Fraser brings up the ton

Above: Wing Bernie Fraser crosses for his 100^th first-class try, for Wellington against Marlborough in 1982. Photo credit: Winds of Change, Wellington's Rugby History 1979-2004. By WRFU and David Ogilvie 2004. Page 60.

Ahead of the Ricoh Wellington Lions' next ITM Cup against the Tasman Makos this coming Sunday, kick-off 4.35 pm, we throwback to 17 June 1982 when champion wing three-quarter Bernie Fraser scored his 100th first-class try.

Wellington's first home match of the 1982 season at Athletic Park was significant for two reasons. Not only was it Wellington's first Ranfurly Shield defence after capturing the Log ‘o Wood off Waikato at the tail-end of the previous season, but it was the match that prolific wing Bernie Fraser scored his 100th first-class try.

In fact, not for the first nor the last time in his illustrious career on the left wing for Wellington, Fraser played a starring role in that 1982 Ranfurly Shield opener in June against Marlborough.

Fraser scored a hat-trick in Wellington's comfortable four tries to nil 31-6 win over the Red Devils.

It had been a long wait for Fraser to reach a century of first-class tries, minor injuries keeping him sidelined since he scored his 98th and 99^th first class-tries while playing for the All Blacks against Romania South at the end of the previous year.

But once he took the field against Marlborough he didn't have to wait for long, finishing off a sweeping Lions movement started from a lineout win on Marlborough's 22. This gave Wellington a 6-0 lead before some sections of the Millard Stand crowd had even taken their seats.

Afterwards a satisfied Fraser told the Dominion: "it was a bit of a long wait from 99 tries and it was a great thrill to score it in the third minute and give us a handy lead. It's a nice personal milestone and I want to score more before much longer."

He scored plenty more after that. Fraser was at the peak of his phenomenal try-scoring powers in 1982, having scored a record 24 tries for Wellington the previous year, breaking the late Ron Jarden's record of 18 in 1953. Upon his retirement at the start of 1986, the Hutt Valley Marist club flyer had scored 100 tries in 121 matches for Wellington. He became the first to notch a century of tries for one union, and 54 of his tries were scored in official NPC matches.

Fraser had been a schoolboy star in Auckland and moved to Wellington in 1973. But his representative career didn't take off until 1977, when, under new coach Ian Upston, he made 12 appearances. In 1978 he played a leading role in Wellington's inaugural NPC title-winning season and scored four tries in one match against defending champions Canterbury.

Forming a lethal back three with Allan Hewson and Stu Wilson, Fraser had a brilliant 1981 season, his 24 tries were scored in just 15 games, including 12 tries in the NPC games. He scored two or more tries in a match on nine occasions. As such, the south-east corner of Athletic Park became known as ‘Bernie's Corner.' He played 55 games for the All Blacks including 23 Tests between 1979 and 1984, scoring six tries.

Fraser's try scoring feats for Wellington were emulated when another left wing, Hosea Gear, came along and broke Fraser's 1981 record of 12 tries scored in a single NPC/ITM Cup campaign, Gear scoring 14 championship tries in 2008.

Like Fraser, Gear, when injury free, ran amok at provincial level for the Lions and Super Rugby level for the Hurricanes and later the Highlanders but for various reasons never quite managed to crack the All Blacks on a consistent basis.

In seeing off Marlborough's defence of the Ranfurly Shield that June 1982 afternoon, Wellington went on to defend the shield against Wanganui (30-9), Hawke's Bay (13-12) and Taranaki (19-6) before, before losing it to Canterbury (12-16) on 25 September - just under a year after they had wrenched it off Waikato.

Fast forward to the Lions' next Ranfurly Shield tenure in 2008 and 2009, the Lions won the shield off Auckland (27-0) and then had to return home to see off a tricky challenge by the Tasman Makos in their one required defence of 2008.

As it transpired, their first defence in 26 years was on decidedly shaky ground when Makos halfback Kahn Fotuali'i dived across the tryline late in the second half to put his side ahead 13-11. But it was a Fotuali'i indiscretion moments later at the other end of the field and a subsequent penalty in front of the uprights to his opposite Piri Weepu that saw the Lions regain the lead.

Fotuali'i was sent to the sin-bin for killing the ball on his own 22-metre line and, to the relief of many, the Lions were then able to pull clear with a 75th minute try to lock Jeremy Thrush to make it 21-13, followed by a popular match-winner to No.8 Thomas Waldrom to see them win 26-20.