Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 103: Ernie Todd

In his book Haka! The All Blacks Story Winston McCarthy wrote a chapter called ‘The Team That Never Was’ about the 1940 All Blacks to South Africa that was cancelled because of the start of the war.

Trials were held and the touring squad was selected by sole selector Ted McKenzie but he never revealed it up to his death in 1946. Instead, McCarthy took it upon himself to guess McKenzie’s likely team and this included Wellington loose forward Ernie Todd. He noted the following:

“Wellington offered the 6ft 2ins, 15-stone Ernie Todd who had everything a footballer should have. He could run (he was the Wellington 200m provincial champion); he was strong (he won the New Zealand Discus Championship); he handled and ran like a back; he kicked goals from half-way; he could punt with either foot. What more could a selector ask for?”

Todd was in the Air Force during the war and played for several domestic services teams, before returning to play his final season for Wellington in 1946 and later moving into administration and coaching.

He subsequently moved into administration and was the manager of the 1972/73 All Blacks.

Ernest Laurence Todd was born in Wellington on 18 September 1917. He was raised in New Plymouth and was a Taranaki Primary School representative and played for New Plymouth Boys’ High School.

Returning to Wellington, he attended St Pat’s Town in his final two years of schooling in 1934 and 1935. The 1934 St Pat’s Town First XV was unbeaten and beat Wellington College (18-3), St Bede’s College, Christchurch (9-0) and the recently established St Pat’s Silverstream (9-3) in traditionals. He was St Pat’s Town’s captain and flanker in 1935 and that year he led them to victories over Wellington College (23-6), St Bede’s (17-3) and Silverstream (9-3).

Leaving school, he joined the St Pat’s Old Boys club and made his Wellington Colts debut out of that club as a 19-year-old school-leaver, and later in the 1936 representative season played the first of what would be 35 first-class matches for the full Wellington side. He immediately impressed for those traits noted above by McCarthy, and also for his no-nonsense, giving as good as he got approach to the game.

An article in a Rugby Weekly publication in 1958 wrote this about Todd (see article below): “Ernie had just about everything. Magnificently built, he was fast, handled and kicked with ease, was highly proficient in line-outs, and season after season used to compile useful totals of points from tries and penalty goals.”

By 1939 he was a first choice selection on the side of the scrum for Wellington, making seven appearances for his home province that season and in 1940 and 1941.

In 1939, extensive trials were held for the selection of the 1940 All Blacks to South Africa the following year. Todd played in three of these trials including the final one at Athletic Park. Having been beaten by the Springboks at home in 1937 and still adapting to the modern three-man scrum system, physical players were called for. Commentator and author McCarthy and others saw that Todd fitted that bill.

He joined the Air Force and played for the Ohakea club and represented and captained Manawatu in several matches throughout the war. He spent at least one season in Christchurch and in 1942 captained the Air Force team that won the Canterbury Senior Championship with a 16-6 win over Canterbury Regiment in the final

He also played matches for Manawatu, Central Districts and North Island Services (captain) teams over this period.

In 1946 he donned Wellington’s jersey again, making five appearances. He was also in the North Island team that year, as an emergency/reserve player.

Moving into administration, Todd was elected to the management committee of the WRFU in 1948.

Todd also had a long association with the Centurions club, as a player and supporter, and played matches for them right up to 1954. He coached St Pat’s Old Boys teams in 1955, 1956 and 1957.

In 1956 he was made a Life Member of the St Pat’s Old Boys club before re-election to the WRFU executive from 1958-64, after a period in Invercargill between 1949-54 where he coached the Marist team.

Todd became a member of the NZRFU executive in 1966. In 1972-73 he managed the controversial All Blacks tour of the British Isles and France, in which prop Keith Murdoch was sent home.

Todd passed away after illness on 8 November 1974. He was 57.

REFERENCES

• Akers, Clive. New Zealand Rugby Register 1870-2015. New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2016.
• Chester, R.H. & McMillan, N.A.C. History of New Zealand Rugby Football Volume 3 1958-1979. Moa Publications, Auckland, 1992.
• Donoghue, Tim. C’mon Red! A Celebration of Marist St Pat’s Rugby. Tim Donghue Publications, Raetihi, 2020.
• McCarthy, Winston. Haka! The All Blacks Story. Pelham Books Ltd, London, 1968.
• Minougue, Peter M. Champagne Rugby. The story of secondary school rugby in New Zealand. A.H. & A.W. Reed, Wellington, 1961.
• Rugby Weekly – news item and snippets from various editions, 1950s.
• Swan, Arthur C.; Jackson, Gordon F. W. (1952). Wellington’s Rugby History 1870 – 1950. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed