Pioneers of Rugby in Wellington 116: Jimmy Taitoko

Jimmy Taitoko was an exciting first-five and fullback who ignited Wellington club rugby over the second half of the 1950s. He was also a Wellington representative player and New Zealand Māori player and a Manawatu player throughout the second half of his career.

The multiskilled Taitoko played for St Pat’s Old Boys who were there and thereabouts challenging for the Jubilee Cup throughout his Wellington playing days, often forming an effective partnership with Brian Frederickson and other famous players of his day at club and representative level.

On 5 May 1956, the Rugby Weekly publication published this glowing reference of Taitoko who was then a second year player out of school:

“It does not look long before young Jimmy Taitoko makes the Wellington representative team. He can take passes brilliantly and whip them on with great speed. He is also a great boy for getting out of trouble. It would be wise, however, to give him another season of building up.”

Another a few weeks later said: “Every time Taitoko gets the ball the crowds are on their toes.”

James David Patrick Taitoko was born in Piopio in the King Country and educated at St Pat’s Silverstream and was in the First XV every year from 1951 to 1954.

The school’s magazine Blue and White of 1954 praised him:

“J. Taitoko, this year’s captain, was again the outstanding player. Though harassed by loose forwards on every occasion the team played, he gave some fine displays at first five-eighths. Now that he has played his last game for the College, it is safe to say he was one of the greatest players to have worn the Silverstream jersey.”

Leaving school, he joined the SPOB club and would make two appearances for Wellington B in 1955.

He played briefly for the Wellington A team in 1956, but wasn’t in the squad that won the Ranfurly Shield off Canterbury at the end of September.

After playing predominantly for Wellington B in 1957, 1958 was his breakout provincial season for him, making nine appearances for Wellington at first five and fullback. He scored two tries in Wellington’s 23-16 win over Hawke’s Bay.

In 1958, Taitoko was playing fullback in club rugby for SPOB as they made the ‘top six’ and contested the Jubilee Cup round, and his name continued to be written off for all the right reasons. “Elusive, quick-thinking and has a power-packed boot,” wrote the Rugby Weekly in one such entry early in the year.

His single most impressive performance in club rugby of 1958 was scoring 4 tries and kicking 2 conversions and 2 dropped goals for 22 points (30 points in today’s scoring) for SPOB in a 31-0 win over Athletic.

In 1959 he played a full season for SPOB, in a team that drew their season opener against Onslow but struggled thereafter and settled for the Hardham Cup competition.

He played another seven matches for Wellington, highlighted by the contest against the British Isles on 1 August. He was fullback for Wellington in this match, in one of the big fixtures of the year. In their book the Visitors, Chester and Mcmillan singled out Taitoko for being a “bundle of energy” in the 21-6 loss.

Taitoko was first selected to play for New Zealand Maori in 1957, meeting the Fijian national team on Athletic Park that year, in a 36-13 loss. The team toured Australia in 1958 and played the touring British Lions in 1959 (although Taitoko didn’t play in the latter match). He was in the New Zealand Maori side that toured Tonga in 1960, one of four Wellington players alongside captain Moray Bevan, Jimmy Grbich (both Pōneke) and R.W. Wirepa (Taita) in that team. It was this year that he moved to Palmerston North and joined the Marist Old Boys club.

After playing 18 first-class matches for Wellington, Taitoko shifted to Manawatu and to Marist. He would play 71 matches for the green and whites between 1960-65.

He was re-selected in New Zealand Māori teams out of Manawatu each year from 1960-63, representing Tai Hauaru and Southern Māori.

In 1963 he played in two New Zealand trial matches.

In 1965 and 1966 he played games for the combined Manawatu-Horowhenua team against the touring Springboks and British and Irish Lions respectively.

This team met the Springboks four days after Wellington had beaten them 23-6, and the tourists bounced back to win this one 30-6. Chester and Mcmillan in the Visitors book again praised Taitoko. “The outstanding back on the home side was Taitoko, who jigged his way through defence, did some amazing covering and kicked for the line faultlessly.”

The following year he was again at first-five as the touring Lions won 17-8 in Palmerston North.

In both these matches, he was teammates with another ‘Jimmy’, wing Jimmy Nicholls who also played for the Palmerston North Marist club. Four years earlier, Nicholls had been in the Manawatu team that played France, but Taitoko didn’t play in that match.

Whilst in Manawatu, he played some big matches, including a Ranfurly Shield against Taranaki on 8 August 1963 in which he kicked a dropped goal in a 3-6 defeat to the holders.

Now aged 30, 1966 was his last season in first-class rugby when he represented Southern Maori and was in the twilight of his club career.

As well as rugby, Taitoko excelled in other sports for many years, most notably softball.

Taitoko passed away in Te Kuiti on 29 August 2006.

REFERENCES

• Akers, Clive. New Zealand Rugby Register 1870-2015. New Zealand Rugby Museum, 2016.

• Blue & White. St Pat’s Silverstream school magazine 1951-54.

• Chester, R.H & McMillan, N.A.C. The visitors. The History of International Rugby Teams in New Zealand. Moa Publications, Auckland, 1990.
• Donoghue, Tim. C’mon Red! A Celebration of Marist St Pat’s Rugby. Tim Dongohue Publications, Raetihi, 2020.
• Mulholland, Malcolm. Beneath the Maori Moon. An Illustrated history of Maori rugby. Huia Publishers, Wellington 2009.
• Rugby Weekly – various editions 1950s
• Veysey Alex & Fox, Bob. Wellington’s Rugby History 1951-1979, Part 2. Tolan Printing Co. 1979.