Wellington against international teams: versus France 1979

Match Details

Result: France 14 – Wellington 9
When: 30 June 1979
Weather: Cool southerly
Crowd: 18,000

The Tour

In 1961, Waikato fullback Don ‘the boot’ Clarke had famously kicked a sideline conversion into the teeth of a howling gale to clinch a 5-3 win over France at Athletic Park in a Test that became known as the ‘Hurricane’ Test. New Zealand has also beaten France 9-3 there in 1968, but none of these two previous tours included games against Wellington.

Thus in 1979, on their third tour to New Zealand, Wellington finally got the chance to play them. This visit by the French was relatively short, consisting of six matches against provincial opposition and two Tests. France finished second to Wales in that year’s Five Nations and had won the Grand Slam in 1977, so were expected to be tough opposition. They were captained by blonde flanker Jean-Pierre Rives and their party included several current or future stars, such as young fullback/wing Serge Blanco.

They lost two provincial matches – to Waikato (15-18) and to Southland (11-12) – but they went on to draw the Test series 1-1. The All Blacks won the first Test in Christchurch (23-9) but the French prevailed in the second in Auckland (24-19).

After losing to Waikato in their second match, the French showed good form in beating Auckland (16-3), Wellington (14-9) and Hawke’s Bay (31-13) in the lead-up to the two internationals.

The Match

Wellington were the defending NPC champions, having won the first of their four titles thus far in 1978 by winning eight of their 10 matches and only losing away games to Manawatu and Southland.

It was also centenary year for the WRFU.

Wellington was captained by veteran prop Al Keown (Wellington College Old Boys, who almost pulled out of this game with a rib injury. For Wellington, wing Stu Wilson (Wellington College Old Boys) and John Fleming (Marist St Pat’s) were current All Blacks, while wing Bernie Fraser (Hutt Valley Marist), centre Allan Hewson (Petone), No. 8 Murray Mexted (Wellington FC) and first five-eighth Tu Wylie (Marist St Pat’s) were all future All Blacks.

With the first Test just a week away, the French selected what was widely regarded as their best possible team.

Wellington had first use of a moderate wind, dominating the much of the play but failing to fully capitalise. Fullback Brian Cederwall (Athletic) was successful with one of four penalty attempts and Wellington led 3-0 at halftime.

This lead was extended to 9-0 early in the second half when No. 8 Mexted and Paul Quinn (Marist St Pat’s) drove at the line from an attacking scrum and skipper and prop Keown was next man in support to barge over and score a converted try.

This stirred the French into action, crossing for a try and kicking a penalty to cut the deficit to 7-9. Cederwall hit the uprights with another penalty attempt and France replied by scoring a second try out wide to wing Costes and they hit the lead 11-9. Their fullback Jean-Michel Aguirre kicked a monster penalty and they held on to win 14-9.

Wellington was left to rue a very good performance that on another day would’ve lowered France’s colours.

Wellington’s forwards dominated for long periods in several facets of play, including their lineout where Brendon Gard’ner (Wellington FC), Fleming and Mexted were prominent. But Wellington’s attacking backs, led by Wylie, Hewson, Fraser and Wilson, struggled to penetrate the defensive screen that France threw up.

The Dominion said afterwards of Wellington’s pack that they “bound together well and gave the French a lesson in how to win possession. Unfortunately they also gave the French a lesson in how to give away possession.”

Skipper Keown said: “I felt we played well enough, particularly in the forwards. But there were two major parts where I felt we lost the game. After we scored into the wind soon after halftime, it was essential we score again soon. But we went to sleep for 20 minutes…and missing a kick or two at goal didn’t help.

“But all credit to France, who were physically very hard and tough and clean,” said Keown who retired at the end of 1979 with 149 first-class matches for Wellington to his name but who died the following year of bone cancer, aged 33.

Wellington went on to finish second equal in the 1979 NPC, beaten by champions Counties and by equal second placed Auckland. The Wellington B team won the inaugural National Senior Reserve competition and remain defending champions to this day as this wasn’t to continue.

The Teams

Wellington: 1. K.L. Phelan, 2. K.D. Horan, 3. A.E. Keown, 4. J.K. Fleming 5. B.F. Gard’ner, 6. P.B.Quinn,7. M.W. Standish, 8. M.G Mexted, 9.D.J.Henderson,10 T.Wylie, 11. S.S.Wilson, 12. G. Griffith, 13, A.R. WIlson, 14. B.G. Fraser, 15. B.W. Cederwall

France: 1. R.Paparemborde, 2. P.Dintrans, 3. G. Colomine, 4. F. Haget,5.J.F. Marchal, 6. J-L Joinel, 7. J-P.Rives, 8. Y. Malquier, 9. J. Gallion, 10. G. Laporte, 11. F. Costes, 12. P.Mesby, 13. M. Duffranc, 14. S. Blanco, 15. J-M Aguirre

The Players

Out of Gisborne Boys’ High School, first five-eighth Tu Wylie played for Wellington between 1978-83 after playing rugby league for the NZ Universities team between 1975-77 and for New Zealand Maori between 1979-82.

Wylie was MSP’s first five-eighth when they won the jubilee Cup for the first time in 1978 and was a member of the team that won all 20 matches in the 1979 season and he was noted for his support play and darting runs.

He played one game for the All Blacks, against Fiji in 1980, scoring a try. The match wasn’t afforded Test status.

He was a New Zealand First Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tonga from 1996 to 1999.

Stu Wilson, born in Gore and raised in Masterton, played both 1979 Tests against France as the incumbent All Blacks right wing after making his Test debut against France in November 1977.

Wilson went on to play 85 times for the All Blacks, playing 34 Tests. He captained the team in his final tour to Europe at the end of 1983. He scored exactly 50 tries (200 points) for the All Blacks, and scored Test hat-tricks against Scotland in 1981 and the British Lions in 1983. His 19 Test tries established a then All Black record.

Wilson played all the big matches for Wellington over a decade-long career, winning the NPC in 1978 and 1981, the year that Wellington also won the Ranfurly Shield. He was a leading player for his club, Wellington College Old Boys (now one half of Old Boys University) and played for them when he could.

Off the field (and on it, according to reports), Wilson was a light-hearted team member and often shared a joke.

He retired at the start of 1984, helping to organise an international XV to play Wellington in his last official match, a fund-raiser to the Al Keown Memorial Trust.

References

• The Dominion and Evening Post newspapers July 1979
• WRFU. The Winds of Change: Wellington’s Rugby History Part 3 1979-2004. WRFU,2004.
• The Visitors - The History of International Rugby Teams in New Zealand by Rod Chester, Neville McMillan. MOA Publications, Auckland, 1990
• The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Rugby By Ron Palenski, Rod Chester, Neville McMillan. Hodder Moa Beckett, Auckland 1998
• All Blacks A-Z on www.allblacks.com