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Richie McCaw - All Black 2001-2015.
Are there any more accolades coming the way of this Rugbyman? (captured here by Andy Herraud's fine cartoon in 2012)
18 August 2015
This cartoon was commissioned by Billy Graham and the Naenae Youth Charitable Trust in 2012. It was done by Lower Hutt's Andy Heraud.
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Every day there is Rugby History 3 October 1991
Click to show The second Rugby World Cup kicked off at Twickenham
The All Blacks began their defence of the William Webb Ellis Trophy...by beating England at Twickenham by 18-12.
A-Z of Rugby
Click to show JEFFREY, JOHN
JEFFREY, JOHN
Newport and Wales
1 international for Wales 1967
A player who is an example from rugby that because of one mistake made in one game a stigma can be attached to a name throughout a playing career.
John Jeffrey was a 22-year-old student who, in 1967, was selected for the first time to play for Wales in an important game against New Zealand.Sadly for Jeffrey he made a mistake. Early in the second half of a tension-filled game the All Blacks took a shot at goal into a howling Cardiff wind. As the kick came down short of the posts, young Jeffrey kept his appointment with destiny. He caught the ball then flung an erratic pass over his head as the All Black tacklers stormed down on him. The ball flew to open ground and a New Zealander, Bill Davis, following up quickly, dived on it to score.
Wales lost the game 6–13 and the Welsh selectors knew who to make their scapegoat. They dropped Jeffrey from their team and he was never asked to play for Wales in an international again.
Years later there were claims that Jeffrey’s play as a No. 8 was never realistically assessed; many lesser players were given better chances to prove themselves in the international arena. But it is not widely remembered that Jeffrey toured Argentina with the Welsh team in 1968. He also played for the Barbarians on tour in South Africa in 1969 and for them against South Africa at Cardiff in January 1970.
Jeffrey’s inclusion here in this listing is, perhaps, a reminder that the vagaries of selectorial whim and hasty judgments both on and off the field can make or break a rugby player, no matter how good he might be.
10 Questions to well known sporting people
Today's KQ Rugby Quiz
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?
What do you think?
Click here to show the answer.
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30 August 2015 (10 years ago)
Mooloomagic
Keith, did you see Ron Jarden play? His era is before my time but as I was born in 1955 out of curiosity I read the 1956 Alamanck recently and I see that Ron scored 30 tries in just 16 matches in 1955 which is amazing and no one since has achieved that in a calendar year . I would love your thoughts and impressions on Ron Jarden who must have been one hell of a footballer
Dave