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Geoffrey Alley

Geoffrey Alley was an All Black lock and a farmer, and then became involved in adult education and library services. He became New Zealand’s first national librarian.

Geoffrey Alley left school in 1921, to manage a Southland farm. During this time his aptitude for rugby flourished, and in 1926 he was selected for the All Black tour of Australia, and then again for the 1928 tour of South Africa. It was in the scrum that his imposing physical strength proved valuable.

Alley graduated BA in education from Canterbury College in 1929, followed by an MA with first-class honours in 1932. It was during this period that he began extending library resources to the country, in a van carrying books. In 1937, following his continued work with rural education, Prime Minister Peter Fraser was convinced that a Country Library Service was needed, and appointed Alley as its head.

In 1945, the Country Library Service became the National Library Service, and Alley its director. For a decade, Alley also served as honorary secretary to the New Zealand Library Association. It wasn’t until 1963 that the decision was made to establish a national library, with Alley at the helm. In this role, he is said to have been determined and persistent, if somewhat difficult.

Geoffrey Alley was made a fellow of the NZLA in 1955. He was known to hate references to his All Black career, yet he continued to attend reunions with his former team-mates, and publicly endorsed the ‘No Maoris, no tour’ campaign for South Africa in 1960.

By W.J. McEldowney; adapted by Patrick Whatman

Read full biography of Geoffrey Alley (DNZB)

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Geoffrey Alley

Geoffrey Alley was an All Black lock and a farmer, and then became involved in adult education and library services. He became New Zealand’s first national librarian.

Read biography of Geoffrey Alley

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1/2-205286-F
Photographer: Crown Studios Ltd of Wellington
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa must be obtained before any reuse of these images.

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Wilson Whineray

The great New Zealand rugby writer T.P. McLean declared ‘unhesitatingly’ that Wilson (‘Noddy’) Whineray was New Zealand’s ‘greatest captain’. Colin Meads agreed that as a captain Whineray ‘inspired fierce loyalty’. He captained the All Blacks 68 times in his 77 appearances between 1957 and 1965. The All Blacks lost only four of the 30 tests in which he was captain. Awarded an OBE in 1962 and a knighthood in 1998 for services to sport and business, Whineray was also NZ Sportsman of the Year in 1965.

The Auckland-born Whineray played first class rugby for an incredible six unions as a result of his time at university and work as an agricultural field cadet. It was for his home union that he played most of his rugby. At Auckland he benefitted from the coaching of Fred Allen and captained the side to unprecedented success in the Ranfurly Shield.

Primarily a loosehead prop, Whineray was part of a formidable All Black pack that included Colin Meads, Kel Tremain and Ken Gray. It was often argued that he was a better leader than scrummager, but according to Colin Meads it was ‘hard to recall a time when our scrum suffered because of any weakness’. A lineout move perfected by the All Blacks on the 1963–64 northern hemisphere tour was known as ‘Willie Away’ after its key feature, which involved Whineray peeling away from the lineout to receive the ball from a halfback position to set up attacks in midfield.

Following his retirement from the game Whineray studied as a Harkness Fellow at Harvard University and carved out a successful business career. His status in the game was recognised internationally in 2007 when he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in London. He died in Auckland on 22 October 2012.

Further information:

Wilson Whineray (IRB Hall of fame)
Wilson Whineray (NZ Rugby Museum)

By Steve Watters

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Wilson Whineray

Wilson Whineray, who T.P. McLean described as the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team's 'greatest captain'.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1/2-202723-F
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Fred Allen

Described as an ‘immaculate player’, Fred Allen went on to become the most successful All Black coach ever: during his tenure, between 1966 and 1968, the team won all 14 tests. His renowned skill for motivating his players earned him the nickname ‘The Needle’. Allen’s contribution to New Zealand rugby was recognised with a knighthood in 2010. He is unique in having been inducted twice into the New Zealand Sporting Hall of Fame – for his coaching achievements and as a member of the army team. On the international stage he was recognised with induction into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in London in 2005.

Fred Allen was born in Oamaru and played for Canterbury before the Second World War. He came to national attention as a leading figure in the NZEF ‘Kiwis’ Army team (Khaki All Blacks) that toured Britain at the end of the war. Described by the famous rugby commentator Winston McCarthy as ‘absolutely immaculate in his football … a beautiful footballer’, Allen settled in Auckland after the war and made his debut for the All Blacks in the two-test series against Australia in 1946. He captained the All Blacks in all of his 21 games in the black jersey, including six tests. The Encyclopedia of NZ Rugby described Allen as ‘one of the greatest post-war All Black backs playing equally well at either 1st or 2nd five-eighth’. Winston McCarthy named him ‘one of the finest five-eighths of all times’.

The 1949 tour of South Africa marked the end of Allen’s playing career. While the test matches were close affairs, the Springboks triumphed 4-0. Allen, who also shouldered much of the responsibility for coaching on that tour, was hampered by injuries and stood down from the final two test matches.

Having hung up his boots, he turned to coaching. It was in this role that he truly stamped his mark on Auckland and New Zealand rugby. As Auckland's selector-coach from 1957 to 1963 Allen became one of the most successful Ranfurly Shield coaches of all time, helping make Auckland the dominant force of New Zealand rugby. Higher honours followed and he became an All Black selector and then All Black coach in 1966. In his 14 tests as coach the All Blacks were not only unbeaten but gained widespread admiration for playing attractive running rugby.

Fred Allen

Fred Allen around the time of his All Blcak test debut against Australia in 1946. He was to captain the All Blacks for 21 games before coming one of New Zealand rugby's most successful coaches.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
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Eden Park - from swamp to sports ground

Originally a swamp, Auckland's Eden Park has been a sports ground since the late 19th century. Today New Zealand's largest sports stadium, it has been the site of some memorable sporting victories - and losses. The chaotic third test of the protest-ridden 1981 Springbok rugby tour was played there, as were New Zealand's victorious finals in the 1987 and 2011 Rugby World Cups.

Transcript

Eden Park, site of the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, is New Zealand’s largest stadium. It has a capacity of 50,000, which will be temporarily increased to 60,000 for the World Cup. It was originally a swamp, surrounded by luxuriant kouka, or cabbage trees. Known as Cabbage Tree Swamp, it dried out in summer but in winter became a lake.

In the late nineteenth century, the land was leased out by the Kingsland Cricket Club. In 1911 the Auckland Cricket Association purchased the ground, now known as Eden Park, and the following year the Auckland Rugby Union leased it in order to use it in the winter. The ground was drained, a grandstand erected, and in 1914 the first rugby game was played there.

The first-ever rugby test match at Eden Park was held in 1921, when the All Blacks played the Springboks. The excitement surrounding this event was enormous and it attracted a crowd of over 30,000 people. Yet despite the huge home crowd the All Blacks lost to the Springboks for the first time ever – nine points to five.

Eden Park was also the venue for the 1950 Empire Games, now called the Commonwealth Games. Yvette Williams, later to become an Olympic gold medallist, won gold in the long jump and silver in the javelin in a games where New Zealand finished third on the medals table.

In 1955, Eden Park was the site of one of New Zealand cricket’s darkest days. In the second innings of a test match against England, New Zealand scored a humiliating total of only 26 runs. Four players were out for a duck, and the top scorer, opener Bert Sutcliffe, was the only player to reach double figures with 11 runs. This total remains the lowest-ever test innings total in the world.

However, a year later, New Zealand had its first-ever test cricket victory at Eden Park, beating the West Indies by 190 runs in the final test of the series.

In 1981, Eden Park was the site of a bloody political conflict. During the final game of the controversial Springbok Rugby Tour, the third and deciding test, thousand of protestors and police clashed in running battles outside the ground. Police cars were overturned and set on fire, and a number of police and protestors were hospitalised in the most violent clashes of the tour.

Meanwhile a small plane, piloted by protestor Marx Jones, buzzed the park, while his fellow passenger dropped flour bombs on the ground, one of which hit All Black Gary Knight. Despite the protests outside and the flour bombs dropping amongst them, the players continued until the final whistle, with an injury-time penalty kick from Alan Hewson giving the All Blacks a series-winning 25-22 victory.

Though the 1981 test was one of the country’s darkest moments, six years later, Eden Park was the site of its proudest when New Zealand won the final of the inaugural Rugby World Cup final – its only World Cup win*.

The 1987 competition saw All Black stars such as Michael Jones and John Kirwan in stunning form, and Grant Fox score 126 points – a tournament record which still stands today. New Zealand won the final against France 29-9, and when All Black captain David Kirk kissed the Webb Ellis Trophy after the game, he channelled the joy of the nation.

*Note that this recording was made before the 2011 Rugby World Cup which was also won by the All Blacks at Eden Park when they beat France 8-7 in the final.

Manatū Taonga - Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 2011. Part of the Roadside Stories series

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Brian Lochore

Wairarapa born and bred, Brian James (BJ) Lochore won distinction as a player and administrator at school, club, provincial and national level.

In 1959, not yet 20, he made his provincial debut against the touring British Lions. All Black honours followed in 1963. In an illustrious career in the black jersey he played a total of 68 matches. He was captain in 18 of the 25 test matches he played for his country. An outstanding no. 8 or lock, he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1999 and knighted the same year.

Overlooked for the All Blacks in 1964, Lochore was recalled for the following year’s series against South Africa. From that point he became a permanent fixture in the national side until he retired from international play after the 1970 tour to South Africa (he played one test in 1971 to help out an injury-struck side).

In 1966 All Black coach Fred Allen appointed Lochore as All Black captain ahead of more experienced alternatives such as Colin Meads, Kel Tremain and Ken Gray. In his 18 tests in charge Lochore lost only three times – all in South Africa in 1970.

When his playing days ended Lochore moved into coaching, initially with the Masterton club and from 1980 with Wairarapa-Bush. Under his guidance the union achieved promotion to the first division of the National Provincial Championship in 1981. He became an All Black selector in 1983 and coached the national team from 1985 to 1987, culminating with home success in the 1987 World Cup final. Lochore also managed the All Black team which narrowly lost the 1995 World Cup final to South Africa.

Lochore played a significant role in the 1995 negotiations as rugby went professional. A split in world rugby seemed certain and many current All Blacks signed contracts with the Sydney-based World Rugby Competition (WRC). Lochore’s mana in New Zealand rugby helped ensure that in the end the country’s leading players signed contracts with the New Zealand Rugby Union. The rival WRC soon collapsed.

Lochore’s iconic status within New Zealand rugby has been acknowledged by the naming of one of the two cups contested in the Heartland Championship in his honour.

See also: Brian Lochore (NZ Rugby Museum)

By Steve Watters

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Brian Lochore

Brian Lochore in 1971, the year of his final test as an All Black. Lochore won distinction as a player and administrator at school, club, provincial and national level.

Colin Meads believed that at the peak of his career between 1966 and 1969 Lochore was 'everything I would want in a number 8'. Furthermore Meads believed that the self-effacing Lochore was as effective in his captaincy as the highly acclaimed Wilson Whineray.

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Credit:

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1/1-030248-F
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image

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George Nepia

George Nēpia is considered to be one of New Zealand rugby’s finest players. He played all 32 matches for the famous 1924–25 ‘Invincibles’ on their tour of the British Isles, France and Canada. Yet over the next five years Nēpia appeared in only five test matches, playing his final match in the black jersey aged just 25. In all Nēpia played 46 matches for the All Blacks, scoring a total of 99 points.

Following his selection for East Coast Districts in 1921, Nēpia got his big break the following year when he was selected for Hawke’s Bay. Initially playing on the wing or at second five-eighth, he became an integral member of the Bay side which over the next five years dominated the provincial game in New Zealand. For the 1924 match between northern and southern Māori sides Nēpia was moved to fullback. He adapted to the position with great skill and was selected for the All Blacks. His performances on that year’s tour led one British journalist to conclude:

it is not for me a question of whether Nepia was the best fullback in history. It is a question of which of the others is fit to loose the laces of his Cotton Oxford boots.

Injury and unavailability restricted his appearances for the All Blacks after this tour. Nēpia was also a victim of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s decision to bow to segregationist South Africa by selecting no Māori for the 1928 tour of South Africa.

In 1935 Nēpia captained the New Zealand Maori team to Australia but having endured considerable financial hardship during the Great Depression he accepted a professional contract to play rugby league in England later that year. Missing his family, he returned to New Zealand in 1937 and was a member of the Kiwi side which pulled off a memorable 16–15 victory over Australia.

Following a general amnesty in 1947 Nēpia was reinstated to rugby. He played a couple of rep games for East Coast and in 1950, now in his mid-40s, captained the Olympians club in a match against Poverty Bay. The opposing captain that day was his son George – this remains the only time a father and son have played against each other in New Zealand first-class rugby.

Nēpia’s status in New Zealand rugby was best demonstrated shortly before his death in 1986, when – more than 50 years after his last All Black game – he was the subject of a widely viewed This Is Your Life television programme. The same year, the South African Rugby Board elected him as a life vice-president, a fitting honour from a country which he had never been allowed to tour.