Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 111: Moray Bevan

Moray Bevan was a stalwart of Pōneke, Wellington and New Zealand Māori rugby throughout the 1950s, as a hard-working, reliable loose forward and inspiring leader on and off the field.

Bevan struck success early in his career, winning the Jubilee Cup with Pōneke in 1951, and kept his side at or near the top of the standings for the next several years.

He was always around the circle of regular Wellington representative selection, but his career also overlapped with All Blacks openside flanker Bill Clark who played for glamour club University and Don McIntosh who captained Petone, and others such as Petone’s highly regarded flanker Fred Thompson and specialist No. 8s Graham Mexted (Tawa and Athletic) and Alan Clark (Wellington Axemen captain).

Bevan formed an effective partnership with halfback Alby Makeham in the Pōneke team, and later in the 1950s decade with fellow New Zealand Māori and Wellington representative Jimmy Grbich in the loose forwards.

As well as his outstanding work as a loose forward, Bevan was noted for his long kicking game and dropped goal kicking in general play.

Throughout the middle to late 1950s, Bevan was frequently praised in despatches by the Rugby Weekly publication.

On 9 June 1956, the Rugby Weekly wrote that “the Pōneke vice-captain Moray Bevan was as hard a worker on the field for Wellington against Waikato, and he is going great guns in club rugby. A tiger in the tight as well as the loose, he has the ability to grasp an opportunity with both hands.”

On 18 May 1957, it was written of him that “Bevan is unlucky that he has to battle such players as W.H. Clark and D.N. McIntosh for a place in the Wellington representative side. He is playing splendidly this season and is sure to be in the squad to play some games.”

Bevan was born in Levin on 19 January 1933, a younger half-brother by 12 years of Athletic and All Blacks halfback Vince Bevan, and a great uncle of the Ellison rugby playing brothers of the 2000s, Tamati, Jacob and Leon.

He was raised in Otaki, and part of a large wider family on the Kapiti Coast and up to Levin who played rugby for local club teams and for Horowhenua over many decades.

Still a teenager, Moray Bevan moved to Wellington and started his life-long association with Pōneke, and it didn’t take long for him to make his mark and was first selected in a Wellington XV team in 1952. He played six matches that were of first-class status for the Wellington XV in 1952 and 1953.

He made his full Wellington debut in 1954 and would play 27 matches for the full Wellington A side over seven seasons, including making eight appearances and being a regular in 1958. This was a strong period of rugby for Wellington teams, amongst the leading sides in the country and winning and losing the coveted Ranfurly Shield twice in four years.

In club rugby, he won his one and only Jubilee Cup with Pōneke at the start of his career in 1951.

The team built momentum in the early rounds. A 17-11 win over Marist in  the main match at Athletic Park in mid-May lead the Dominion to opine that Pōneke’s  “intensive forward play that has dominated the game in recent years as well as anther sample of sparking back play common this season is putting them in good stead to…challenge for the title this season.”

This was followed by a 14-3 King’s Birthday Monday defeat of eastern suburbs rivals and then competition leaders Oriental, and from there they carried this momentum through June and July to win their first standalone title since 1932.

Pōneke fell away in 1952, but rebounded to win that year’s Hardham Cup, then were second to University in 1953, were leaders at the halfway point of the 1954 season before dropping away, mid-table in 1955 and second in 1956 to Petone and mid-table throughout the rest of the decade.

Bevan played Māori rugby for Tai Hauauru between 1952-59 and for Tai Rawhiti in 1961.

In 1954 he was selected for the Māori All Blacks for the first time on their tour to Fiji, and would go on and make 31 career appearances for this side and captain the team.

He was vice-captain and briefly captain in 1958 on their tour to Australia.  In 1960 he was selected as captain on their tour of Australia and the Pacific Islands.

In 1957 he played for the Māori All Blacks against Fiji at Athletic Park, in a 36-13 defeat. His career also overlapped with the Springboks and British Isles visits in 1956 and 1959 but he didn’t play for the Māori side in either of their games against these tourists. His Pōneke teammate Jimmy Grbich was at No.8 in this second match.

In 1961 Bevan moved to Wairoa in the Hawke’s Bay and linked up with the Marist and Tapawai and Ruapanga clubs.

This led to selection in both Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay representative teams, and his first-lass career ended with 97 matches.

Now in his late 30s, Bevan returned to Wellington and to Pōneke around 1970, and as his playing career was winding down his administration and coaching one getting underway.

In 1973 he was Poneke’s delegate to the WRFU, was Assistant Treasurer between 1972-74 and later Vice-President and later President of the Kilbirnie Park club.

Was made a Life Member and was later Patron of the Club.

Bevan passed away on 4 November 2020, aged 87.

REFERENCES

• Akers, Clive. New Zealand Rugby Register 1870-2015. New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2016
• Dominion – various reports 1951.
• Mulholland, Malcolm. Beneath the Māori Moon. An illustrated history of Māori Rugby. Huia Publishers, Wellington 2009.
• Poneke Football Club. A willing Band of Youths. The History of the Poneke Football Club. Wellington, 1984.
• Rugby Weekly – various editions throughout the 1950s
• Veysey, Alex and Fox, Bob. Wellington’s Rugby History 1951-1979, Part 2. Tolan Printing Co, 1979.