Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 085: Jim Fitzgerald

James Train Fitzgerald was a fleet-footed midfielder who was a key cog in the hugely successful University club teams of the early 1950s, as well as playing for Wellington and for the All Blacks. He was a popular player for his University club and for Wellington teams in the early 1950s, not far off teammate Ron Jarden. If not for injuries that dogged the latter part of his career, his name might well be in lights as a Wellington great.

Unlike his middle name suggests, Fitzgerald was more likely to come at your backline with twinkle-toes than as a freight train.

Fitzgerald was light on his feet and fast to seize on a gap, as was often noted in contemporary reports.

John Anderson in his University club history also wrote “He weighed 12.5 stone [78.6kg] and stood 5’ 9” [175cm] but sometimes looked a trifle frail as he weaved through apparently non-existent gaps; could attack from a standing start.”

Fitzgerald was born in Petone on 6 August 1928 and attended Hutt Valley High School between 1943-47 and was one of several prominent nationally acclaimed sportsmen to pass through that institution around the same time. He was a year ahead of Ron Jarden but the same year-group as future NZ cricket captain John Reid.

Leaving school, Fitzgerald moved to Dunedin to train as a physical education instructor at Otago University and joined the Otago University team in 1948. From there he made an Otago XV in his first year and then represented Otago briefly in 1949. Otago were the then current Ranfurly Shield holders and he made his debut for them in a defence against Buller. He also played for the New Zealand Universities team whilst playing in Otago.

Following the completion of his studies, Fitzgerald returned home. He joined the teaching staff at his old school HVHS and signed up to play for University in town. He was one of a handful of exciting new University players who would set Wellington club rugby on fire in 1952. Amongst these was 1951 All Black Brian Fitzpatrick, whom Fitzpatrick would soon form an effective midfield partnership with –  the two complemented each other with Fitzpatrick a deadly defender and Fitzpatrick a dangerous attacker. Additionally, the team’s star left wing Jarden ran 10.2 seconds to break the Victoria University 100 yards [91.44 metres] record over the summer.

University made the opposition sit up and take notice when they demolished defending champions Poneke 37-0 in their 1952 season opener. There were a couple of setbacks in the following weeks before they took out the Jubilee Cup championship with two rounds to spare.

The team’s record was 50 tries scored and 15 tries conceded. Jarden was the competition’s leading points scorer with 14 tries and 96 points. The head coach was Ian Uttley, a former New Zealand Universities and Otago first five-eighth.

Fitzgerald was one of nine University players to play for Wellington in 1952 – making 10 appearances. Wins for Wellington that season included 25-11 over Canterbury in Christchurch, 31-11 over Auckland at Eden Park, 32-9 over Taranaki in Wellington and a nine-try (including one to Fitzgerald) 43-9 over Wairarapa at home. Wellington also hosted Ranfurly Shield holders Waikato at Athletic Park for the first time ever. The visitors won 9-3, but Fitzgerald and Wellington would use this as motivation in their successful RS challenge the following year.

Fitzgerald’s winning form for both University and Wellington saw him selected at second-five to play for the All Blacks in the first test against Australia in his future hometown Christchurch on 6 September 1952. He made an eye-catching start, scoring the first try of the match off an Australian mistake inside five minutes. But Australia came back to win 14-9.

Fitzgerald was then dropped for the second test – replaced by future University coach Mick Bremner. Fitzgerald’s test career was over after one international, but he would go on to play another 15 appearances at the end of the following year.

That was on the 1953-54 tour of Britain and France. He showed good form and scored 10 tries in the tour matches but couldn’t crack the main team.

Lindsay Knight, in his All Blacks player profile picks up the story:

Apart from playing for the touring XV against the Rest in mid 1954 Fitzgerald was never again an All Black. But as much as fickle selection policies he was a victim of a horror injury run, which affected him in each of the 1954, 1955 and 1956 seasons.

In 1954 he also played for NZ Universities and the North Island but a broken wrist meant he had only five games for Wellington. Another injury early in the 1955 club season ruled him for the rest of that year and while he returned to play the last of his 32 matches for Wellington in 1956 he was again hampered by injuries.

But he managed to play in two All Black trials and captained the North Island in his third appearance in the interisland match. And one of his five matches for Wellington in 1956 was in the narrow loss to the touring Springboks.

Fitzgerald’s farewell to first class rugby came in 1957, along with his great club, provincial and All Black team-mate Jarden, when they were in a Centurions invitation XV which played a Wellington XV in a festival match at Athletic Park. Jarden scored four tries and Fitzgerald, who was a useful goalkicker, converted one of the side’s seven tries in a 36-33 defeat (48-47 in modern scoring values).

Prior to being selected for the end of year All Blacks tour – alongside three University teammates Jarden, Bill Clark and Fitzpatrick – made another 11 appearances for Wellington in 1953. This was a golden spring for Wellington. They won the Ranfurly Shield off Waikato and then defended it five times in six weeks in front of packed crowds at Athletic Park before losing it to Canterbury.

University won the Jubilee Cup in 1953 with the Sports Post praising Fitzgerald as the outstanding University back in the competition.

Also in 1953, Fitzgerald’s 21 points for the North Island Possibles against the North Island Probables on 9 September (3 tries and 6 conversions) was a new record for a NZ trial match.

In 1954 Fitzgerald and Jarden appeared in the NZ Rugby Almanack as two of their five Players of the Year.

By 1955 University had lost many of its players, but both Fitzgerald and Jarden lined up at the start of the season, and any team with these two in the backs was going to be dangerous.

But disaster struck Fitzgerald mid-year, succumbing to a season ending rib injury. Three-time defending champions University fell to fourth behind winners Onslow. It was noted that in its first 10 games the team had scored 196 points but only 30 in its last six, sans Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald returned for the start of the 1956 club season, but only a few games in injured his thumb. He returned in the back-end of the season but couldn’t prevent University finishing third behind winners Petone.

He was appointed captain of the New Zealand University side that went on to famously beat the Springboks on Athletic Park on 22 August 1956- but had to withdraw through injury.

That was the end of his club career, of which Anderson wrote about him in the University club history:

“Fitzgerald was the rapier of the University backline.  A beautiful player in every respect except ability to kick with either foot, he looked slender and fragile yet could strike with lightning speed and bewildering shifts. Next to Ron Jarden he had to be rated the most memorable of a distinguished and captivating company.”

He hung up his boots in 1957 having played 70 first-class matches and scoring 30 tries and 154 points in total.

Fitzgerald subsequently transferred to Christchurch for work reasons, where he lived throughout the remainder of his life.

He joined his third University club, this time Canterbury University, and was their coach between 1965-69. He guided them to the Canterbury Metro Senior A title in his first year in charge

He was a Canterbury U19 selector between 1970-72

Fitzgerald died in Christchurch on 13 May 1993, aged 64.

References:

• Akers, Clive. New Zealand Rugby Register 1870-2015. New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2016.
• Anderson, John. Victoria University of Wellington Rugby Football Club. The story of the Green and Golds 1902-1987. Tolan Printing Company, Wellington, 1988.
• Chester, R.H. and McMillan, N.AC. The Visitors. The History of International Rugby Teams in New Zealand. Moa Publications, Auckland, 1990.
• Swan, A.C. History of New Zealand Rugby Football. Vol. 2 1946-1957. Whitcombe & Tombs, Wellington 1958.
• Wellington’s Rugby History 1951-79. By Bob Fox, with assistance by Paul Elenio and Joseph Romanos (Evening Post) and Alex Veysey and Ian Gault (Dominion), with statistics compiled by Gordon Jackson (1951-68) and Alby Butterworth (1969-78). Tolan Printing Company, Wellington, 1979.
• Headline photo: “Photograph of rugby player Jim Fitzgerald as a member of the 1953-54 All Black touring team to Great Britain, France and America. Taken ca1953 by Crown Studio Ltd of Wellington.”