Stu Wilson: Former All Blacks captain dies, aged 70
Stu Wilson in action against the Barbarians. Photo / Photosport
Former All Blacks captain Stu Wilson has died, aged 70.
Wilson, who could play centre or wing, made 85 appearances for the All Blacks between 1976-83, including 34 tests, eight of which he captained.
He made nine overseas tours, including that with the 1978 Grand Slam team which beat all
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Otago Daily Times
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All Blacks great dies
Stu Wilson in action against the South of Scotland in 1983. Former All Blacks great Stu Wilson has died at the age of 70. Wilson was regarded as one of the world's finest attacking players during his heyday with the All Blacks in the early 1980s, finishing his career with 19 test tries - a record for the All Blacks at the time. The blond-haired flyer played 85 matches for New Zealand, including 34 tests, while his first-class career comprised 199 first class games, mostly built up during nine years of service on the right wing for Wellington. He forged a lethal combination with fellow Wellington and test winger Bernie Fraser, and the pair went on to co-write a book Ebony and Ivory, which was published in 1984. Wilson signed off on his All Blacks career a year before that, when he was captain of the tour squad that played tests against England and Scotland in the UK. He was captain in all eight matches on that tour. He went on to become a radio and television commentator, known for injecting humour into his match analysis. Born in Gore, Wilson was a student at Wairarapa College in Masterton before joining the Old Boys club in Wellington. Big for a winger at the time, Wilson stood 1.83m and weighed 86kg when he first toured with the All Blacks to Argentina in 1976. He was only the 12th man in NZ Rugby history to score more than 100 first-class tries - 104 - many of them bringing the crowd to their feet with his speed and classic outside swerve. He was also proficient at capitalising on opposition mistakes, and made it a trademark to toe ahead a loose ball before diving on it to score. Among his most famous displays was a hat-trick of tries against the British Isles at Eden Park in 1983. He achieved a hat-trick on the same ground against Scotland two years earlier. His retirement in 1984 - while he was still in his prime - was sparked by controversy over the Ebony and Ivory book. Under International Rugby Board rules, players were not allowed to accept book royalties, something Wilson believed was unfair. At the time, many players had adopted various subterfuges to get around this.
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Stu Wilson in action for the All Blacks against the British and Irish Lions in 1983. Photo: photosport Stu Wilson, who played 34 tests for the All Blacks in the 1970s and 1980s, has died, according to reports. Wilson captained the side in 1983, before retiring the following year. He also played for Wellington, and after retiring became a commentator. He was 70. More to come.... Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
