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9 November 2015
I travelled to the eighth Rugby World Cup in Great Britain as an Ambassador for Williment Sport Travel of Wellington, New Zealand; I made it to into Cardiff at the quarter-final stage. Before that I posted a regular Rugby World Cup blog. Read more »
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9 November 2015
18 August 2015
*By Keith Quinn (from his book Quinn's Quips)* Early in my broadcasting career by 1969 I was deemed sound enough by the bosses of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation to be the regular studio host of the Sports Roundup radio show. It was quite simple broadcasting work and therefore very good for a young bloke to be involved with. But one day I think I played a major role in New Zealand winning a cricket test match! Read on... Read more »
By Keith Quinn Read more »
*This Story by Keith Quinn for keithquinnrugby.com:* The discussion of the end of All Black Keith Murdoch's life has recently become been a cheerless one to absorb. The beginnings of the demise of the tough prop forward's playing career is very well known. Read more »
The small New Zealand town of Te Kuiti, in the aptly-named King Country turned out in June 2017 for what was to be the last public outing for the districts legendary rugby star, the great Sir Colin Meads. I was honoured to be MC for the day and later wrote this story for 'NZTODAY.' Read more »
I watched a lot of Colin Meads playing on the rugby field. I am of the age that can say that. Shamelessly I can say I loved the way Colin Meads changed the game for previously lumbering second row forwards, which I was myself, albeit at a club level only. Meads showed us all another way to play. Read more »
This story first appeared in the excellent *NZToday* Magazine's June-July edition. The author knows it is true as he remembers it. Some family members doubt his recall. Read more »
'My God, look at the size of this man! Quick! Tell the other villagers we're going back to the boats!'
Arguably he was the slowest back on the field but nothing could stop the flying Mortlock; his try that greatly assisted the Aussies in their 22-10 sensational dispatch of the All Blacks.
LAWTON, TOMMY
Queensland, New South Wales and Australia
14 internationals for Australia 1920–32
Tommy Lawton was a stand-off half, or five-eighths, noted for the smoothness of his play, his ability to pass well and his excellent goal-kicking. A Queenslander, he moved to Sydney when rugby went into near recession in Brisbane during and after the First World War.
Lawton was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, winning three blues. He later toured Britain and France with the famous ‘Waratahs’ team – New South Wales – in 1927–28. He was a vital man in that team and scored 127 points, a record for an Australian on such a tour. Decades later the games against international teams on that tour were accorded official Wallaby test status.
In 1929 he returned to Queensland and led the re-formed Australian team against the All Blacks. Lawton was a brilliant tactician and guided Australia to a clean sweep of the three-test series. He was also captain of Australia in one test in 1930 (against Britain) and in 1932 for two tests against the All Blacks. He captained a losing test team only once.
His tally of 60 points – including points scored in the subsequently recognised ‘tests’ of the Waratahs tour – was not beaten as an Australian record until the 1960s.
Tommy Lawton died in 1978 and did not see his name carried on in Australian rugby by his grandsons, Tommy jnr and Robbie, who came into international rugby in 1988.
Name the NZ player who captained the All Blacks to a test match win; then also captained a team to beat the All Blacks within a year?
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