers were that he looked the part and may have a long future in the game. ‘Astonishingly mature’ for nineteen years of age was a common media and terraces perception. If anything, he had much the better of Grizz on the day and scored himself a fine try.

  Despite the bold announcement by the selection committee about mixing up the early and late trial teams, all loose forwards named to tour featured in the 2:45pm game. So one would have to assume that the open-blind interchangeable ‘Balfour’ Stewart had risen ahead of Alan McNaughton in the pecking order, Canterbury’s Stu Cron being the fourth open-side involved given an opportunity and Waikato’s Paul Anderson in the reserves, covering all three loose forward positions.

  Anderson’s ability to play at 6, 7 or 8, must have seen him very close to making the team, especially on the back of the superlative form he had been in during 1972. In fact, match reports indicate that of the four No. 8’s on display, the best in a traditional sense was Otago’s Greg McGee, his covering to the fore. 

  Andy Leslie also, it is written, had a fine trial himself, pressmen suggesting that he had, all-round, played distinctly above the level of Bevan Holmes. Both Leslie and McGee must have ‘rocked the boat’, they stated, before the name of Holmes was put on the team sheet.

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 Andy Leslie played a fine trial, seen here scoring a try in the tackle of replacement winger, Brian Ford of Marlborough.

 

  Again, the fact that the North Aucklander could cover the trio of loose roles if necessary went in his favour. He could also play lock if required, which may have swung it his way and away from Anderson if you consider also, that Holmes had been on the provincial scene since 1966, had toured South Africa in 1970 and and was a former NZ under-23 captain. His experience was clearly deemed valuable on a long tour.

  Alan Sutherland and Grizz had both been in such outstanding form in 1972, that they could have guaranteed their automatic selection and probably in that knowledge, neither made much impression during the main trial. The young Aucklander, Laurie Knight, looked to be a player of promise for the future however.

  Alistair Scown, as the incumbent in six, did enough to hold off other prospective challengers. Scown, who began his Taranaki career in 1968 as a big, strong running wing three-quarter, had also had an impressive season, with a stand-out performance for the amber and blacks against the Aussies. 

  Not even invited to trial, after representing the North Island just two months prior, it appeared to be the end of the line in the reckoning of selectors for Wellington’s Graham Williams.

  Loose forwards selected (mainly all inter-changeable if necessary); Ian Kirkpatrick (Captain), Alan Sutherland, Alex Wyllie, Ken Stewart, Alistair Scown and Bevan Holmes.

  The third trialist to play his way into the team on September 23rd was Kent Lambert. He was fortunate enough to be partnered with Keefy in the Possibles for the main match and the strength of that pack - which also included Kirky, Sutherland and Stewart - blew the opposition out of the water and laid the foundation for a resounding victory. 

  In fact, with Ian Eliason being drafted in at the last for Sam Strahan, following his announcement that he would not be available, only hooker, Dave Pescini, from that forward pack failed to make the tour.

  Hooker was another largely contentious position, as on the rep scene, there were a number of good rakes knocking on the door of All Black selection. North Aucklander’s had felt they’d suffered enough with Frank Cotlhurst (despite being a reserve in test matches played at home on numerous occasions) not becoming an All Black and they were concerned that history was going to repeat with Peter Sloane.

  For this tour at least, they’d be right to feel aggrieved, the selectors again opting for all the experience they could muster, especially in the forward pack. The incumbent Canterbury and New Zealand Maori hooker, Tane Norton and his understudy against both the Lions in 1971 and the Australians recently, Ron Urlich of Otahuhu and Auckland.

  Sloane, Pescini of Otago, Paul Barrett of Wellington and NZ Universities and NZ Junior captain, Ian Grant of Hawkes Bay (who most were surprised when not given an opportunity to trial) had all  been impressive domestically.

  But Tane Norton had firmly established himself as the number one hooker in the land, having played the last seven consecutive test matches in that position, a trend which looked certain to continue in the UK and France.   

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 Its a try for Wellington’s Denis Waller, called from the reserves to the early trial following Sam Strahan’s announcement that he was unavailable to tour.

  Ivan Vodanovich must have seen something in Ron Urlich that reminded him of Vodanovich the player, for he was very much the surprise selection of the 1970 touring team to South Africa, having never even being a regular starter for Auckland. Since making his debut for that province in 1965, Urlich had played just nine matches before his elevation to All Black status. 

  But he was another whose experience of having toured South Africa (playing in the third and fourth tests) was considered of paramount importance to Messrs Todd and Duff. Urlich was big and strong, a tough competitor and most importantly, a survivor. He’d been an understudy to many and warmed more benches than he cared to remember. His selection was warranted.

   Despite the competition, Lambert aside, the other three props picked themselves. All had been involved in the series against Australia; Murdoch, Graham Whiting and Jeff Matheson. Whiting’s size and strength was his greatest asset, that and having played regularly for the King Country since 1969, under the tutelage of the great Pinetree.

  A jovial fellow, Moose Whiting was also extremely popular with team-mates, none more so than his loose-head mate, Keith Murdoch. And Keefy himself was also on particularly good terms with his Otago team-mate, Jeff Matheson. The prop club had bonded well in advance of the tour, now they had only to accomodate the newcomer, Kent Lambert.

  The props had picked themselves, but there was absolutely no room for complacency here for any of them. The discarded Richie Guy included, the traps were full of quality props ready to step into the breach at a moments notice; Lindsay Clark of Otago and Sandy McNicol of Wanganui. Billy Bush and Kerry Tanner of Canterbury. Gareth Head of Wellington, Frank Oliver of Southland and Hawkes Bay’s Graham Wiig. 

  Lock was quite a different story. The late notice unavailability of both Colin Meads (133 games for NZ, including 55 tests) and Sam Strahan (28 matches, 17 tests), the latter still just 27 years of age, was particularly devastating. There was no one with anywhere near the experience required to foot it with the likes of Ireland’s Willie John McBride, Scotland’s Gordon Brown or Delme Thomas of Wales, amongst others.

  Pole Whiting and Strahan had done the job superbly against the Australians, Pole had partnered with Pinetree for three of the four tests against the Lions the previous year. Ian Eliason and Hamish Macdonald, both named to tour, had come into the AB environment during the internal tour and had both been around the provincial scene for a while.

  Toby Macdonald particularly was somewhat of a seasoned veteran, having played Ranfurly Shield rugby, which - with no provincial championship, still four seasons away - was as close one could get to a simulated test match environment.

  ‘Legs’ Eliason had made his debut for Taranaki way back in 1964 as a 19 year old and besides being a fine line-out exponent, was known to give his all in scrummaging and other aspects of forward play.

  The fourth lock chosen was another young player who had made big strides throughout the course of the season for Auckland and had done enough to stave off the challenges of his many peers, all hoping to grab that last locking spot; Macdonald’s Canterbury partner, Ron Lockwood. Strahan’s Manawatu companion, John Callesen. Gary Seear of Otago, a bit of a surprise when called to trial ahead of the likes of Robbie Stuart of Hawkes Bay and Dennis Waller of Wellington, who’d been in grand form in recent weeks. 

  The selectors went with the quickly developing twenty-two year old, Andy Haden, 6’ 6” tall and at 17st 8lb, the heaviest trialist and  subsequently All Black selected for the tour.

 

 School master, Twig Sayers, is congratulated by Seddon Hill, Principal of Wellington College, following the announcement of the All Black team to the UK.

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At 29, Tane Norton was the oldest forward chosen. Even the skipper, experienced as he was, was only 25, yet it seemed he’d been around forever. The forward mix, after some considerable deliberation, appeared as solid and dependable as it could be. Almost as much experience as could possibly be mustered.

  Owing to an absolute raft of retirements in 1971 (or early ’72), the same could not be said of the backs. Although he’d just turned 29, Wayne ‘Baker’ Cottrell was a player who would not have been out of place on tour and had he not called it quits after one outing in April, could have been considered to fill another irksome role, back-up for Bob Burgess at standoff (with ability at inside centre also).

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  Inside running must surely have been with John Dougan and Lyn Jaffray, who had both deputised in Burgess’s absence during tests one and two respectively against Australia and a little surprisingly to most, Nectar was given the fourth trial spot as he’d made such a grand fist of covering the position while Darcy had been injured. Brian Going, more of your traditional specialist ’10’, was on the bench for all teams.

  Dougan, as the clever and unpredictable player he was, could set a back-line alight when at his best and Jaffray was both useful and capable, but not outstanding. In fact, because of first Earle Kirton and then Duncan Robertson, he was often pushed out to second five-eighth later in his career for Otago, a position he in honesty, appeared far more suited to.

  When Johnny Dougan was playing for Hawkes Bay in 1968 and ’69, legendary Magpie coach, Colin ‘Fuhrer’ Le Quesne, had a hunch that - because of his flair but largely individualistic approach to the game - Darce may have been better employed as a winger and it is known that he toyed with the idea of testing his theory most seriously at one point.

  But Nectar it was, who was given the final trial position at the all important role of first five-eighth, as we know it in New Zealand, a position which had always been regarded as critical to success, requiring a cool, calm and collected individual.

  A first five-eighth is called upon to make more decisions in eighty minutes than your average Managing Director makes in a working week and the focus and attention to detail required to keep the company moving forward, is a fairly stressful enterprise.

  Naturally, as a half-back, Nectar was used to dictating traffic and once again, it’s a good bet that his ability to play 9 or 10 with equal aplomb, may have contributed to his selection. Sid Going had often had trouble with his knees and other minor injuries. Could it be that the selectors were doing a bit of soothsaying and thought extra half-back cover might be a good idea?

  It was a little tough on Darcy, particularly in that the selectors had shown faith in him following his injury concerns and given him a trial, only to dump him in favour of Nectar. Although probably as many (especially from Wellington) had picked Stevens in their team as had not, he was still very much regarded as a surprise choice, especially outside the capital.

  Partisan press in each major province had their own answer; Doug Bruce in Canterbury. Mike Richards in Auckland. On the fringes of consideration; Geoff Martin (Hawkes Bay) and Tony Goddard (Marlborough), son of the 1949 AB, Morrie. But if looking for an outsider who played consistently good rugby and was a key pivot in Counties being one of the highest scoring back-lines in the country, one needed look no further than Eain McRobbie.

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  But as mentioned a few chapters ago, I was absolutely over the moon when I read in the Otago Daily Times that I N Stevens (Wellington) had made the All Black’s. And I was moved beyond all comprehension when my grandfather in Hawkes Bay rang me specifically to ask if I’d heard the news, he knowing that the Nectar was my favourite player. 

  But I was, absolutely chuffed. My two favourite players (eligible for New Zealand that was) Twig Sayers and Nectar Stevens, both in the fucking All Blacks. Both ultimately rewarded for their role in resurrecting the flagging fortunes of Wellington rugby. Died in the bog at Carisbrook, 20/08/1972, rose from the ashes in Invercargill three days later.

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 Wellingtonian’s in trial action. Batts Batty at left, with Kenny Stewart in support and Robert Gray (right), surveying the options.

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  Both were probably fortunate also, that other Wellington team-mates were injured at critical moments, which helped cement the security for them of regular selection in the Welly back-line. But their versatility, both able to multi-task in at least two positions (I’ve no doubt both would have been great full-backs if they’d been called upon to fill that position), played into their hands as the aces unfolded and the stars aligned for both.

 And that was the reality of it. Nectar - a half-back since secondary school - had impressed so much standing in at No. 10 for Darcy, he was invited to trial in that position and subsequently made the 30 man touring party. Twig, began the rep season more-or-less in competition with Richard Cleland for the inside centre berth, but when Jimmy Brown broke his leg, he was moved out one,  but was then invited to trial in his original position and made the team.

  After the mauling received at the hands of the 1971 Lions - and that season in general - it was quite unbelievable to consider that Wellington, in 1972, would provide five All Black backs, such was the turnaround in form and fortune. One would also assume that in that situation, the strength of Wellington rugby must lie in the back division, but this was far from the truth.

  The speed of Graham Williams, Andy Leslie, Wayne Nicholls and Noel Hawkins, the hand-to-hand passing and driving play of Dennis Waller, Dave Martin, Al Keown and Paul Barrett and the grand work in the tight by Gareth Head were all feature’s of the seasons success.

  It was the backs who stole the ultimate kudos though with Stevens, Sayers, Karam and Batty earning national call-up. What was harder to believe is that Dave Henderson, Richard Cleland and Robert Gray (plus John Dougan), all could easily have made the All Black side also and would have almost certainly all performed on tour with distinction.

  Joe Karam and Grant Batty were already down in most books, with Clock’s trial form substantiating the judgement that he would probably start out as the second string full-back, but may well become the test fullback while on tour. The sage considered that he only needed a period of concentrated rugby and the opportunity of a major tour away would give him that.

  In the opinion of the vast majority, Trevor Morris had gained recognition too late in his career and his form as exhibited in the inter-island match, where he appeared largely out of touch, should have served as notice that perhaps he should not have been in real contention for the fullback role. But again it appeared that loyalty to those who had played against and beaten Australia was a trip to the UK.

  Most pundits and rugby aficionados around Aotearoa were of the opinion that Clock and the Counties man, Bob Lendrum, were the two form No. 15’s in the land, with a splash of provincial favouritism surfacing; Ken Going in the far north, Laurie Mains in the deep south. Lendrum had been entrusted with the role for the North Island in 1969-72 and performed with considerable credit. He was also a very useful second five-eighth.

  John Dougan’s name came up again as a tried and proven stand-in fullback, with a flair for the unexpected. He had in fact, come on for an injured Lendrum in that position during the inter-island fixture, again proving an admirable replacement.

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Two of the new All Blacks heading to the UK and beyond;

Ian Neal 'Nectar' Stevens and Mark 'Twiggy' Sayers, both of Wellington.

  There were still supporters of Evan Taylor of Otago and NZ Universities and Bill Lewis, who many Cantabrians opined was a better choice than Fergi, now a bit long in the tooth. Enterprising, fleet-footed and generally a reliable goal-kicker, Jim Francis of Manawatu was another good, solid fullback, as was Gerald Hart of Buller, Doug Nichol of Southland and Bruce Trask of the Bay of Plenty. Not to mention Butch Pickrang (Waikato) or even Tank Gordon (King Country).

  Grant Batty’s representative form was very hard to ignore. He was without question, the biggest drawcard on Athletic Park during August-September, but also right throughout the club season. A couple of exhilarating breaks in the trial - once leaving Karam for dead - was enough to ink his name onto the team sheet. It would be up to him to attempt to force his way into the test team.

  Bryan Williams was an automatic choice on the other wing, but there were plenty of capable candidates knocking on the door for spots three and four. George Skudder had also timed his run to perfection with some tremendous outings for the Waikato and a brace of tries in the final trial.

  I heavily suspect he was the third three-quarter chosen, perhaps even ahead of Batty at two, with Duncan Hales included on the basis that he was the incumbent All Black left wing and had done little wrong. 

  This was also possibly the case with Mike Parkinson getting the nod over North Auckland’s Joe Morgan at inside-centre. Tried, but with the verdict still out, appeared better than untried. Parkinson and Morgan were also of a similar mould, Twig offered something a little more creative.

 Two of the most unlucky men in the country to not be on that plane were both wingers though; Robert Gray and Dave Palmer of Auckland. Both were in the form of their careers and could not have done any more asked of them to have earned the fern. Throughout 1972 and preceding seasons, Gray and Palmer had both looked All Black material and it was indeed a shame that neither of them ever got the call up.

  There were a plethora of fine winger’s around New Zealand in the wake of these six; Former AB reserve, Denis Panther (North Auckland), Morrie Collins (Canterbury), Peter Goldsmith (Counties) and a healthy crop of youngsters in Peter Gilbert (Bay of Plenty), Robbie Hunter (Hawkes Bay), Murray Kidd (Taranaki) and Terry Mitchell (Nelson Bays).

  Which brings us lastly to another of the more contentious positions, half-back.

  Again, there was a pre-occupancy with partisan favourites, depending on one’s geographical location, but we were certainly blessed with an array of quality scrum-half’s and this is where the contention begins.

  Sid Going was New Zealand’s #1 half-back and named vice-captain of the touring party. But was he? Sid Going was largely a total enigma. Running on attack and spoiling on defence, he probably had no peer. As a distributor of the rugby ball to a backline of talent, looking to breach and exploit the enemy line, he could at times be absolutely dreadful.

  But all that was said of Super Sid, i.e.; as slippery as an eel, was true. At the time though, in New Zealand, by reputation and with awareness of his strengths and weaknesses, he was equally supported and vilified. The public had developed the ultimate love/hate relationship with him. 

  The most logical point to the argument was that more teams won with Sid Going in them than without. He was a genuine match-winner, with a wealth of experience in big matches and a temperament to match.

  On the strength again of the loyalty shown to the All Blacks from earlier in the season, Lin Colling got the nod as the back-up for Going, with Ian Stevens able to fill the role should there be any injuries or form lapses with the other two.

  The only other truly legitimate contender was Lin Davis (although Brent Elder, also of Canterbury proved useful), before we get into the Dave Henderson’s and the Waikato pair Kevin Greene and Doug Phillips (preferred over Greene by the national selectors).

  Going was given the early trial, captaining the beaten Possibles side, whereas Colling played for the winning side in the main trial, scoring a try and giving a solid performance. It may have been an early indication that the selectors were looking for a reason to not pick Going, if only someone else would put their hand up and seize the opportunity.

  Despite the rout of the woeful Australian’s, Going had not been all that impressive as a genuine ball distributor and three consecutive stand-off’s had suffered from playing outside of him and having to field balls in any manner of positions.

  Colling was favoured over Going in the 1973 Rugby Alamanack XV also, the authors noting ‘when he did pass, he did so under pressure and unaccurately’, further stating, somewhat tongue in cheek, that Going was ‘the best wing-forward they’d seen since Cliff Porter’.   

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THE 1972 NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACK'S TO NORTH AMERICA, UNITED KINGDOM, IRELAND & FRANCE

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Back row: R E Burgess (Manawatu), B G Williams (Auckland), R W Norton (Canterbury), B J Robertson (Counties),

K K Lambert (Manawatu), I N Stevens (Wellington).

Second Row: R M Parkinson (Poverty Bay), J D Matheson (Otago), K W Stewart (Southland), R A Urlich (Auckland),

A J Wyllie (Canterbury), M Sayers (Wellington), K Murdoch (Otago)

First Row: A I Scown (Taranaki), I M Eliason (Taranaki), H H Macdonald (Canterbury), A M Haden (Auckland),

P J Whiting (Auckland), A R Sutherland (Marlborough), G J Whiting (King Country), B Holmes (North Auckland)

Seated: E L Todd (Manager), T J Morris (Nelson Bays), S M Going (North Auckland-V/Cpt),

I A Kirkpatrick (Poverty Bay-Cpt), G R Shudder (Waikato), I A Hurst (Canterbury), R H Duff (Coach)

In front: G L Colling (Otago), G B Batty (Wellington), D A Hales (Canterbury), J F Karam (Wellington)

Inserts: A L R McNichol (Wanganui), L A Clark (Otago)

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 The curtain came down on the 1972 domestic rugby season in New Zealand the following weekend, but as one could imagine, post trials back-slapping and hand-shaking - with an equal distribution of commiserations to those who did not make it - it was all fairly much an anti-climax.

  And all Wellington had achieved throughout the year was partially undone by a decent hiding on the Park at the hands of those bloody Cantabrian’s.

  Four days after the trials, Otago had tried there luck at wresting the log from the grip of the red and blacks, but unfortunately to no avail. The local press in Dunedin had been talking up their chances after the quality season that Otago had enjoyed, but they were unfortunate to find Lancaster Park in flint-hard, early spring order and a Canterbury team - with four of their five All Blacks as freshly named - chomping at the bit and rearing to go.

  The trouble for Otago was that while they were absolutely devastating and almost invincible in the bog at Carisbrook, away from the porridge (which must surely have been imported from the Harraway’s factory in Dunedin), the analysis was not so good. It was a Dickensian ‘Tale of Two Cities’ for Otago in that regard in 1972.

  They had developed, over quite some time frame, a ‘how to do’ in the conditions that were usually prevalent, which suited their unique style of forward play/dominance. On Carisbrook; Played 7, Won 6, Lost 1 (and that by a solitary point to Canterbury). Points for: 174. Points against: 20.

  Away from the ‘Brook; Played 8, Won 6, Lost 2. Points for: 157. Points against: 101. But the away victories, Southland and South Canterbury aside, were against minor unions, with loses to Marlborough and Canterbury.

  The 10-15 loss to Marlborough on September 17th, had not been an ideal dress rehearsal for their shield challenge and on the day, they were absolutely no match for Canterbury, a try to Terry Morrison, converted by Laurie Mains (and a penalty) the only points they could muster.

  Canterbury’s hero was the seemingly forgotten maestro at fullback, Fergi McCormick. Not only did he rack up 11 of Canterbury’s 23 points, his timely excursions into the backline often caused chaos in the Otago defence. Doug Bruce also played a very fine game, dictating field position with his long left-footed rakers of power and accuracy.

  Cantabrian’s were seemingly bewildered that neither McCormick or Bruce had even been offered an All Black trial and hoped that the selectors would not rue that decision when actually in the UK. Fergi was in absolutely vintage form, passing the 1,000 points for his province during the game (the first kiwi to achieve that milestone) and receiving a warm ovation.

  Doug Bruce had also scored one of Canterbury’s three tries, with  Grizz and new All Black, Ian Hurst, bagging the other two. A good crowd of 33,000 had turned out for the mid-week challenge, to roar the Cantab’s on to success and having disposed of Otago so easily, it was difficult for the faithful to remove their eye patches and they anticipated that this was going to be quite a long reign with New Zealand’s most treasured sporting trophy, the Ranfurly Shield.

 

Canterbury’s new All Black centre, already talked about as a possible future captain, Ian Hurst.

 

  So, three days later - baring all the grudges of a wounded beast over omissions of certain ‘certainties’ for the forthcoming tour, who had certainly been overlooked - Canterbury arrived on the Park to give Wellington a serve of their own.

   They were (along with Counties, although they had played predominantly lesser-rated unions), the two outstanding all-round sides of 1972 and it was fitting that they should meet on the final day of the season. There was no national championship title to be had, but the Saundercock Cup was up for grabs and also some considerable bragging rights.

  There were some big-reputation match-ups; McCormick and Karam, Hurst and Sayers, Bruce and Stevens, Hales and Gray, Wyllie and Leslie, Macdonald and Waller, Norton and Barrett.

  Truth was, Wellington were never really in the hunt. Tane Norton scored the first of Canterbury’s five tries, Bruce the second, with Fergi adding both conversions. A Clock penalty and a try to Batts had reduced the deficit to 7-12, but that was as close as Wellington got to their guests.

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   Duncan Hales added two more, punctuated in between by Grizz, as if to rubber-stamp his own blistering form of late and all out of attacking prowess, the Clock knocked over a couple more penalties to at least outscore Fergi on the day. He’d also scored in excess of 100 points for his province in 1972.

  And what a season, especially for a nine year old. The internal tour, the “Grizzlies”, the awful Aussies…and now hardly time to catch one’s breath before an ultra-exciting trip to the Northern Hemisphere for the All Blacks, including Nectar and Twiggy. 

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 Batts grabs a try for Wellington on the final day of the season against Canterbury. Fellow new All Black, Ian Stevens admires the strength of the pocket dynamo, the tacklers two of the biggest Cantab forwards in Stu Cron and Ron Lockwood.

  When the touring party was named following the trial in Wellington, it also included the names of the personnel who would accompany the players on their long trek. By one vote, Bob Duff had been selected to coach the side, ahead of Jack Gleeson. Ernie Todd of Wellington was named as Manager.

  Philosophically different in their entire approach to the game, the victory for Duff was a victory for traditionalists, who desperately desired a return to the halcyon days of robust forward determination, discipline and dominance.

  An ex-All Black captain himself, Robert Hamilton Duff (5/8/1925-11/5/2006), was a 46 year old bachelor with an accountancy practice in Lyttleton, the seaport town of Christchurch city. He had been the Deputy Mayor of Lyttleton since 1959 and was a former Chairman of the Ports Disputes Committee.

  Duff was a big man at 6’ 3” and 16 stone (105kgs), a top lock who had excelled in the rudimentariness of forward play, scrum and line-out. A quick examination of the forwards as selected; size, strength, mobility, one can quickly see the Duff influence in getting the men he wanted. 

  There were a few, possibly not enough though, who expressed a little concern that the lessons learned (or not) about back play from the 1971 Lions, may not see a lot of action on this tour. If so, that would be a little disappointing after the enterprising and attractive back play of the internal tour as promoted under Gleeson and the form of some of the backs as chosen to tour, following their impressive domestic seasons (Twig to the fore here!).

  But with Duff in command for the Australian series, the pattern seemed set for the British tour, the All Blacks crushing the Wallabies with powerful forward play, rather than through constructive deployment of the backs.

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Bob Duff, 1972. The NatLib photo portrays the AB coach in impeccable attire. His example was largely not followed by the team as a whole while on tour.

 

  Nine man rugby had served New Zealand well through the ions, it’s success could be quantified by the number of victories registered and Duff adhered to a fairly universal opinion that taking these Brits and Celts on at their own game at present, was risky and also a tad foolhardy. It might be a better idea to play to our own strengths and not pander to the trendy.

  In the 1971 series, the packs were fairly evenly matched and he believed that the All Blacks had the experience and weaponry to take British teams on up front and if the backs could tackle with a degree of stoic-ness, we stood a good chance of success.

  Even King John, who had watched the third test between the AB’s and the Wallabies had pointed out that the All Blacks ‘had no backs’. So could the kiwi rugby public really blame Duff for laying his tour plans upon the maxim of playing strength? If they expected victory at all costs, that is.

  A Real Estate Agent from Wellington, Ernest Laurence Todd (1918-1974) claimed a place on the executive committee of the NZRFU in 1966 and had been the manager of the All Blacks in the 1969 series against the Welsh.

  As a player, he was a forward well ahead of his time, bigger than the then All Black locks and faster than almost another loose forward in New Zealand. He was a place-getter in the Wellington regional track championships over 220 yards.

  Within a year of leaving St. Patrick’s College in Wellington, Ernie Todd had made his way into the  top provincial side as a No. 8, his specialist position, or occasionally as a flank forward.

  Powerful yet mobile, Todd was a great ball winner in the line-out, an occasional goal kicker and a loose forward, purportedly in the style of Grizz a la ’72. Many considered him one of the unluckiest footballers around the traps to have missed out on an All Black jersey.

  Their is little doubt in the mind’s of historians that he was robbed of the garment and that honour by WWII. He would almost certainly have been on the proposed AB tour to South Africa in 1940 if not for the war’s intervention and in 1946, on the brink of retirement, he was a reserve for the North Island.

  Ernie Todd played 39 matches for Wellington (1936-41, 1946) and eight games for Manawatu (1942, 1944-45), captaining the side in 1945. The same year he captained North Island Combined Services, who defeated their southern contemporaries in Wellington by 14-3.

  He also played, amongst his 55 first class matches, for the Centurions, Central Districts Combined Services and in All Black trials.

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Manager, Ernie Todd.

 

**********

 

  I guess, painfully for New Zealand rugby, the loses to South Africa and the Lions were too agonising to repeat and before the plane had even left the tarmac at Auckland Airport on October 16th, revenge (as Wallace Rayburn put it) or redemption in the eyes of the ‘bread and butter’ people, the folk who buy season tickets or go through the turnstiles at grounds throughout Aotearoa week in, week out, was paramount for these seventh All Blacks.

  And as for Wales. The beating of the Welsh (and the Barbarians to a lesser extent) was first and foremost in both mind and ambition. It was essential. It was locked-in-a-bottle, good old fashioned kiwi conservatism and practicality to the fore. The need to win would be essential for national pride and as such, it was a job for the forwards - and the champion wing-forward, Sid Going.

  The same article appeared in match programmes throughout New Zealand as the 1972 season drew to a close, which would have added to the paranoia regarding failure in the UK, as obviously felt by the AB selectors. The noted British rugby critic (and former Welsh and British Lions international), Vivian Jenkins, had suggested that if he were the NZRFU, he might have raised his eyebrows at the programme presented to the team for its opening matches of the tour.

 

“Western Counties first up is about as tough a proposition as you are going to find in England. Llanelli to follow, where so many touring teams have had to play for their lives, with some coming to grief and then the third match in eight days, Cardiff.”

Vivian Jenkins, (In at the Deep End), 1972. 

 

  Llanelli, said Jenkins, had the reputation of being the best club side in the World. 15,000 spectators in Port Elizabeth, South Africa would probably have testified to that, Llanelli having beaten Eastern Province just a couple of months prior by 23-9. SA journalists noted that the ‘Scarlets’ had played the All Blacks second-phase game - the AB’s at their best that was - with thrilling movements between forwards and backs to score four great tries.

  As the All Blacks were about to discover over the next three months though, as opposed to on previous tours to the UK, there would be no such thing as an easy game this time around, well, not many anyway. But before they arrived in the United Kingdom, there were a couple of quick stopovers and warm up matches to be played in Vancouver and then New York, of all places.

​

THE SEVENTH ALL BLACKS TOUR OF NORTH AMERICA, THE UNITED KINGDOM, IRELAND & FRANCE

Full match analysis of matches played, photographs and comments by players, press quotes...

  About the same time as the new All Blacks were making ready for North America, my mother announced that she, Sindy and I would be going to Hawkes Bay for Christmas and most of January, which had been the norm for most of my younger years before Dunedin, minus the equivocal time the preceding year, as we were making ready for new life in the deep south.

  I quickly checked my new 1972/73 All Blacks wall chart from the Sports Post, with tour itinerary, to discover that I’d still be in Dunedin for the Welsh test, but in Hastings for the internationals against Scotland and the English. We would fly from Napier to Christchurch on our return leg and my father would pick us up in Canterburyland. I’d be able to get up for the middle two and watch them with my grandfather, because of course, they were all broadcast live in the early hours of Sunday morning (NZ time).

  In my Otago Education Board Primary School Report for 1972 from Corstorphine School, my teacher, Mr. Jack Moore, marked my interest and ability in music as ‘very good’, so I can assume that my interest in the subject was awakening. Have you noticed how these teacher comments can vary considerably and leave one in a flux or create depths of confusion?

 It was shaken properly awake when my cousin, Colleen, who was studying at Otago University, left her LP collection with us at the completion of her tertiary year. She was heading home to Upper Hutt, near Wellington for the holidays, but would be returning to Dunedin for her final years study in 1973. Her cardboard box full of albums needed a temporary home. Uncle Alex came into play.

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 The Beatle LP on American Capitol Records, “Hey Jude”. Although a belated compilation, I was hooked.

  Trouble was - and almost certainly why a couple of teachers had misinterpreted my lack of enthusiasm for lack of exposure in the subject - Uncle Alex and Aunty Diane, between them, had an appalling collection of music; Kamahl, Heintje, Jimmie Rogers, the Sound of Music, early Beach Boys. Equally, a pile of dour singles that I won’t even mention they were so poor.

   I quite liked the Beatles. I liked their music, although in radio terms, I’d only really come in at “Hey Jude”. And they’d split up a few weeks before the AB trial for South Africa in 1970, I was but seven and knew little about them.

  In that collection of LP records of Colleen’s - amongst the Simon & Garfunkel, Steely Dan, America, Carole King, Rolling Stones and other amazing stuff I’d never heard - was an album by the Beatles called “Hey Jude”.

   I absorbed it all. Not just the music, the image of them as a group and as individuals, the Apple label, the mahogany coloured inner sleeve.

  The cover and back cover portray two of the greatest photo’s of the fabs in my opinion, taken at John Lennon’s Tittenhurst Park, an early Georgian country house on an estate of 72 acres in Ascot.

  And a couple of songs I wasn’t so familiar with became Beatle favourites; “Rain”, Old Brown Shoe” and to a slightly lesser extent, “Paperback Writer.”

  The musical giant that lay dormant inside was was awoken by the musical giant, the Beatles. And one thing I found amazing, was that Paul McCartney (who had done “Uncle Albert” the preceding year) had been a Beatle before his current group, Wings. Wings joined T. Rex as my favourite band.

  There was a TV programme on air at the time also, that Sindy and I were particularly fond of, UFO. It was a Gerry and Sylvia Anderson production (Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet), but instead of the puppets, it had real life actors.

  We had laundry shoots from the upstairs bedrooms to the washroom below and we’d often - as in the programme - pretend it was the route to the interceptor launch pad. The pine trees at St. Clair Golf Course made excellent woods for alien landings, where many imaginary battles took place.

  New Zealand still had but one governing broadcast provider in 1972, NZBC, but operating out of certain cities were localised channels. In Dunedin, that was DNTV-2. Outside of children’s programmes like Doctor Who (particularly) and Lost In Space, the Partridge Family, favourite’s included Columbo, Ironside, The Virginian and Bonanza. American comedies such as Bewitched, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, Green Acres, British classic’s Steptoe and Son, On the Buses and drama’s, A Family at War, Zorro and Softly, Softly - Task Force.

  Grandstand on Saturday’s and Sunday Grandstand were the two primary sources of sporting action and that was virtually 100% rugby union based. Repeats of Australian tour matches, Ranfurly Shield matches and top provincial games had been highlighted during the winter months, which this season would be extended over summer owing to the All Blacks being on tour.

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