News

The late Pat Walsh to be capped at All Black Capping Ceremony

07 July 2010

Over fifty years of All Blacks rugby history involving 27 past players and a combined total of 332 test matches will be celebrated in Auckland this week in the second of four ceremonies being held in 2010 to cap former All Blacks.

 

In the largest of the capping ceremonies this year, 13 surviving former All Blacks will be presented with their Test cap and caps will also presented to the family members of 14 other former All Blacks, at the special event at Auckland's SkyCity Convention Centre on Friday evening.

 

Those being capped this Friday span from the late Jack Dunn who debuted against Australia in Dunedin in 1946 to mid-1990s star centre Frank Bunce.  In between these two eras are many well-known rugby names including Keith Davis (1952), Waka Nathan (1962), Allan Stewart (1963), John Kirwan (1984) and Ian Jones (1990). 

 

Between John Kirwan's debut against France in Christchurch in June 1984, and Frank Bunce's last Test against England in December 1997, Kirwan, Jones and Bunce collected 197 All Blacks Test appearances between them.

 

In a fitting tribute on the eve of the Investec Tri Nations Series opener against South Africa, All Blacks legendary fullback Don ‘The Boot' Clarke will be acknowledged.  Clarke's long range kicking skills contributed to the All Blacks historic first series win over the Springboks in 1956.  Clarke passed away in South Africa in 2002 and his widow Patsy Clarke will receive Don's cap.

 

Some of the newly-capped players will be acknowledged again at Saturday's Test match at Auckland's Eden Park, forming a guard of honour to welcome the All Blacks and Springbok teams to the field.

 

The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) launched the capping initiative in late 2008 to formally present more than 400 former All Blacks or their families with Test caps earned in the decades following World War II.  Capping ceremonies will also be held on the eve of Investec Tri Nations Test matches in Wellington next week and Christchurch in early August.

 

 

Auckland Capping Ceremony

 

The following All Blacks, or their family representatives, will receive caps at the Auckland Rooms, SkyCity Convention Centre, Auckland.

 

Player              Province^                    Debut                           All Blacks v     Venue 

 

*Jack Dunn       Auckland                       Sept 1946                     Australia           Dunedin

*Arthur Hughes  Auckland                       Sept 1949                     Australia           Wellington

*Ron Bryers      King Country                 Sept 1949                     Australia           Wellington

*Ronald DobsonAuckland                       Sept 1949                     Australia           Wellington

*Jack Kelly        Auckland                       Sept 1949                     Australia           Wellington

*Des Christian   Auckland                       Sept 1949                     South Africa      Port Elizabeth

*Nau Cherrington Northland                    May 1950                      British Isles       Dunedin

*Jack Skeen      Auckland                       Sept 1952                     Australia           Wellington

Keith Davis       Auckland                       Sept 1952                     Australia           Wellington

*Pat Walsh        Counties-Manukau         Aug 1955                      Australia           Wellington

*Don Clarke      Waikato                        Aug 1956                      Australia           Christchurch

*Frank McMullen Auckland                     May 1957                      Australia           Sydney

Dave Gillespie   Otago                          Sept 1958                     Australia           Auckland

*Vic Yates         Northland                      Jul 1961                        France              Auckland

*Paul Little        Auckland                       Aug 1961                      France              Wellington

Waka Nathan    Auckland                      May 1962                      Australia           Brisbane

Allan Stewart     Canterbury                    May 1963                      England            Auckland

*Peter Murdoch  Auckland                       Aug 1964                      Australia           Christchurch

Ron Urlich         Auckland                       Aug 1970                      South Africa      Port Elizabeth

Colin Farrell       Auckland                       Jun 1977                       British Isles       Wellington

Dick Myers       Waikato                        Sept 1978                     Australia           Auckland

Mike McCool     Wairarapa                      Jul 1979                        Australia           Sydney

Doug Rollerson Manawatu                      Nov 1980                      Wales               Cardiff

Greg Burgess    Auckland                       Aug 1981                      South Africa      Wellington

John Kirwan      Auckland                       Jun 1984                       France              Christchurch

Ian Jones          Northland                      Jun 1990                       Scotland           Dunedin

Frank Bunce      North Harbour                Apr 1992                       World XV          Christchurch

 

 

^ Province refers to the province the player was playing for at the time of their Test debut.

* Family members of those players who have passed away will collect the caps on their behalf.

 

 

 

 

 

About All Blacks Test caps

A player's first appearance in a Test match for the All Blacks has traditionally been rewarded with a Test cap. However, along with international rugby itself, the capping tradition was interrupted by the Second World War and was not re-introduced until June 1997. In December 2008, the NZRU announced it would hold a series of events in 2009, 2010 and, if necessary, 2011, to cap more than 400 former All Blacks who did not receive their caps during that period.