1970 dawned. My second decade on planet earth. It would be a big year in New Zealand for rugby, as the long awaited tour to South Africa was (probably) going ahead, bringing the thrill of anticipation to most followers of the sport throughout the country.
There were another group of people with a different opinion and agenda, who didn’t think it was such a great idea on the whole. At seven, one looks to parents for guidance and advice and the opinion at home was very much that rugby was more important than racial or ethnic injustice's and that communists must bas stopped and our youth will make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that does not happen, side-by-side with our American friends.
But I personally remember being impressed by a bunch of long haired youth in Auckland who I had seen on the NZBC News at Six, protesting against New Zealand's backing of the American's and regarding our overall involvement and/or deployment of our young soldiers to Vietnam. I dared not say anything.
The disturbance occurred when United States Vice-President Spiro Agnew, visited New Zealand, which sparked some of the most violent anti-Vietnam War demonstrations ever seen in this country. The presence of the man who was ‘a heartbeat away from the presidency’ attracted the attention of the anti-war movement, and in turn the media of both New Zealand and the United States.
Over 500 protesters greeted Agnew and entourage in Auckland. The following evening protests continued outside a state dinner. Up to 700 protesters assembled outside his hotel and shouted anti-war slogans at guests as they arrived. There were 200 police on hand and scuffles broke out. Around 11.45 p.m. the police moved against the demonstrators, making a further 11 arrests. Many protesters and some members of the media accused the police of excessive force against demonstrators.
New Zealand was Agnew’s last stop on a 25-day, 60,000-km, 11-nation goodwill tour of Pacific and Asian countries. His wife, Judy, Apollo 10 astronaut Eugene Cernan, 10 journalists, aides and Secret Service agents accompanied him.
​
**********
​
​
​
**********
​
Also in April, as the rugby season approached, there was another round of exciting firsts to get through.
The first first - as such - is that this was the year I myself starting playing the game. A kid in my class at school, whose father was a coach, was recruiting classmates for the Poneke club’s bantam grade.
Established in 1883, Poneke is one of the oldest clubs in the WRFU that still exist and their headquarters, Kilbirnie Park, was literally a 3-4 minute walk from our home in Hamilton Road. In fact, my sort of ‘unofficial’ girlfriend at Kilbirnie school was Debra Armstrong and her father was the head groundsman.
So, as per the recruitment brief, I went home and asked my father if I could start playing rugby. A classmate’s dad was the coach of the Poneke bantam’s and could I go and play for them?
No.
Moan moan, grizzle, grizzle…appeasement…I’ll take you to the game tomorrow at Athletic Park between Wellington and New Zealand Universities.
What’s New Zealand Universities? Moan, moan, grumble, grumble…a team made up of left wing, academic bastards, who have to be affiliated with a university club in New Zealand.
I sort of understood, but was not really much the wiser with the political rhetoric. But I expected it was a similar sort of arrangement to the way NZ Maori or Combined Services were selected. So, in Wellington, that meant that Victoria University players must be eligible.
Gerald Kember and ‘Twig’ Sayers must both be eligible then, pretty exciting, as they were two of my favourite Wellington players. When we got to the Park and bought a programme, I noticed that Ged Kember was in fact the captain and listed to be playing at second five-eighth. No Twig though, not even in the Wellington team.
My father could not offer me an explanation for this, but later I would discover that he had taken himself off to the UK and would be missing for the entire 1970 season. But, as it turned out, there was no Ged Kember in the Varsities side either, he had been replaced by Howard Joseph of Canterbury University. Nor Earle Kirton, whom I was familiar with from the Wellington-Otago match from the previous season, named in the programme, but replaced on the day by Robert Edward Burgess (26/03/1949-) from Massey University in the Manawatu.
Now, as it turned out, Bob Burgess was an old 1st XV team-mate of Nectar, so on this day they’d be on opposite teams. That’d be interesting, I thought.
Another example of this long-haired standoff occurred in early April, when the American rock n' roll band "The Beach Boys" (pictured right) arrived in New Zealand for four concerts (they played the Wellington Town Hall on April 20th, with Dave Allenby and Wairarapa's the "Kal-Q-Lated Risk"). I had seen footage of them arriving in Auckland earlier in the week on the NZBC News at Six and had been shocked to see that they were all hippies.
We had two "Beach Boys" LP's that were my fathers, he was a big fan; "Beach Boys in Concert" (1964) and "Beach Boys Party" (1965). On both album sleeves, the Beach Boys themselves were all good, clean-cut American lads...but not so by 1970.
"Hey", I said to my parents, "it's the "Beach Boys"...they are in NZ for some concerts...wow!! They look fantastic!!"
"That's not the "Beach Boys"," my mother said.
"Oh, yes it is," I replied.
"They've gone to absolute rack and ruin," my mother aghast.
My father was on the verge of buying tickets, but his excitement was instantly curtailed by seeing the news clip. He decided not to go.
Neither of my parents offered me any information about the drummer, Dennis Wilson and his involvement the year before with the Manson family, or that the genius creator of their monumental songs and harmonies, Brian Wilson, had been suffering from mental illness, on the back of his heavy experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs. They seemed to have no idea that the band had sort of transformed from clean-cuts to modern hairy artists. To my parents, Woodstock was just something that had happened to other people.
Palmerston North Boys High School 1st XV, 1965, which produced three All Blacks. Nectar; second from left seated. Bob Burgess; second from left, middle row. John Loveday; fourth from left, middle row.
Born in New Plymouth on March 26th, 1949, Bob Burgess was schooled in the Taranaki at first, before a family move to Palmerston North. He attended Palmerston North Boys High School, playing in the same successful 1st XV as Nectar, unbeaten during the season’s of 1965 and 1966. He spent 1963 at Hastings Boys High School.
Like his mate Ian Stevens, he entered first-class rugby in 1967, representing North Island Universities against the South in Auckland. The Massey University student played in the U-23 trial in New Plymouth, before making his Manawatu debut as a replacement during the last match of the season against Taranaki, in Palmerston North. He came on at full-back for the last twenty minutes of the game.
The following season he made ten appearances for Manawatu, plus two for NZ Universities and another for NZ Juniors against the touring Japanese side. He scored a century of points that season in just 13 fixtures.
Injured early in 1969, Burgess gave away rugby to concentrate on studies, returning in 1970 to tour Japan with NZ Universities and represent Southland, whilst teaching at Southland Boys High School. He played in all of his union’s fixtures (11) in 1970.
In May, he declined nomination for the All Black trials, as a protest in opposition to apartheid.
Still more changes which did my head in; Mick O’Callaghan, another I was familiar with following the 1969 North/South match, was moved to centre to replace Grahame Thorne, O’Callaghan’s place taken by Dave Palmer of Auckland University, who, tragically, would die in the Air New Zealand/Mt. Erebus disaster in 1979.
‘Clock’ Karam was listed as fullback for Wellington, but his place was taken by Jack Seymour of Petone. There were a couple of other new faces in the Wellington side that I didn’t know. A guy from Onslow was in Twig’s spot at inside centre and there’d been quite a bit of activity in the forwards.
Firstly, the AB legend, Ken Gray, had called it quits. I was also a tad mortified by this, as he was my favourite forward, having listened in on tales of his Herculean strength. Rated the best prop in World rugby during 1969, he had announced his retirement from all levels of the game in January of 1970, disillusioned with our own Government’s decision to go ahead with the South African tour in the face of so much controversy.
Ken Gray would almost certainly have made the upcoming South African tour, but his retirement package had also cited an objection to apartheid and racism, which he personally, strongly believed to be wrong. There were, of course, many (my father included) opposed to his strength of morality regarding sporting contact with South Africa, but no one was going to argue against his rugby playing attributes.
“Turncoat bastard who wouldn’t front up with his mates,” was one of my fathers analogies, a theory popularised by the many of his generation who thought that there wasn’t much wrong with apartheid and absolutely nothing wrong with a good game of rugby, especially if it were against the Springboks.
Ironically, oft regarded as one of the strongest men to ever don an All Black jersey, had he toured with the All Blacks, the outcome of the test series may well have been different. His immense experience and sheer physical strength was sorely missed on tour. His intelligence, mobility in open play and immeasurable ball winning skill at the front of the line-out would also have been invaluable.
Ivan Vodanovich and the other All Black selectors tried repeatedly to persuade him to change his mind, but his own personal opinions and opposition to the apartheid regime prevented that occurrence and made all other speculation regarding the outcome of the test match equation nothing more than hypothetical.
However, by the end of 1969 he had amassed 133 games for Wellington, 50 for the All Blacks (including 24 test matches) and five for the North Island. The All Blacks lost but twice in the test arena when Gray was on the field, such was his part in wearing down and eventually dominating the physical battle with his opposite, instrumental in paving the way to victory.
Gray’s replacement was a guy called Alastair Edgar Keown from the WCOB club. ‘Al’ Keown had made 10 appearances for the old Wellington XV since 1966 and although the Universities match was hastily arranged and only posthumously awarded first-class status, this would later be deemed his proper Wellington debut.
Same for a blindside flanker from the Upper Hutt club called David Allan and in the same circumstance as Al Keown, having played for the Welly XV for a number of seasons, an ‘A’ team start at second five-eighth for Bruce Niven.
Terry McCashin was back in town and took over from Pat Abraham as the rake and with the retirement of Paul Delaney and Barry Guy in the middle row, Denis Waller of WCOB had also made the transition from the ‘XV’ to senior status, joined on this day by Wayne Nicholls.
I was fully aware of - at seven - the ambidexterity of ‘utility backs’ such as Ged, Twig and company, but was surprised to find the same thing applied to forwards. I knew that loose forwards were interchangeable, but this was the day I found out about flankers playing at lock and props who played at lock etc
In fact, one of the NZ Universities props, Kerry McDonald, would in turn prop the scrum for Wellington for the remainder of the season, which in essence saw Al Keown then alternate between lock and prop. McDonald had been around the traps for a while, making five appearances for Canterbury in the mid 60’s, before transferring his studies to the capital.
New Zealand Universities objectives had always been admirable, to benefit New Zealand rugby overall by strengthening the performance of university/student level. Otago had been the cradle of the varsity game in early days, but the infectious nature in regard to the way it was played, soon saw rugby spread throughout other tertiary establishments around the country.
To the great unwashed, University rugby had similarities in its approach to the way Maori had embraced the sport; with dash and glamour, players of brilliance and individuality, a certain panache that was often missing from club or provincial play, which tended to be considerably more conservative.
New Zealand Universities rugby ‘came of age’, as it were, also enjoying it’s finest hour on August 22nd, 1956. A mid-week match up with the touring Springboks on Athletic Park, turned into a spectacular game of rugby and with both sides intent on firing the ball around, it was the home side (scoring four tries) which ran out the winner by 22-15.
scores a spectacular fourth try for the Universities side. Basie Viziers is too late to prevent the score
the famous cartoonist, has the last laugh.
scores a spectacular fourth try for the Universities side. Basie Viziers is too late to prevent the score
Check out all the action at left, from one of the most famous matches ever played on Athletic Park; New Zealand Universities against the 1956 Springboks.
In context of the ‘Bok tour, it was by far the most thrilling and exciting tour match. The manner in which the Universities team won delighted the New Zealand rugby fraternity. The backs demonstrated opportunism, sensible anticipation and application while the pack totally dominated proceedings.
To the South African coterie, the midweek pack of forwards were frankly appalling. Their tight work was virtually non-existent. They showed no drive or cohesion and their line-out work was untidy. They were generally considered little more than rabble.
With a loss in the third test and the series gone, the ‘Boks was struggling to pick themselves up. Losing against youngsters who played open Varsity running rugby in ideal conditions, was an emotionally bruising, bubble popping wake-up call.
The game produced one of the greatest try’s recalled on the Park in its history and most certainly the greatest try that wasn’t.
In the first example, centre (and former All Black) John Tanner had mentioned to Bill Clark that the Springbok backs were ‘lobbing’ passes, he was going for the intercept and would Clark drop back and cover him. With the ‘Boks on attack, Johnstone, the blindside wing, jumped into the line creating an overlap. The ball went to Kirkpatrick, who spun to Rosenburg in space, but Tanner intercepted spectacularly and began an exciting 60metre run-chase to the line to score Varsities 4th try. The crowd of 45,000 roared their delight.
The try that wasn’t was even more spectacular. Again the crowd were frenzied right at the end, following a run by the celebrated AB winger from Wellington, Ron Jarden, who beat everyone in green on an outstanding, swerving run, wriggling from tackles and plonking the ball down beside the posts, only to find the touch-judge had his flag raised.
​
**********
​
So, here I was in April, 1970 - a new season and a new decade - on the exact piece of real estate that the very same side had recorded their famous victory. Having started by digesting all these changes, we were ready for kick-off. I can’t remember a lot about it, other than it was an overcast day and the ground was a little muddy, even for early autumn. It may have rained intermittently. It was my fourth trip to Athletic Park and I’d only seen spasmodic sunshine, rare at that, during the Otago match the previous September.
For the record though, Wellington defeated New Zealand Universities by 9-8, courtesy of a try to Owen Stephens and two penalty goals by Bruce Niven. NZU’s points came from a try by Morrie Collins, converted by Bob Burgess, who also kicked a penalty.
I raced home and entered in my nerdic notebook; try’s seen at Athletic Park 10. Owen Stephens (Wgtn). 11. Maurice Collins (NZU).
​
**********
​
The most eventful happening of the following week is, in hindsight, quite a humorous one. Other kids in my class played association football for Wellington Diamond United, also housed at Kilbirnie Park, but a stone’s throw away. They too were looking for players to enter a team in the 14th Grade, basically new entrants to the sport in the primmer’s at primary school.
“A couple of kids in my class are going to play for WDU,” I said to my father. “If I can’t play rugby, could I play socc…”
Come Saturday morning, I was whisked down to Kilbirnie Park, taken to the junior rugby fields and I can still hear my dad; “Does anyone need an extra player.”
Most excellent, I thought. Reunited with all my classmates after all and off on a new adventure; playing rugby for Poneke. But no, the Poneke team (of which I knew practically the whole team) were full up. Whereas, the Oriental-Rongotai side (of which I didn’t know a soul, being kids from schools in neighbouring Miramar, where in the future there would be an entire film industry), were short of several players, so I was instantly drafted in.
Damnation! To make it worse, with my favourite players all being backs, the coach played me at No. 8 for the entire season. In my first match, I followed the kids and ball around until I eventually got my hands on it. I started to run, but was instantly swamped by the hordes. I held on to the ball like grim death at the bottom of a ruck.
“Scrum. Ories ball,” said the referee, after bringing the maul to an end with a shrill blast of his whistle.
“But he was holding onto the ball,” protested one of the kids in the Poneke team, I heard it but couldn’t see through the bodies on top of me.
“Were you? enquired the ref.
“Yes I was,” I said, thinking it was a good thing.
“Well…penalty to Poneke then!”
We lost the game and the next two, against Wellington and Karori, by the identical scoreline of 3-12, i.e.: one try to four against. Conversions were not permitted in the bantam grade in 1970.
And so it began, my own small rugby career…
​
**********
The Petone senior side of 1970. Nectar, top left.
Later that afternoon, 11th April, 1970, both the Poneke (3-29, Marist) and Oriental-Rongotai (8-27, Hutt OB) senior sides were given comprehensive thrashings. But, in not so much of a boil-over as a volcanic eruption, the near invincible Petone side were given their biggest hiding in years, going down 9-22 to the Onslow ‘whizz-kids’, who played with flair and style. Reality check. Life without Ken Gray.
Onslow fullback, James Gregg had played magnificently, contributing 13 points with his boot, while captain, Bruce Hill (two) and winger, Jack Davie had scored their sides three tries.
The powerhouse that was the Petone pack seemed useless against the fierce, fast-breaking Onslow eight, who flustered their opponents and dominated most patterns of play during the first half.
Hill and Bruce Niven drove into their tackles and often enough thwarted the attack, forcing Petone to retire to tidy up ball spilled untidily in the tackle. Davie’s defensive work was one of the games features and his try was one of skill and determination, following up a Goddard dropped goal attempt.
Down 0-11, approaching half-time, ‘Nectar’ scored a fine try, which fully illustrated his determination and complete dedication toward the game itself.
Hopes of a Petone revival, with supporters watching on stunned, were quickly dashed with Jim Gregg adding another penalty and Bruce Hill going in for his second try. Then came the supreme irony of all. The northerly wind which favoured Onslow during the first half, suddenly switched to the south, giving them a second use of the conditions on offer via the weather gods.
Tony Goddard and Bruce Niven kept peppering Jack Seymour with long, raking kicks and the fast following forwards were often up to catch him in possession. With Onslow’s increasing confidence, came the disintegration of Petone’s famous organisation. They seemed without pattern or plan.
Down 3-22 with 25 minutes to play, the villagers rallied late and scored two fine tries in reducing the deficit, which was about the best that they could have hoped for. In the first of these, Andy Leslie made the big break as Petone swept downfield and after a wonderful passing exhibition, ‘Nectar’ went over for his second try. The other was scored by James DBrown following more incisive running and passing.
Admittedly only two rounds in, but the win took Onslow to the top (on points differential) of the Swindale Shield ladder, along with Marist OB, Wellington and more surprisingly, Upper Hutt. For Petone, the shake-up would be the exact catalyst necessary to ensure the mighty juggernaut swung firmly back into full working order.
Onslow’s three match unbeaten early season start was disrupted on April 26th, when they were soundly beaten by University by 22-6. There’d been a lot of talk about an 18 year old in the Varsity backline, a real quick-silver type, with twinkling feet and an eye for the gap.
Playing at inside centre this day, the crowd at the Park rose as he latched on to an Onslow breakdown to send the fast flanker, Steve Reaney, away for a try. Writing instruments came from coat pockets and a name was jotted day in many match day programmes; Batty.
​
**********
School holidays arrived, and as per normal, we were off to the Hawkes Bay (my mother, sister and I) for the duration, to stay with the grandparents in Ballantyne Street, Hastings. Luckily for me, that meant a trip to another rugby match with Bruce, which looked destined to be a senior match at Nelson Park, on this day (May 9th), Marist v Havelock North, with Hastings HSOB playing MAC in the curtain-raiser.
I was cool with that. There was a smattering of Hawkes Bay shield hero’s and All Blacks in those teams. I’d already been to McLean Park in 1969 and seen Uncle Harry play for Napier HSOB, that team had been absolutely chocked with the buggers; Tremain, Carney, Curtis, Meech & Meech, Abel etc. I’d even got to meet big Kel, which was incredible, although he’d recently been dropped from the All Blacks and wasn’t in the best of moods.
Every Saturday morning, Bruce drove down to the Hawkes Bay Famers Transport yards in Heretaunga Street, to let the dogs off for a run and feed them.
Sister Sindy and grandfather Bruce, down feeding the dog on a Saturday morning at the Hawkes Bay Farmers Transport yard in Heretaunga Street, Hastings; circa 1972
Then he’d (neo-religiously, like most men of his generation) go home, mow the lawns, have some lunch and head off to the rugby.
The rugby meant senior matches in Hastings, occasionally Napier, between April and August and representative matches between June and September in Napier, occasionally Hastings.
It had been to the chagrin of the Hastings RFU that McLean Park had been used for every shield match of the recent tenure, thus denying the second city the chance of raking in some revenue.
But with the shield gone, the rugby going public of the twin cities now had a renewed interest in the senior competition and there was no better place for the incoming selector/coach, Derek Tombs, to start his rebuild than at grassroots level in the club environment.
To my surprise and sheer joy, Nelson Park was where we were off to. But not that Saturday afternoon. We were going the next day to the Hawkes Bay trial. Tombs innermost thoughts would be harnessed through the match between a Hawkes Bay XV and the Saracens club.
It was a grizzly old day, that’s for sure, raining throughout, not at all the best conditions for trial rugby or attempting to ascertain the talent and skill on show. But Kel Tremain led the Hawkes Bay XV, with his old shield era buddy, Neil Thimbleby, in charge of the Saracens; gold jerseys and whites shorts.
I was very interested to note - via the one page pink handout that substituted as a match programme - that Paul Carney was the HB fullback and Ian Bishop his Saracen counterpart. Did this mean that Tombs was considering Carney over the shield hero?
My grandfather explained to me that it was only a trial match and as such, players would be mixed up between the two sides, which did explain a few things when looking at the teams. Bishop wasn’t the only shield hero in the Saracens.
Then, a ground announcement; “Ladies and gentlemen. Changes to your team sheet as printed as follows; Neither fullbacks will be playing this afternoon…”
Oh fuck, not this bollocks again.
With the recent retirement of Dennis Smith, Mick Duncan being ill and the likelihood that Ian MacRae and Bill Davis may be away with the All Blacks in South Africa, the three-quarters and likely replacements was one topic of much interest to followers of the famous Magpies.
Mark Jones of the Hastings HSOB club, a regular try scorer in senior rugby, took his chance, dotting down twice for the HB XV. Hastily scribbled notes would have included the initiative he had shown throughout and that - with a little more weight to compliment his speed - he could make his mark at representative level.
Saracens winger, Peter Hobdell (Marist) was fast, strong and determined with ball in hand, trouble was, his hands had let him down on a few occasions. Playing outside Ian MacRae in the HB side, Dennis Munro had looked an improved player following a year playing for Wairarapa, handling the slippery and muddy conditions well.
Mike Natusch and Blair Furlong had impressed for the Saracens, while Ken Darlington and John Dougan looked sharp in the shadow XV. Trouble there was, ‘Darcy’ Dougan was about to return to the capital and wouldn’t be available for Hawkes Bay.
The most interesting ‘duel’ of the day was between the two halfbacks who had done the biz for the Magpies during their shield reign. Aidan Thomas (HB), if anything, threw out a cleaner pass more consistently throughout the game. Hepa Paewai had the occasional passing lapse, but his inspired play and general initiative to make something out of a ragged situation was something which Thomas did not display.
​
**********
​
These particular school holidays were synonymous for another reason, that being that local radio stations were thrashing the current #1 song in New Zealand; "Cheryl, Moana, Marie" (which sold 1,000,000 copies world-wide) by kiwi entertainer (and personal friend of Elvis Presley), John Rowles.
After starting out in an Auckland club band, Rowles ‘crossed the ditch’ to perform in Melbourne and Sydney. In 1966 he began working with Kiwi promoter Graham Dent. A new hairstyle and mod clothes saw the good-looking boy from Kawerau make a successful appearance on Australian television.
His big break came after he moved to England in late 1967. His hit songs the following year, "If I only had time" and "Hush, not a word to Mary", featured prominently in the British top-20 singles charts.
By now a star, Rowles returned to New Zealand, performing to sell-out crowds. In late 1969 he released the album Cheryl Moana Marie, with "Cheryl Moana Marie"/"I was a boy" reaching no. 1 in New Zealand in May of 1970.
Rowles - who had played Wellington Town Hall on March 10th - had a US$600,000 contract to play the Las Vegas circuit along with other superstar crooners, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck and had played his recent NZ gigs following a sell out season at the St. Georges League Club in Sydney.
​
​
​
​
**********
​
Back in Wellington, after six rounds of the Swindale Shield, Petone, University and Wellington were locked at the top on 12 points each. Followers of the game in the Petone village were asking what ‘big Jack’ Seymour had to do to get into the Wellington rep team? Although not deemed ready for provincial honours as yet, the diminutive flyer from University, Grant Bernard Batty (31/08/1951-) (pictured at right), was dragging crowds along to the grounds, wherever he was playing.
‘Batts’ himself, had been aware that the All Black selectors had attended the University/Oriental-Rongotai match on May 16th, especially to watch his performance, but he had thought little more about it. He was the talk of the town then - but as surprised as anyone - when his name was read out as centre for the Probables in the early trial at the Park for the following weekend.
Some, including at least one visiting South African journalist, thought he should have made the touring side. Others, including the selectors, thought that 18-years-old, with only a handful of senior games, was too light on experience for such an arduous tour.
Grant Batty was born in Greytown, Wairarapa, on August 31st, 1951 and educated at St. Mary’s Convent School, Carterton and at Greytown Public School, before attending Kuranui College.
In 1968 and ’69, Kuranui College competed in the Wairarapa third grade open competition. ‘Batts’ was halfback in his first year and second five-eighth the second, registering a total of 70 tries, nine of them in one match against the Masterton club, when playing at fullback.
His team was undefeated and amassed an average of over 40 points per game. The headmaster, O S Meads (a cousin of the famous King Country brothers), said that he had been watching 1st XV’s for over 40 years and young Batty was the most outstanding secondary school footballer he’d ever seen. He also won the senior athletics championship both years, placed in all events.
A move to Wellington in early 1970, saw the young investments clerk from Colonial Mutual Life, join the University club and thrill spectators with his own style of dashing, unorthodox play, earning him the reputation as the fire-brand of Wellington rugby.
**********
Such was the enormous importance of a tour of South Africa, that the various selectors throughout the country had nominated no fewer than 203 players for the national trial at the Park, enough to select 13 teams!
The candidates included 13 fullbacks, 27 wingers, 11 centres, 13 inside centres, 13 standoffs, 14 halfbacks, 23 No. 8’s, 26 flankers, 24 locks, 24 props and 10 hookers. Five trials (the first three being regional) were held furthermore, to select the 30 players that would eventually make the sojourn.
After decades of subservience to the demands of the South African government, the NZRFU had finally showed some spine, their message, this time, simple; “No Maori, no tour”. The AB selectors had been forced to leave some great players at home in the past as a result of the apartheid regime, but, horror-ed further by the thought of the All Blacks NOT coming, the SA government relented, although somewhat condescendingly.
‘Honorary White’ status was granted to Sid Going, Bryan George Williams (03/10/1950-) Henare Milner and Blair Furlong. BeeGee felt that the title was a ‘complete nonsense’, a handle given the quartet to appease white South Africans, another by-product of their ‘warped system’.
At home, charged with the considerable responsibility of unearthing the finest aggregation of rugby players in the country, the national selection panel - under the sage direction of convener, Ivan Vodanovich - were right to test here, probe there, thrust elsewhere in their search for combination, rather than to have remained unimaginatively obedient to tradition and established reputation.
For one, they were uneasily aware that the faster, livelier South African surfaces could expose deficiencies, faint though they might be, in those forwards - even the great ones - who may have been reasonably delegated ‘slightly’ over the hill. Vaunted packs of distinguished names had failed in the past to attune themselves to the more sprightly circumstance as eager, lively and speedy young forwards on their way to eminence may well have done.
The warm winter sun and altitude of Johannesburg and Pretoria are not ideal places for old rugby bones, surely the requirement to have the new breed of fast breaking, open side flanker must see Graham Williams in with a royal chance?
No? Wellington players who made the first North Island trial (their region) were; Andy Leslie, Wayne Nicholls, Ian Stevens, Bruce Niven, Owen Stephens and John Patrick Dougan (22/12/1946-16/11/2006) (although still listed as a Hawkes Bay player). All as listed, plus ‘Batts’, made the first New Zealand trial, ‘Darcy’ Dougan coming off the bench after five minutes to ironically replace his former Havelock North and Hawkes Bay team-mate, Mike Natusch.
Gerald Francis Kember of Victoria University RFC, the only Wellington representative selected for the 1970 All Black tour to South Africa.
There wasn’t a single Wellingtonian in the main trial at all and not one of the early trialist’s made the touring party. The sole Wellington representative in the 1970 All Black side was Gerald Kember. Injured, he was unable to take part in the May 23rd trial, but was selected after confirming that he had recovered, by playing the match against Manawatu on June 1st.
The 24-16 home win over Manawatu was also Grant Batty’s Wellington debut and he registered one of the five tries as posted, as did Ged, who converted three and added a penalty in what would be his 44th and final appearance in a Wellington jersey.
In the second half, ‘Batts’ picked up a clearing kick near halfway, which had bounced infield. There seemed little alternative than passing to Kember on the right.
The Athletic Park sages are still talking about what happened next. ‘Batts’ accelerated past a couple of defenders, slipped a couple of tackles and then - without dropping a stride - swerved outward and clapped on the pace, where a gap to the try line suddenly loomed.
With the crowd in an uproar and the Manawatu forwards floundering, he escaped another couple of tackles and outgassed the cover defence to score in the corner.
He had beaten virtually the entire Manawatu team.
Despite the number of nominees and the expansive ‘everyone’s in with a chance’ attitude, as expressed by Vodanovich and company, the All Black side selected was largely predictable, in fact, so predictable that they were made up of 28/30 main trialist’s. Two players from the losing Possibles side (Ian Turley of Wairarapa and Mick O’Callaghan from the Manawatu) were to miss tour selection.
I didn’t mind, it was an opportunity to see the so-called best sixty plus rugby players in New Zealand, in their positions or otherwise, in two complete back-to-back trials. Fantastic stuff!
McLeod, Lister, Sutherland, Meads, Kirkpatrick, Going, Wyllie. main trial action.
tot he 1970 New Zealand trials.
anti-apartheid protests which were staged before the 1970 All Blacks left for South Africa.
McLeod, Lister, Sutherland, Meads, Kirkpatrick, Going, Wyllie. main trial action.
Check out all the trials and protest action at left.
What was really intriguing though, was at some point early in the second half of the main trial, play was interrupted for several minutes when demonstrators broke onto the park with anti-apartheid banners. Eleven men and seven women were dragged and carried off the ground by Police, met by some vitriolic hostility from the gathered crowd. All were arrested.
An Army bomb disposal expert was called to neighbouring Macallister Park, following the discovery of a small box which ticked, that had been placed in the grounds changing room facilities. A petrol-soaked man threatening self immolation was arrested at the same venue.
These events were backing up one which had occurred earlier in the week. My class (and others I suspect) at Kilbirnie School were taken outside into the bright autumn sunshine and we watched as the pilot of a small aircraft wrote “Stop the Tour” above the skies of Wellington. My teacher explained the whole thing to us, which was a much more informative and balanced explanation than any I was given at home when I attempted to ask questions.
On Saturday, May 30th (two days before the Manawatu match), four of the Wellington trialist’s were on show as Petone and University met in the main match at rugby head-quarters. With both sides atop the table, having lost but one match each and with the rivalry for supremacy between them which had existed for the past 20 years, there was a feeling that this could be the club match of the season.
Unfortunately, the wonder of this ill-tempered match, won by Petone by 22-11, was that no one was ordered off by the provinces top referee, Peter McDavitt. The trouble began during the first spell, when ‘Batts’, already at altercation with several Petone players, was tackled heavily and roughed up. Blows were exchanged between two warring packs.
(Left) Top referee, Peter McDavitt, talks to Andy Leslie of Petone, while the Varsity skipper, John Kirkby, indicates enough is enough. (Right) Nectar looks uncertain that a penalty to University was the right decision.
Contentious aspects aside, Petone overpowered the students with some rousing football, to lead by 19-0 at the interval. Two of their first half tries had come from defensive errors made under pressure, one which started with one of Nectar's slashing breaks from outside his 25, linking up with Jimmy Brown, culminating in a try to Ross Plunkett. Nectar also bagged a try for himself.
Ian, Darcy Dougan and Richard Scott Cleland were all impressive. Darcy in his first match back from the Hawkes Bay, used his boot cleverly (for the most part) and it was noted that his general play had matured. Dick Cleland was rugged throughout and exposed the immaturity of young Batty.
University lost their fly-half, David Heather, before half-time and in the second spell, the backline was like a watch which had it’s mainspring removed.
Petone continued to tear all comers apart as the club season progressed. The defeat of University had left only themselves and Wellington unbeaten in the Swindale Shield competition and Petone, in turn, beat that club in the final on July 4th by 12-3.
Yet again, Petone’s display was highlighted by a superb exhibition from Nectar Stevens, deemed to be returning to the sublime form that appeared to have deserted him at the start of the season. The duel between Darcy and Mattie Blackburn was an interesting one, a thumping 70 metre touch finder from the Maori All Black said to have settled the affair in his favour.
Andy Leslie and Pat Abraham were stand-outs in the villagers pack, the latter recovering from a bout of illness, while Graham Williams was outstanding for the Axemen, with fellow flanker and New Zealand Services representative, Edward I 'Ted' Lines, the most devastating tackler in a game which featured some particularly devastating tackles.
Petone deserved it’s victory. It demonstrated the power and all round efficiency of a champion team and exploited try-scoring opportunities to the full advantage. Some were missed, but two late tries by Jim Brown in the last 10 minutes were well taken and made the margin a safe one.
Wellington were in the game all the way and had it not been for some mediocre goal-kicking from Barry Nichols, things may well have swung their way. In the final stages though, they took too many risks attempting to run the slippery ball and this was the precursor to both of Brown’s tries.
​
**********
​
​
**********
​
On June 2nd, Kiwi motor racing legend, Bruce McLaren, 32, was killed while testing a Can-Am car on the Goodwood circuit in England.
In 1958 Bruce McLaren was the first recipient of the Driver to Europe award, which enabled promising Kiwis to race against the world’s best. The following year, aged just 22, he became the then youngest Formula One race winner by taking out the United States Grand Prix.
McLaren won three more races and achieved 23 other podium finishes in 100 starts in F1. He was runner-up in the 1960 World Championship and third in 1962 and 1969. He and fellow New Zealander Chris Amon won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1966.
In 1963 he established Bruce McLaren Motor Racing. His abilities as an analyst, engineer and manager contributed much to the success of the cars that bore his name. McLarens dominated the Can-Am series from 1967 until 1971 and had success in Formula One in the 1970s.
On June 13th, my father took me down to Wellington Airport and we watched as the All Blacks boarded their TEAL plane and left for Australia. I dared not mention the protestors who had gathered at the airport either, but these folk seemed more intent on just making their protest felt, rather than disrupt proceedings.
Despite my specialist whinging, he wouldn’t take me to the Park that afternoon to watch the Wellington-Canterbury game.
I was pretty disappointed, I wanted so much to see these men in red and black, so revered, so feared.
Protesters, led by Trevor Richards, gather at Wellington Airport, before the plane carrying the All Blacks left for Australia.
At seven years of age, there were four things that terrified me; Nazi’s and Daleks (from old black and white TV), the Springboks and Canterbury. Maybe he knew what was going to happen and couldn’t be bothered putting up with my blubbing and sniffling, for Wellington were given that afternoon, a comprehensive thrashing.
In fact, it was the second biggest winning margin (24-6) posted by the red and blacks on Athletic Park, causing Larry Saunders to write in the Christchurch Star; “I have not seen Canterbury establish such superiority in a Wellington encounter, since Bob Stuart’s fifteen gave that fabulous performance in lifting the Ranfurly Shield from Wellington back in 1953.”
The walloping wasn’t wasted on cynical Cantab supporters, who happily chortled that Wellington should perhaps consider withdrawing their end of season shield bid as a result.
“Oh, how can we possibly fit the All Blacks back into this team?” gloated J. K. Brooks of the Christchurch Press, clearly also a notoriously one-eyed Canterbury supporter.
Fergi McCormick, Wayne Cotterell, Alex Wyllie, Jake Burns and Alister Hopkinson though, would have been proud of how their team-mates poured on the pressure right from the outset.
About the best thing on offer for the home crowd of around 12,000 was that there was no wind and the ground was in good winter order. The clear sunny skies at the airport that morning had gone and the afternoon was as dull as Wellington’s performance.
When Stu Cron’s nagging knee injury forced him to withdraw from the team, he was replaced by 21 year old Chris Read from the Shirley club. When, on debut, Read scored three of his team’s four tries, Cantabs quickly grappled for their red and black notebooks and hastily scribed; “a very likely replacement for Kirky”.
In what was regarded as one of his finest performances in a Canterbury jersey, Lin ‘Scales’ Davis looks to set his backs away, with ‘Nectar’ Stevens left and Graham Williams unable to do much else but spectate.
They’d even found an admirable stand-in for Fergi in Stuart Murray, which caused Mr. Brooks to further comment that; “the extent of Canterbury’s victory vividly illustrates the depth of talent in the province, enhancing the reputations of the selector/coaches.”
And the coaches had asked for in this game, a repeat performance of the Napier shield grab and that is what they got; a whole-hearted team effort, with captain Penrose and vice-captain, Lyn Davis, leading from the front. Thus, the pace of the game was too much for Wellington to cope with right from kick-off.
Penrose directed operations superbly. His was a performance of the highest quality, particularly in the role of supporting the man with the ball. The Canterbury pack worked as one and took control of the tight exchanges.
Terry McCashin gave away six tight-heads to Tane Norton and Nectar had to suck the sav and dance to the tune, piped merrily by Davis all afternoon.
In fact, Scales Davis, was the outstanding player in the match, even robbing Nectar of the ball early on, which directly led to a try by Kerry Tanner. His passing was crisp and accurate and his running assured. Some suggested it was his finest game for Canterbury.
Two brilliant breaks by Batts Batty and a copybook try-scoring move, with Robert Gray coming in on the blind side and creating the score for Michael Knight aside, Wellington had little to offer. The good old drive in the forwards was conspicuous by its absence, although captain Williams and Andy Leslie worked tirelessly in their efforts to arrest the Canterbury advance.
In it’s big win, Canterbury was flattered somewhat by unexpected weaknesses in the home team. Freeman’s experiments of playing a five-eighths at fullback and a prop and a flanker at lock had failed lamentably, but to be fair, retirements and injuries had greatly hampered his cause.
They also had to surrender the Harry Saundercock (Memorial) Cup. Presented by the Saundercock family in 1965, the trophy had been retained by Wellington since inception, as the winners on their home ground. Harry Saundercock was the first member of the CRFU to represent Canterbury Rugby sub unions in 1935. The red and blacks trophy cabinet was growing.
(Left) Lin Davis evades Nectar and Andy Leslie, with man-of-the-match, Chis Read, lurking with intent. (Right) Nectar gives chase as Kevin Gimlet makes a break for Canterbury, with Davis in support.
Wellington improved as the season progressed, especially post the return to fullback, from injury, of Joe Karam and the inclusion of University’s Gary Weinberg at centre, whose club form had been outstanding.
The touring Queensland side were knocked over by 23-6 at the Park. Taranaki were defeated by 19-9 in Hawera and Nelson-Bays (enjoying their first season as a fully integrated union; Nelson and Golden Bay-Motueka) 11-9 in Nelson. A 9-9 draw was recorded against North Auckland, rare visitors indeed to rugby headquarters.
​
**********
​
​
​
The Petone club bagged their 25th Jubilee Cup, with a 3-0 win over University. The rugby did not impress the poor crowd at the Park for the final. It was a very dour match, whereby Petone played some of their worst rugby of the season, but University were even worse. A first half try by Andy Leslie was the games only score.
In their centenary season, Wellington finished second. An early slip up, by only drawing 9-9 with Marist, kept them on the back foot and they were inevitably beaten by Petone on August 8th, by 14-22. University were third, one point behind Wellington. Onslow were unbeaten in the Hardham Cup competition, winning five from five.
On June 17, 1970 Harvey and Jeanette Crewe were gunned down in the living room of their Pukekawa farmhouse and dumped into the nearby Waikato River.
Fifty years on, theories still swirl around the whodunnit, which has been the subject of two trials, a Royal Commission of Inquiry and a major police review following the conviction and pardon of accused murderer Arthur Allan Thomas (pictured at left). The murders remain one of New Zealand's most enduring cold cases.
Thomas was granted a Royal Pardon and compensation after being wrongfully convicted of the murders, following the revelation that the crucial evidence against him had been faked.
He was eventually pardoned and awarded NZ$950,000 in compensation for his 9 years in prison and loss of earnings.
There were numerous inconsistencies in the evidence, which led to an outcry among elements in the farming community and among relatives of Thomas and his wife, Vivien.
A 1982 New Zealand film, Beyond Reasonable Doubt (starring English actor, David Hemmings), a docu-drama directed by John Laing, received much praise for it's portrayal of the case when it screened at the 1981 Chicago Film Festival.
Due to the high-profile nature of the case in New Zealand the film was described as a "story that a lot of people in the country wanted to forget about."
Petone won both the Swindale Shield and the Jubilee Cup in 1970, defeating University in the final of the latter by 3-0 at the Park. (Left) In his first season as captain, Andy Leslie is all smiles with the Jubilee Cup. (Right) Under pressure from Chris Sutton, Nectar gets his kick away, under the watchful eye of forwards from both teams.