RIP
RIP
RIP
RIP Stu
RIP Stu.
Apologies B&R and Tx.
it wasn't Stu.
It was Jeff Wilson
Was he the fullback who played during that flour bombing series?
Same era, but he (& captain Graham Mourie) chose not to play against the Boks.
Alan Hewson was fullback.
Actually Bob, Wilson did play in the Bok series of 1981 scoring tries in the first test and the Eden Park flour bomb test.
My bad, got the wrong son ... Bruce Robertson , also sadly RIP.
AI Overview
In 1981, All Blacks captain Graham Mourie and player Bruce Robertson chose not to play against the South African Springboks during their tour of New Zealand, citing their opposition to apartheid. Mourie publicly announced his decision due to his moral objections to playing against the South African team. Robertson's decision was also based on his personal abhorrence of apartheid and his experiences on the 1976 All Blacks tour of South Africa.
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Former All Blacks captain Stu Wilson has died, aged 70.
Wilson, who could play centre or wing, made 85 appearances for the All Blacks between 1976-83, including 34 tests, two of which he captained.
He made nine overseas tours, including that with the 1978 Grand Slam team which beat all four Home Unions. He was captain in all eight matches of the 1983 tour of England and Scotland.
For several years his test tries were an All Black record.
Born in Gore in 1954, Wilson would move up to Masterton and later represent Wellington at provincial level, where he played 89 matches, scoring 54 tries between 1975-84.
During his time, Wellington would win two National Provincial titles in 1978 and 1981, the latter year also saw them hold the Ranfurly Shield.
He controversially retired from all rugby in 1984, after he co-authored a book with fellow All Black wing Bernie Fraser, which went against the governing body’s rules at the time.
After retiring, he went on to work as a television presenter and radio host, before also dabbling in real estate and working for charitable organisations.
In 2021, Wilson became an orderly at Tauranga Hospital after moving to the Bay of Plenty from Auckland three years earlier.
“I needed a job for a couple of days a week to get me out of the house and thought this could be it,” he said at the time.
Wallabies great David Campese, Wilson’s former foe, led the tributes.
“When I started playing, Stu was the benchmark in world wing play. He was the man we all wanted to be – cocky, clever, blisteringly quick and brilliantly intelligent,“ Campese told Planet Rugby.
“As a player, Stu made rugby look easy and earned huge respect as captain in 1983. He had a swerve to beat anyone, extreme pace, intellect and power, able to break through tacklers, making him a try-scoring machine.”
“I made my debut against him in 1982 in the Bledisloe in Christchurch and grabbed my first Test try against him. We became very great pals, playing together in invitation games. I still have his jersey from that first test match and it’s one of my most cherished possessions as he represented the standard I wanted to attain.”
“But it was off the field where Stu really entertained. His post-match career as a pundit and after-dinner speaker was hilariously funny and his tales would leave the audience rolling with laughter.
“I will never forget Stu. He was my benchmark, my adversary and also a lifelong mate who I endured as a brilliant opponent and enjoyed as a great mate. RIP my friend, the game is lesser without you.”
Former All Blacks No 8 Murray Mexted told Radio New Zealand he had a coffee with Wilson on the morning of his death.
“He was just his normal self, chirpy with a spring in his step, so it’s a hell of a shock.
“We called him Super Stu because he was a super rugby player,” Mexted said.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.