McAllister succumb to a niggling injury half an hour into the game and must be in doubt for the end of year tour.

Features
- short at the front
- a modest expression on top

Benefits
- easy to maintain
- doesn’t draw a lot of attention

Fa’atonu Fili has the same look

The phrase ‘Double All Black’ was given to those who played rugby and cricket for New Zealand.

Two sons of Invercargill managed this feat.

Brian McKechnie was the first.

He played in Southland teams between 1976-1983 with All Blacks Steve Pokere and Leciester Rutledge.

McKechnie also played 26 times for the All Blacks including 9 tests scoring 148 points between 1977 and 1981. He was highly proficient but by no means exceptional.

Controversy followed McKechnie

In a famous test at Cardiff Arms Park in 1978, McKecknie kicked the goal that won the game. Nothing wrong with that but the penalty was given to New Zealand after lock Andy Haden cheated the Welsh by diving out of the lineout as if he were pushed.

No rugby fans in Wales have forgotten and fair enough.

Then, in the 1981 cricket World Series Cup in Australia, Trevor Chappell was ordered by brother Greg to bowl an underarm delivery for the last ball of the final against New Zealand. The Kiwis needed a 6 from the last ball just to draw the match.

It was McKechnie who faced the ball. He had only just come to the crease.

The full story is played out in this 8min video.

He blocked it and them threw the bat away in disgust but has since forgiven the Chapells for the incident.

McKechnie was a capable cricketer and genuine all rounder. The boundaries at the MCG are very big but it is possible that McKechnie could have reached them.

That he didn’t get the chance has immortalised him in sporting folklore history.

Jeff Wilson on the other hand was a genuine talent.

A schoolboy athlete, Wilson represented Southland in basketball, athletics, cricket and rugby.

He once scored 66 points in a high school match and was playing in the NPC before he left school.

Wilson came to prominence while studying at Otago University in Dunedin where he made the All Blacks in his first year, 1993. He went on to play in the 1995 and 1999 World Cups and scored a total of 234 points.

Wilson scored 4 tries in 60 tests – a record at the time.

Cricket

Wilson played for New Zealand in 2 series before channeling all of his energies into rugby from 2005.

His cricket statistics are not flattering but there was a memorable victory over Australia when Wilson hit the bowlers to all corners of the ground.

Paddy O’Brien was a track athlete and police detective before becoming a professional referee.

O’Brien had a turn of pace that he focused on the long- and triple jump. In rugby he was a wing and full back.

He began refereeing in 1984 and was New Zealand’s referee of the year 6 times between 1995 – 2004.

O’Brien became a professional referee in 1996 in the Super 12 turning his back on a 17 year career in the New Zealand Police.

He is now head of the IRB Referees Board.

Hayday

Waikato won the first NPC final in 1992. Until then the competition was decided by round-robin play alone.

Auckland had dominated for 10 years winning their first title in 1982 and then 6 out of the 8 to 1990.

The All Blacks were away when the final was played in 1991 and Otago beat a second string Auckland side but the Auks were back to full strength in 1992.

Waikato broke the deadlock that Auckland had on the NPC (in controversial style)

The second incident happened in the final where Waikato comfortably beat Otago 40-5. This wasn’t enough for combative All Black prop Richard Lowe who eye-gouged Otago fullback, Greg Cooper in a ruck.

• Lowe would receive a significant ban for the transgression

The next  year they would take the Ranfurly Shield away from Auckland as well

Waikato were a hard-working, tightly knit team in the early 1990′s led my John Mitchell but there were remarkably few All Blacks in the side.

• Only Mathew Cooper got regular game time with the All Blacks.
• Hooker Warren Gatland was only ever a reserve
• John Mitchell was given a tour and the mid-week captaincy as reward for a great career
• Lock Steve Gordon had 2 caps early in his career

Brent ‘Buck’ Anderson rounded out the second row

Mitchell combined with Richard Gerram and Duane Monkley in a hard-working but under-recognised loose forward trio.

Monkley was robbed

Ask any Waikato rugby fan about Duane Monkley and be prepared to hear about one of the greatest injustices of All Black history. The number 7 was tough, quick to the breakdown and big in the tackle.

Monkley  did have considerable opposition during his career for the number 7 jersey, including Mike Brewer, Paul ‘Ginge’ Henderson, Michael Jones and an emerging Josh Kronfeld.

But it is fair to say he was equal or better than others who got an All Black jersey during the period like Mark Carter and Liam Barry.

Team of coaches

The team from the early 1990′s would produce a number of high-profile coaches

• Kevin Putt (Natal)
• Stu Foster (Waikato & the Chiefs)
• Andrew Strawbridge (Auckland NPC assistant coach and Auckland 7s coach)
• Graham Purvis ()
• Warren Gatland (Ireland)
• John Mitchell (All Blacks, Western Force)

History

There are many rugby greats from the area.

All Black hooker Has Katley played  7 tests between 1946-49.

Waikato All Black, Has Catley

… and he had a stylish hairdo – remnants of Crispin Glover.

Two of New Zealand’s most famous players of all time come from the Waikato.

The great Don Clarke, known as ‘The Boot’ and the greatest Kiwi rugby legend of all time, Sir Colin ‘Pinetree’ Meads, known as ‘Pine Tree’.

See the Waikato Rugby Union Timeline for more historic detail.

1981 Springbok Tour

The country was split between the sad naivety of hardcore rugby fans who preferred to remain happily ignorant of the apartheid regime and those that believed it should not be tolerated and any cost.

The first test in Hamilton was called off when protesters occupied the playing field and police feared for their safety from rugby fans throwing full cans of beer and other projectiles.

There was also fears that a small aircraft would cause a safety risk.

The matches in Christchurch and Auckland went ahead but not without incident.

Read the full story.

This one is courtesy of Andrew Mulligan from New Zealand’s ’The Crowd Goes Wild’ TV sports show.

• Face Shape
• Hairstyle
• Front teeth

It’s a Match …. Cheers Andrew

31 – Northamptonshire CCC v Australia @ Northampton – day 1- Mitchell Johnson Originally uploaded by LeamDavid

Wynand Olivier with Wesley (WSPCCA beneficiary) May 09 (2) Originally uploaded by 2oceansvibe

Northern Bulls and Springbok centre, Wynand Olivier sports the blond ‘Fabio’ hairstyle. Percy Montgomery is probably the quintessential South African Fabio. Percy Montgomery Originally uploaded by gillstrawberry

Saia Faingaa with his ‘keeping it real’ dreadlocks

George Smith cut his off over a year ago leaving very few dreadlocks in the Australian Super 14 teams. Faingaa is doing very well since his move from the Brumbies. He is particularly busy around the field, throwing himself into rucks with no regard for his personal safety.

Queensland Reds Hooker, Saia Faingaa

Growing the ‘fro

Chiefs captain and All Black fullback, Mils Muliaina. Back for the Chiefs and growing his hair.

All Black fullback, Mils Muliaina

Related stories

• Melodie Robinson on cross dressing at the Wellington Sevens
• Tony Johnson on NPC Hair Styles
• Richard Turner on facial hair
• Scott Robertson on French v Kiwi Style
  

  

Daniel Braid and Vincent 'the Beast'

Braid is a predator in the loose and Vincent fought for justice in the form of a good-looking early version of Terminator’s Sarah Connor.

• They were plagued with injuries – Captain David Horwill is out for the season; strike weapon Digby Ioane suffered a knee injury; Peter Hynes hurt a finger; Rod Davies a fractured cheekbone; Tim Walsh has a broken hand and Richard Kingi a hamstring strain – and this is a relatively inexperienced team anyway!
• The Chiefs had won 3 from 3
• All Black Mils Muliaina was back for the Chiefs, reuniting with All Black team mate, Sitivini Sivavatu and Lilia Masaga on the other wing
• It was the Chiefs first game at home and they and were extremely confident

Everyone had written off the visitors and they were 15 nil down in the first 15 minutes and had a player in the sin bin for a dangerous tackle.

But somehow the Reds managed to win and their coach was beaming, praising his players and seemed to be enjoying the questions.

But it was time to get serious …

We will focus on 5 aspects of each venue.

Top 5 Reasons Why Hamilton is a Great Rugby World Cup Venue #1

1. Hamilton is where Richard O’Brien grew up

[One of New Zealand and Hamilton's lesser known facts is that the author and co-star of the Rocky Horror Picture Show grew up in Hamilton]

Richard O’Brien was born in England but came out to New Zealand in 1951 with his parents when he was 9 years old.

It was while he was a hairdresser and amateur actor at the Embassy Theatre on the city’s main street that he came up with the idea for the character of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, an extra-terrestrial transvestite.

O’Brien returned to England in 1964 and 9 years later his musical comedy sci-fi play, The Rocky Horror Show debuted.

The film version came out in 1975 and would go on to gross over $USD170 Million after achieving a cult status in the 1980′s that has endured ever since, making the Rocky Horror Picture Show the longest running movie of all time.

Richard O’Brien played the character of Riff Raff the butler.

A statue was crafted in his honour in 2004 at the location where the Embassy theatre stood on Victoria Street, Hamilton’s main drag.

Riff Raff Statue, Hamilton

The film would launch the careers of Meat Loaf and Susan Sarandon and propel O’Brien into the annals of movie and rock opera history.

He had already had parts in Jesus Christ Superstar and released several music albums but for Hamilton and the rest of the world, it is the Rocky Horror Picture Show that endures.

Hamilton is more renown for its horticultural and rugby activities than its artistic heritage but it definitely exists. The Founders Theatre is just 2 blocks from the World Cup Venue, Westpac Stadium.

This series will look into the more historical and interesting stories of the region. Watch out for reason #2 - That Hamilton area has a rich history, the next installment in our series.

The Time Warp - dance steps