Sideline Conversions 16 November (some rugby news and information to start the week)

Above: One team’s lunch at the American Ambassador’s 7s tournament several years ago. The 2026 men’s series is coming up over the next two weekends.

Sevensvember rolls on this week.

There are two lower North Island tournaments to take note of this coming Saturday:

• Wellington club rugby American Ambassador’s club rugby 7s Leg One, Rugby League Park.
• Kimbolton 7s Invitational Tournament, Kimbolton Domain

More details to come at the end of the week, but it is understood that there are 14 teams entered in the first leg of the Wellington club tournament, which is healthy. Some matches will be contested up on Te Whaea as well as Rugby League Park.

Similarly, a dozen or so teams are lined up to start the Kimbolton 7s tournament, which has been revived after its  previous Covid demise by local Marcus Howie who also ran the Katikati 7s tournament this past Saturday.

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Marist St Pat’s will have games under their belt when they line up to play at Rugby League Park on Saturday, having competed at Saturday’s Katikati 7s tournament. Their results to follow.

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Kyle Preston and Taine Plumtree hanging out after the test in Cardiff on Saturday.

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Some quality sevens action from the 12th annual Hurricanes Youth Council’s 7s tournament at Feilding High School on Saturday. Palmerston North Boys’ High School and Feilding High School drew their match 22-22, but PNBHS won all their other games and were declared winners at the end of the round-robin following their win over Lindisfarne who were second. St Pat’s Silverstream beat Whanganui Collegiate first-up but lost their next three games to the above teams.

The last time a non-Manawatu school won this was in 2018 when Silverstream took their one and only title when it was played at its then home at Masterton.

Really disappointing about the low numbers at this tournament. There are a few reasons for it, but surely this can be addressed in the future. Maybe a change in date to bring it forward or move it around the region more. A tournament like this should have 8-10 teams at least. The fact that Silverstream was the only Wellington school there was telling. Apparently Wellington College are not going to Condor 7s Nationals?

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It was confirmed to Sideline Conversions last week that WRFU Community Rugby Manager Emma Paisley is leaving for a job at the Hurricanes Poua. The Union has some significant hiring to do.

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Norths are on the lookout for coaches and managers for next season:

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Dafydd Jenkins made 38 tackles in Wales 35-28 win against the All Blacks in Cardiff. That’s the same number of tackles Thierry Dusautoir made for France in their 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter-final win against the All Blacks at the same stadium.

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Leading Five Test Nations Since 2016

• New Zealand: 103 wins, 29 defeats, 4 draws – 76%
• Ireland: 93 wins, 29 defeats 1 draw – 76%
• England: 88 wins, 40 defeats, 2 draws – 68%
• South Africa: 86 wins, 39 defeats, 3 draws – 67%
• France: 74 wins, 42 defeats, 2 draws – 63%

Since 2016, the All Blacks have lost five times to Ireland and four times to Argentina, countries they hadn’t previously lost to. In the opening game of the 2023 Rugby World Cup against France, the All Blacks lost their first World Cup group game in 31 matches and suffered their heaviest World Cup defeat, 27-13. The Springboks have won 8 of their last 10 tests against New Zealand, scoring a record 43 points twice.

Worst Test Loss?

Mark Watson called it on his radio show on Sunday – the worst ever loss by the All Blacks, which made the Wales Online website:

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/new-zealand-radio-host-meltdown-34913790

Australia wasn’t given much chance of winning the third Test in the 1964 Bledisloe Cup series in Wellington. They’d lost the previous two Tests and struggled past Bush 19-13 in their final midweek fixture. However, Men and Black reported, “It was soon obvious that the Wallaby team, playing with great resolution, were going to be difficult to beat.” Eventually Australia won 20-5. A turning point came at 6-5 when Phil Hawthorne nailed a 40-metre drop goal. The lethargic All Blacks pack couldn’t rally. Precise kicking by Terry Cassey and a second try to Stewart Boyce secured Australia their largest victory in New Zealand. The fallout was spectacular for the All Blacks. It was the last Test for Don Clarke, Sir John Graham, Ralph Caulton, Allan Stewart, and Barry Thomas who collapsed in the dressing room with severe concussion. It was only the second time prop Ken Gray lost in 50 matches for the All Blacks and the only time Colin Meads played No.8.

When the Springboks beat the All Blacks 17-6 at Eden Park, Auckland in the deciding test of the 1937 series, Ebbo Bastard, a farmer and flanker from Natal, played flanker. During Australian and New Zealand radio match commentaries, he was referred to as “one player who we shall call Smith.” The father of four children served in WWII in the Western Desert campaign. Tragically, on Valentine’s Day 1949, he was shot dead by his wife’s ex-husband.

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The teams from the 2019 Wales Under-20 v New Zealand Under-20 encounter which Wales won 8-7 in the rain in Mendoza, Argentina. Players bolded highlight those that played senior internationals for All Blacks and Wales.

Wales U20s (15-1): Ioan Davies (Cardiff Blues); Deon Smith (Dragons), Max Llewellyn (Cardiff Blues), Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler (Ospreys), Ryan Conbeer (Scarlets); Cai Evans (Ospreys), Dafydd Buckland (Dragons); Kemsley Mathias (Scarlets), Dewi Lake (capt, Ospreys), Ben Warren (Cardiff Blues), Morgan Jones (Scarlets), Jac Price (Scarlets), Lennon Greggains (Dragons), Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers), Jac Morgan (Aberavon/Scarlets).

Replacements: Garin Lloyd (Ospreys), Rhys Davies (Ospreys), Nick English (Bristol Bears), Ed Scragg (Dragons), Iestyn Rees (Scarlets), Harri Morgan (Ospreys), Rio Dyer (Dragons), Sam Costelow (Leicester Tigers), Teddy Williams (Cardiff Blues), Tom Devine (Dragons), Ioan R Davies (Cardiff Blues), Will Griffiths (Dragons), Tomi Lewis (Scarlets)

New Zealand U20s (15-1): Scott Gregory; Lalomilo Lalomilo, Quinn Tupaea, Dallas McLeod, Leicester Fainga’anuku; Fergus Burke, Taufa Funaki; Ollie Norris, Kianu Kereru Symes (capt), Taine Plumtree, Tupou Vaa’i, Kaylum Boshier, Kohan Herbert, Devan Flanders.

Replacements: Shilo Klein, George Dyer, Fletcher Newell, Kaliopasi Uluilakepa, Cullen Grace, Samipeni Finau, Jeriah Mua, Simon Parker, Leroy Carter, Rivez Reihana, Billy Proctor, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Cole Forbes.

Note: Tomi Lewis, Scott Gregory and Etene Nanai-Seturo were Sevens internationals for their adopted countries. Fergus Burke has been capped by Scotland, and Lalomilo Lalomilo by Samoa.

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All Black Captains Not to Win a Test

Beauden Barrett is the longest-serving All Black in terms of days in the jersey ever, but unless reappointed captain in a victory, he will join a short and unfortunate list of All Black test captains to have never won an international.

Ted Roberts

• 0-0 v South Africa, September 17, 1921, Wellington

Herb Lilburne

• 8-9 v Australia, July 6, 1929, Sydney

Rusty Page

• 11-25 v Australia, August 11, 1934, Sydney

Johnny Smith

• 6-11 v Australia, September 6, 1949, Wellington
• 9-16 v Australia, September 24, 1949, Auckland

Stu Wilson

• 25-25 v Scotland, November 12, 1983, Edinburgh
• 9-15 v England, November 19, 1983, London

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As noted in this space last week, Brian Steele passed away, as the oldest living All Black:

It seems that Des Connor is now the oldest living All Black, aged 91. He was also a halfback and was Australian. He played for the Wallabies first before moving to Auckland and becoming a dual international and playing his final two internationals against Australia in 1964. (see above). He moved back to Australia and has a park named after him in his home patch at Ashgrove in Brisbane.

Some questions (we don’t know the answers):

• Who is now Wellington’s oldest living All Black?
• Who is Wellington’s oldest living capped representative player?
• Who is the oldest living Jubilee Cup winner?

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