TALKING RUGBY Another landmark day for Collegiate

• Published date: 22 June 2022
• Author: RUGBY John B Phillips
• Publication title: Whanganui Midweek

The school, which is hosting the 96th New Zealand quadrangular college rugby tournament next week, has provided four Whanganui-born All Blacks over the past 129 years

Whanganui’s previous WCS-educated NZ internationals who were also born in the city were halfback Andrew Donald (20 matches between 1981-84), winger Arthur Bullock-Douglas (15 games 1932-34) and hooker Peter Murray (One game v 1908 visiting Anglo-Welsh team).

Taranaki has provided four of Collegiate’s 15 All Blacks including the first two — the highly talented Good Brothers, Alan (1893) and Hugh (1894), from Urenui.

They were not only fine wing three-quarters but also top-class track- and-field athletes who had the rare distinction of both winning senior titles at the 1898 New Zealand athletic championships at Cooks Gardens.

Because Taranaki did not possess a championship club in those days both Alan (born in 1867) and Hugh (1871) represented the host Wanganui club.

It was the first time the nationals had been held in Wanganui, with Alan Good winning the long jump with a distance of 19ft 9.5in and Hugh the high jump with a height of 5ft 5.78in.

Most-capped of the WCS Taranaki All Blacks was Hawera-born second-five James (Jimmy) Hunter, with 45 NZ games between 1905-08 including Test skipper in Australia before the incredible 1905-06 tour of the British Isles (34 wins and a controversial 3-0) loss to Wales.

Another Collegiate Taranaki All Black, hooker Roger Boon, a replacement to South Africa in 1960 for the injured Ron Hemi, was to become a Wanganui selector-coach 22 years later.

The longest-serving WCS All Black was Manawatu lock Sam Strahan, with 45 NZ matches between 1967-73.

Wellington-born halfback David Kirk, who wore All Black colours while playing for Otago and Auckland between 1983-87, including scoring a try when captaining New Zealand to beat France 29-9 in the l989 World Cup final at Eden Park, wore the Silver Fern 39 times.

The next most capped WCS All Blacks were Jimmy Hunter with 36 appearances, Gisborne-born Otago prop Mark Irwin (26) and Andrew Donald (20).

Collegiate’s 15 All Blacks and the years they represented NZ —

Allan Good (1893) — Taranaki. Born Urenui 1867. Three-quarter. Four NZ caps v Australia. NZ long jump champion 1898.

Hugh Good (1894) — Taranaki. Born Urenui 1871. Three-quarter. One cap v NSW. NZ high jump champion 1898.

John Blair (1897) — Wanganui-Kaierau, Born Porirua 1872. Forward. Nine games in Australia. 33 games for Wanganui (1890-1900).

James Hunter...