Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 090: Graham Mexted

No. 8 Graham Mexted represented Wellington on 38 occasions from the early to mid-1950s, and played six matches including one test for the All Blacks.

Like some other players of this era, Mexted had a meteoric rise, from one week playing what today is Premier 2 club rugby, to the next playing for Wellington B to the next playing for Wellington against an international touring team and impressing so much he was soon selected in the All Blacks.

How did this happen?

Mexted was born in Greytown on 3 February 1927 and grew up in Tawa and later attended Wellington College 1940-43. He was a tennis and track champion at school – but like some other famous players before and after him such as Jack Lamason and Ken Gray he was never in the First XV whilst at school.

Leaving school, Mexted joined the Wellington College Old Boys club and played  three seasons for that club. Again, like some other players, he started life in the backs and was a centre, wing or fullback in these formative years.

The Tawa club was formed in 1947 and he was a founding member of his home club. The club started off in the junior second division, moved up to junior first and in 1950 into the senior second division [or Premier 2 in 2024]. During this time, Mexted moved into the forwards, mostly out of necessity to plug numbers, and he soon thrived in his new role.

He played a first-class match for the Wellington Centurions in 1949. It was the following season that he was first picked for Wellington B and travelled to Blenheim with this team to draw 8-8 with Marlborough on 5 June 1950.

The following week he made his full Wellington debut and was a try-scorer in a 13-16 loss to Taranaki in Hawera.

Next up was the touring British Isles team.

The 1950 British Lions are regarded as being one of the most exciting international sides to visit New Zealand. Playing expansive, attractive rugby, they were wildly popular everywhere they went.

Their record was played 23, won 17, lost five and drew one. They met the All Blacks in four Tests. The first in Dunedin was drawn 9-9; New Zealand won the second in Christchurch 8-0, the third in Wellington 6-3 and the fourth in Auckland 11-8. The Lions also defeated New Zealand Maori 14-8 at Athletic Park. The match against Wellington was a week before he third Test, also at Athletic Park.

The visitors got away from Wellington in the first half, leading 12-0 by halftime (20-0 in today’s scoring). Wellington cut the gap to 12-6 midway through the second half and that was the final score.

For Wellington, their forwards played well, holding the Lions in most facets. Mexted was noted as having a strong game and he more than held his own against his opposites.

The following Saturday, 1 July, he was a spectator along with thousands of others on Athletic Park’s infamous Western Bank, watching the third test between the tourists and the All Blacks. This was the test that New Zealand won 6-3 despite several injuries and finishing the match with 13 players (no substitutes allowed).

The All Blacks selectors needed fresh personnel for the fourth test, and they turned to rookie Mexted. In his son Murray’s book Pieces of Eight, he is quoted as saying “If anyone had said to me then that I would be playing in the fourth test at Auckland in three week’s time I’d have said you’re bloody mad.”

He duly made his test debut and helped the All Blacks to an 11-8 victory and three-nil series win in bright sunshine in Auckland.

Returning home, he played the rest of his maiden season for Wellington. It was not a vintage one for the union, with some close losses, but late September wins against Canterbury and Auckland helped finish it off on a high.

The following year Mexted was back as strong as he had been in 1950. Following the North-South match, he went on the1951 tour of Australia, playing a further five matches. He didn’t play any of the tests, but his record was five tries in his six appearances in the black jersey.

In 1952 Mexted’s only matches for Wellington were for the B team and it may be significant that for the 1953 season Mexted moved to a senior A club based in Wellington city, Athletic.

Mexted was a leading player in Wellington’s team that beat Waikato 9-6 to lift the Ranfurly Shield and then defended it five times in a whirlwind 49 days in August and September 1953.

The final one of those challenges against Auckland on 5 September was also a special day for him, coinciding with the birth of his future All Blacks son Murray.

A fortnight later the fairytale was all over, Canterbury coming to town and winning 24-3. This was also played three days after the final midweek All Blacks trial at Athletic Park to pick the team for the 1953/54 tour to Britain and France. The 30 players had already been picked, including seven from Wellington. But Mexted missed out.

The following season, Mexted played just three times for Wellington, and also another five first-class matches for the Centurions. In He appeared for the Centurions again in 1955 but not for Wellington. He played 33 first-class matches for Wellington A sides in his career.

As noted above, Mexted’s son Murray was also an All Blacks No. 8 and played 34 tests for New Zealand, played just one test for the All Blacks – against the British Lions in July 1950.

Younger son Alan played 18 representative matches for Wellington in 1983-84, out of the Wellington Axemen club.

He hung up his playing boots having played 60 first-class matches overall and having scored 19 tries and one dropped goal for 60 career points.

Post his playing days, Graham Mexted was heavily involved in club rugby as a coach and administrator. He was Tawa’s Senior 1 [Premier] coach between 1960-64 and Tawa’s President for two stints in 1966-68 and 1978-79.

Mexted passed away on 9 March 2009, aged 82

References:

• Akers, Clive. New Zealand Rugby Register 1870-2015. New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2016.
• The Dominion newspaper, various rugby news reports May-September 1950.
• Knight, Lindsay, Graham Mexted All Blacks A-Z Player Profile
• Mexted, Murray. Pieces of Eight. Rugby Press Ltd, Auckland, 1986.
• Swan, Arthur C.; Jackson, Gordon F. W. (1952). Wellington’s Rugby History 1870 – 1950. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed
• 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.