Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 066: Stan Ransom and Doug Mackay

Above: The University team of 1928 that won the first of its two consecutive Senior A Championship titles. Stan Ransom (highlighted in red) and next to him Doug Mackay (blue).

A tale of two University players who helped their side win back-to-back Senior A club championships – including the inaugural Jubilee Cup in 1929 – and then were relegated at the end of the following season.

Stan Ransom and Doug Mackay were both outside backs and both also played representative rugby for Wellington. Mackay also played for New Zealand Universities and became an All Black in 1928 and went on to coach the University Senior A team for five years in the 1930s.

Both players’ careers shone bright but briefly in the dying embers of the golden age of rugby following the game’s recovery and renaissance after World War 1. Both went by their middle names; Stan’s first name was Fred and Doug’s was James.

University’s rugby team took their supporters on a rollercoaster ride over the course of about five seasons, going from championship runners-up in 1926, third in 1927, champions in 1928 and again in 1929 to inexplicably relegated to the second division in 1930. Mackay and Ransom, either individual or together, were involved in all these seasons.

In 1928 Mackay was on the wing and Ransom at centre and the team’s goal-kicker when they won the title, beating Poneke 16-12 in front of 12,000 spectators at Athletic Park. Playing an attractive brand of rugby and with another 1928 All Black Craig Mackenzie  at first five, University scored 332 points and conceded 148.

The main stand at Athletic Park was opened and the Jubilee Cup was presented in the WRFU’s 50th year in 1929. The pair returned to win it for the first time. Their season record was 13 wins, two losses and one draw and they scored 217 points and let in 120.

Then came the crash in 1930, in this case of the rugby variety. For reasons that neither John Anderson in his history book the Story of the Green and Golds or contemporary media accounts could pinpoint, University slumped to dead last and were relegated to the Senior B division for 1931. One explanation, or at least a contributing factor, was the loss of four players including Mackay for a month during the season with the New Zealand Universities team. Mackay was also transitioning into coaching while Ransom was still the team’s centre and primary goal-kicker.

By 1932 both players had hung up their boots from the Senior A team.

Of the pair, Mackay was a wing and the older by two years. He was born in New Plymouth on 21 September 1905 and was educated at New Plymouth Boys’ High School where he spent three years in the First XV.

He arrived in Wellington for study towards eventual Arts and Science degrees in 1925 and became a member of the University Senior A team in 1926 and made the Wellington representative team for the first time that year.

He represented Wellington on 20 occasions between 1926-31. In 1930 Wellington won the Ranfurly Shield off Southland and struck a rich vein of form. Mackay scored a try in the 12-3 win over the Stags and eight in the season for Wellington. That same season Mackay and Ransom were on the right wing and centre respectively in Wellington’s 12-8 win over Great Britain.

In 1928, with the main body of All Blacks in South Africa, Mackay played twice for New Zealand. The first was against West Coast-Buller – when he scored four tries in a 40-3 win – and a few days later against the visiting New South Wales team in a 8-11 loss.

Mackay also played for the New Zealand Universities side in 1929 and 1931 and in 1931 he was chosen as a reserve back for the national team in 1931.

After hanging up his boots, Mackay spent five seasons as a University club coach.

He joined the air force and was based in Canterbury at RNZAF Wigram between 1938-42 and became a RNZAF education officer and was awarded a MBE. In 1942 he was the coach of the Air Force A side that beat Canterbury Amry 16-6 in the final of the Canterbury metro Senior A competition.

He held various administrative and services coaching roles whilst in Canterbury and was President of the Ellesmere sub-union in 1953 and 1954. He was a warden at Lincoln College between 1947-62 where he lived.

He was awarded Life Membership of his old University club.

Mackay died in Christchurch on 23 December 1985, aged 80.

Ramson, whose first name was Fred, but he went by his middle name Stan, was born on 26 May 1907 in Te Aroha, so was two years younger than Mackay.

He was raised in Wellington and played his final season for the Wellington College First XV in 1925 before joining the University club straight out of school

He made the Wellington representative team four years in succession between 1927-30, playing 13 matches.

Anderson summed up Ransom’s career

“A dashing, penetrating centre he answered critics of his tackling with a brilliant display for Wellington against the 1930 British Isles team. A splendid goal-kicker, he scored well over 100 points in one season for Victoria, some years over 50. Stan played regularly for Wellington from 1927-30, but did not appear for NZU.”

Ransom also represented New Zealand in athletics and was involved in tennis and became the Chairman of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association,

In athletics he was a renowned hurdler and in 1927-28 was New Zealand co-champion and New Zealand record holder for the 440 yard (400m) hurdles.

In 1933 he completed his studies at Victoria University with a Master of Arts and Diploma of Teaching.

He had been on the staff of Wellington College between 1927-31 as an assistant master, before joining the teaching staff of Hutt Valley High School in 1931 (alongside University captain Mackenzie) and in in 1952, Ransom succeeded Norman Millard as the principal of Hutt Valley High School, a position he held until his retirement in 1967.

Ransom was involved in the Hutt Old Boys club and became that merged club’s first President in 1968 and was HOB Life Member.

Ramson died in Lower Hutt on 17 June 1976, aged 69.

References:

• Akers, Clive. New Zealand Rugby Register 1870-2015. New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2016.
• All Blacks Player profile James Doug Mackay
• Anderson, John. Victoria University of Wellington Rugby Football Club. The Story of the Green and Golds 1902-1987. VUW RFC 1987.
• Dominion and Evening Post various rugby reports 1927-32
• Swan, A.C. History of New Zealand Rugby Football, Volume 1 1870-1945. Christchurch. Whitcombe and Tombs 1948.
• Swan, Arthur C.; Jackson, Gordon F. W. (1952). Wellington’s Rugby History 1870 – 1950. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed.