Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 046: Frank Kilby and Lance Johnson

Frank Kilby (left) and Lance Johnson – Southlanders turned Wellingtonians and All Blacks.

Two Southlanders – turned Wellingtonians who each shone brightly at halfback and first five – often together – from club rugby to first-class level and on to the All Blacks.

Halfback Frank Kilby was one of Wellington Rugby’s favourite players in the 1920s and moving into the mid 1930s as a high-quality halfback who consistently gave good service to his backs, marshalled his forwards around the park as keenly as anyone and rarely played a poor game. Nine years his senior, Johnson was a noted attacking first-five, who was one of the form All Blacks on their 1928 tour of South Africa.

Both players spent their formative years in their home province Southland, before moving to Wellington and linking with the Wellington Axemen club.

Kilby was born in Invercargill in 1906 and played for the Southland Boys’ High School First XV in 1921 and 1922, his school winning a famous 8-3 victory over Otago Boys’ High School in their annual exchange in his last year.

Prior to spending several seasons playing in Wellington and making the All Blacks from the Wellington Axemen club, Kilby started his representative career for Southland out of the Star club in 1925 and 1926. He played 15 matches for Southland in both these years and in 1926 led his side to a 22-16 win over Wellington at home.

In his second first-class season in 1926, he also played for the South Island in their annual match against the North Island, although with several Hawke’s Bay players in rampant form in their ranks the North took this out 41-9.

Kilby was also a handy cricketer and represented Southland in cricket in his formative years.

In his first season in Wellington in 1927, Kilby played the first eight of his eventual 39 caps for Wellington up to his retirement in 1935 and this time played for the North Island team and in All Black trials for the following year’s tour to South Africa.

After two seasons in Wellington, he spent 1928 and 1929 in Taranaki and Whanganui respectively and affiliated with the Star club in Taranaki and for the Pirate club in Whanganui those two seasons. He worked in the banking industry, so his job was the reason for these years away from the capital. In later years, his job as a bank manager would take him to Masterton and Auckland.

His year in 1928 in Taranaki was fleeting as he was away on his maiden tour with the All Blacks to South Africa, making five appearances against domestic opposition. An ankle injury restricted his rugby on this tour.

He made six first-class appearances for Whanganui in 1929 and played against Wellington in the mid-week match in September at Spriggens Park which Wellington won 27-19.

In 1930, Kilby was back in Wellington and was Wellington’s halfback (with Mark Nicholls, not Lance Johnson playing first-five) when Wellington won the Ranfurly Shield off Southland in Invercargill. Wellington won 12-3. He was also at halfback (with another former Southlander Rusty Page at first-five and Nicholls at second-five) the following season when Canterbury won it off Wellington 8-6. Wellington were leading with 10 minutes to go in this unsuccessful defence.

In 1932 Kilby was back in Black – and this time as All Black captain.

His first match as All Blacks captain was in a 23-36 defeat to Wellington, marking future double All Black Eric Tindill at halfback.

On tour in Australia, he played in seven tour matches, including winning the test series 2-1 and with it the Bledisloe Cup for the first time.

In 1933, Kilby was in fine form for Wellington, one highlight being leading the team to a slashing 37-9 win over Auckland on Eden Park, a week after they had scored a late long-range special to beat Otago 20-17 at home.

The All Blacks were back in action in 1934 and Kilby again captained the side on their tour to Australia, a knee injury restricting his appearances to four matches. Returning home, he captained the team in what was his final international in a match in Wellington against the ‘Rest of New Zealand.’ This was an early trial match ahead of the following year’s overseas tour before the All Blacks disbanded for the year, the All Blacks won 25-17.

However, Kilby was dropped from the All Blacks for this tour, two Wellington halfbacks preferred ahead of him, tyro Joey Sadler and double international Eric Tindill.

Kilby thus hung up his playing boots in 1935, finishing his career with 92 first-class games to his name, including 39 for Wellington between 1927-35.

Kilby later had a career as an administrator.

He was on the Wairarapa management committee at the tail-end of the war in 1944-45. He served as an Auckland selector in 1951-52.

He was on the NZRU executive for two decades, first elected in 1955 and serving his last season in 1974. He was made a NZRFU Life Member in 1976.

Kilby managed New Zealand teams on two overseas tours. In 1958 he managed the New Zealand Māori side on its tour of Australia and in 1963/64 he was the All Blacks manager on their tour of Britain.

Lumsden-born Lance Johnson was nine years older than Kilby, so there was no overlap between the two at Southland Boys’ High School. Johnson was at that learning institution between 1912-15 and played for the First XV in 1915. They didn’t play Otago Boys’ that year but drew 8-8 with Christchurch Boys’ High School.

Like so many rising rugby players of his day, his career was put on hold for a few seasons owing to World War One. He served in the Rifle Brigade in France in 1918.

His shooting skills would come to the fore a decade later in South Africa when he shot an ostrich from 1,000 yards on an excursion during the 1928 All Blacks tour.

He moved to Wellington in 1923 and played the next three seasons playing club rugby for the Axemen and earning 15 caps for the Wellington province.

In 1925 he made the All Blacks for the first time on their tour to Australia, playing in all six matches including the three big matches against New South Wales.

Prior to departure, the team played Wellington, so starting with Harry Roberts in 1884 who scored the first ever try for New Zealand, against Wellington, Johnson’s All Blacks debut was against his then home province. Wellington won that match 10-6 as well. He also played the final game on tour on their arrival home, against a Wellington-Manawatu-Horowhenua side in Wellington. They won that 25-11.

It would be three years before he made the All Blacks again – on their 1928 tour of South Africa – but prior to that he spent a sole season in the Hawke’s Bay in 1926. This was the famous Magpies side that was on a Ranfurly Shield tear and Johnson was at first-five when they beat Wellington 58-8! He also played there in defences against Auckland (41-11) and Canterbury (17-10, in Christchurch).

Returning to Wellington in 1927 after a short stint playing club rugby for College Rifles in Auckland, Johnson appeared in seven of 10 first-class matches played by Wellington. He played well and ran in a try in their 21-9 match against his home province Southland and a fortnight later bagged two tries in their 24-16 win over Otago.

Johnson, along with Kilby and Mark Nicholls, were in the North-South game at Athletic Park that saw the South Island win an exciting contest 31-30.

Trials were held for the South African tour the following season and Johnson and Kilby, along with Nicholls and Charles Rushbrook, were selected for the tour departing in April 1928.

Johnson was now 31 in 1928, but age didn’t detract from his play in South Africa. He played in 16 of 23 tour matches, the most by a back on tour, and was in top form throughout. He played in all four tests in this series, three at first-five and one at second-five and kept Wellington team-mate and tour vice-captain Mark Nicholls out of the tests until the last one which they both played.

Johnson was in Wellington throughout 1929, playing for the Wellington Axemen, who were relegated to Senior B at the end of the year, and another five appearances for the Wellington province and in the inter-island match won 29-20 by the North.

He captained the Axemen to a dominant win in the Senior B Championship in 1930, a team that featured fellow ex-Southlanders Kilby and Page and future All Blacks Don Oliver and Hugh McLean.

He made the All Blacks squad to play Great Britain in their test series but only featured in the warm-up match against North Otago. This was his last match in black.

On 3 June 1930, Kilby and Johnson were Wellington’s halfback-first-five combination that beat the Great Britain tourists 12-8.

Johnson and Kilby appeared together for the Wellington Axemen over the next couple of seasons, but Johnson’s representative appearances became fewer. Age and even younger players such as Southlander Page coming through the ranks hastened his departure from the top flight. He retired in 1932.

The Axemen finished fourth in the 1932 Jubilee Cup, but in the penultimate fixture of the season against Poneke, Johnson (along with Kilby and Page) helped lead the Axemen to a 17-12 win over Poneke. The Dominion wrote the Johnson was the ‘king pin of Wellington’s backs…. he was strong in attack and his experienced head resulted in Poneke being frustrated time after time.’ This was Poneke’s first loss of the season and the following week they regained their winning ways and beat Petone 16-13 to win the title.

Following his playing career, Johnson moved to Christchurch where he worked as an accountant. He was a Canterbury selector in 1949-50.

Johnson passed away in Christchurch on 11 Janaury 1983, aged 85.

Kilby passed away in Wellington on 3 March 1985, aged 78.

References:

• Akers, Clive. New Zealand Rugby Register 1870-2015. New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2016.
• All Blacks A-Z Profiles Lance Johnson (Paul Neazor) and Frank Kilby (Bob Luxford)
• Chester, Rod, Palenski, Ron, McMillan, Neville. Men in Black 2000 Edition. Hodder Moa Beckett, Auckland 2000.
• Dominion, Evening Post and Whanganui Chronicle, various newspaper reports 1925-35
• Minogue, Peter B. Champagne Rugby. The Story of Secondary School Rugby in New Zealand. A.H. & A.W. Reed, Wellington 1961
• Quinn, Keith. Give ‘Em the Axe. 150 years of the Wellington Football Club. Wakefields Digital, Wellington 2020.
• Swan, Arthur C.; Jackson, Gordon F. W. (1952). Wellington’s Rugby History 1870 – 1950. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed