KeithQuinnRugby
Thinking and talking about rugby every day for 50+ years
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I always travel with a notebook to jot down the hard case or significant sporting stories I hear. My thinking is - 'these are too good to lose.' This website is a perfect place for me to publish them.
7 January 2019
*By Keith Quinn (from his book Quinn's Quips)* In my career by early 1969 I was deemed sound enough by the bosses of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, as a very young broadcaster, to be the regular studio host of the Sports Roundup radio show. It was quite simple broadcasting work and 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 more »
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25 November 2017
From time to time there are those rugby fans who nostalgically reflect on their time in the game; and they do it by the magic of poetry. You will find some memorable efforts on this website. This latest one comes from James Simpson of New Zealand who clearly remembers with enormous affection his days of playing in the hooking position - and his enormous respect for others who did so too. Read more »
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14 March 2017
A Poem for old rugby players........... Read more »
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31 December 2015
WHILE IN SYDNEY IN 2015 TO SEE THE PRE-WORLD CUP BLEDLISLOE CUP GAME I WAS REMINDED WHILE THERE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE BLEDISLOE CUP STORY Read more »
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21 April 2015
Until someone can enlighten me as to who authored the excellent poetic effort attached here I will publish it anonymously but with thanks. My friend Alan Trotter of Tauranga, New Zealand has sent it to me. He says it was 'sourced' to him from the United States - but who can be sure? Read more »
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19 February 2015
I can remember clearly my first trip to the far north of New Zealand. It was in the hot, lazy summer of 1966. I had just turned 20 years old. I left Wellington with two Wellington College schoolmates, Dave Henderson and Evan Purdie, on a traveling holiday. I don't know why this story has come back to me now all these years later but once I got into clattering away on this keyboard the memories came flooding back. Read more »
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28 January 2015
This story might even read like a corny sports joke - but I saw it in a pile of my notes not so long ago - its a boxing story from a long time back - and is worth retelling here I think. Read more »
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13 January 2015
This story is part of folklore at the Barbarians Club in Auckland, New Zealand. It is one which shows that even in the middle of a feisty rugby test match a mother's pride will still come shining through! Read more »
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31 December 2014
In conservative New Zealand of the 1950s the media was vastly different to what it was these days. For a start there was no television at all in New Zealand, radio was careful and conformist (being totally Government owned), the newspapers rarely gave by-lines to writers. It goes without saying that unacceptable or bad language across any of the radio communications industry was totally unheard of. But one afternoon on National Radio an All Black grabbed the microphone and let rip with what was then a total shocker! Read more »
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3 September 2014
*ATHLETIC PARK* in Wellington, New Zealand, was a much loved headquarters of the game in the Capital city for over a 100 years. It was finally closed in 1999 and the game in Wellington shifted to the Westpac Stadium in the city centre. Read more »
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With Cavaliers players banned a very young NZ team, under their captain David Kirk, and with 11 new test players, beat France 18-9 in Christchurch.
KEARNS, PHIL
New South Wales and Australia
67 internationals 1989-99
A Wallaby World Cup winner in 1991 who went on to play in three World Cups and become one of the world’s toughest and most competitive hookers. Back in 1989 Phil Kearns was one of Bob Dwyer’s young Wallaby picks, chosen out of Sydney club play to play the All Blacks. He was part of Dwyer’s long term plan with Australia’s future in mind. The plan worked. Players like Kearns, Tony Daly, Tim Horan and Jason Little all came through to be major factors in Australia’s victory over England at Twickenham to secure the second World Cup final.
In his career Kearns’ most competitive rival was the New Zealander Sean Fitzpatrick. They met on a number of occasions and several times they were rival captains as well. Kearns captained his country ten times in all but was then replaced as leader by Michael Lynagh for the 1995 World Cup.
Injuries took their toll on Kearns several times during his career. And after he suffered a severe Achilles tendon tear it was thought he might never make the top tier of play again. But after a gap of 18 months he was back in time to be part of the Wallaby squad which won again in the World Cup of 1999. Such courage to return was typical of this tough, uncompromising player who was much admired wherever he played.
In his retirement years he has continued his association with the game via Television commentary in Australia.
In which town or city was the first international rugby match played in Wales?
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