The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore
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RIP, you earned it.
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An all-time great as a player and skipper, obviously, by my memory after the Cavalier debacle in ‘86 was that Lochore was the guy who held the fern closest to his chest and helped rescue the ABs, much like Jock did a decade later. People forget how divisive the early-to-mid 80s were, when politics got in the way and supporters were turning their backs on rugby. Lochore was a great servant to the game and the union. And of course, I always loved how he remembered everybody in the Wairarapa, I remember being with family in Masterton in the late 80s and he knew everybody, a national hero who was at heart a smalltown heartland lad. RIP.
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@MiketheSnow Thanks Mike, enjoyed that (not sure that enjoyed is the right word).
The guy is a dead set hero for me as well @dogmeat
Had to laugh at him wanting to be a jockey. I met him when in my teens, just prior to RWC '87 - I would have felt sorry for the horse. I'm not small but BJ was a big man. His stature and his presence.
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Legend of our game, epitomized what it was to wear the Silver Fern.
RIP
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@MiketheSnow gold...can you imagine if next week we see the team named and Richie McCaw was named in it!!
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@taniwharugby said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@MiketheSnow gold...can you imagine if next week we see the team named and Richie McCaw was named in it!!
That would be on Thursday.
We could actually do with a 6...you there Richie...
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@Victor-Meldrew said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
He deserved a better end to his test career than the one he got even though it does add to the legend a bit.
Think it was the 3rd Test at Athletic Park. If so it was the 1st Test I went to - we lost*
The bloke came out of retirement and didn't even think about its impact on his legacy - he wanted to help out his mates & the All Blacks. Legend indeed.
*And thus began the Curse of the Meldrews
I was at the first test. Meads et al looked so fit and powerful when they ran out. We couldn’t understand how these “Poms” with white legs and pockets in their shorts could win.
Sir Brian had such mana and served his country without ever pushing himself forward. A big contrast with many of today’s attention seekers with their publicity agents.
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A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice. Playing club and a bit of low level rep rugby. Out of position. Against arguably the best side to ever tour NZ. A side which had the wood on us. He was 1.91 and 95 kg FFS Yet he never hesitated. Even though he must have known there was a real risk he would be humiliated
The word legend is bandied around a lot nowadays generally IMO unearned and pure hyperbole. I honestly struggle to think of anyone who has contributed more to NZ rugby than BJ Lochore. He wasn’t the best #8 we’ve ever had. Possibly not the best Captain. Again possibly not the best Coach. But he was in the top 2-3 in every category. No one else comes close to that achievement.
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@dogmeat said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice.
Not to take anything away from Lochore for answering the call, but I was speaking to my father today about Vodanovich's decision, and he said there was definitely controversy at the time about not picking a specialist lock. The 1st test had BeeGee at centre.
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@Bovidae said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@dogmeat said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice.
Not to take anything away from Lochore for answering the call, but I was speaking to my father today about Vodanovich's decision, and he said there was definitely controversy at the time about not picking a specialist lock. The 1st test had BeeGee at centre.
The early to mid 70s weren’t vintage years for the abs . Having said that I remember reading somewhere that if tries went from 5 to 6 points a few months earlier we would have won that series against the lions .
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@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@Bovidae said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@dogmeat said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice.
Not to take anything away from Lochore for answering the call, but I was speaking to my father today about Vodanovich's decision, and he said there was definitely controversy at the time about not picking a specialist lock. The 1st test had BeeGee at centre.
The early to mid 70s weren’t vintage years for the abs . Having said that I remember reading somewhere that if tries went from 5 to 6 points a few months earlier we would have won that series against the lions .
Is that you Marty McFly ?
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@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@Bovidae said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@dogmeat said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice.
Not to take anything away from Lochore for answering the call, but I was speaking to my father today about Vodanovich's decision, and he said there was definitely controversy at the time about not picking a specialist lock. The 1st test had BeeGee at centre.
The early to mid 70s weren’t vintage years for the abs . Having said that I remember reading somewhere that if tries went from 5 to 6 points a few months earlier we would have won that series against the lions .
Err .. 3 to 4?
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@booboo said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@Bovidae said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@dogmeat said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice.
Not to take anything away from Lochore for answering the call, but I was speaking to my father today about Vodanovich's decision, and he said there was definitely controversy at the time about not picking a specialist lock. The 1st test had BeeGee at centre.
The early to mid 70s weren’t vintage years for the abs . Having said that I remember reading somewhere that if tries went from 5 to 6 points a few months earlier we would have won that series against the lions .
Err .. 3 to 4?
Or are you talking converted tries?
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@booboo said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@booboo said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@Bovidae said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@dogmeat said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice.
Not to take anything away from Lochore for answering the call, but I was speaking to my father today about Vodanovich's decision, and he said there was definitely controversy at the time about not picking a specialist lock. The 1st test had BeeGee at centre.
The early to mid 70s weren’t vintage years for the abs . Having said that I remember reading somewhere that if tries went from 5 to 6 points a few months earlier we would have won that series against the lions .
Err .. 3 to 4?
Or are you talking converted tries?
Sigh
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@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@Bovidae said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@dogmeat said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice.
Not to take anything away from Lochore for answering the call, but I was speaking to my father today about Vodanovich's decision, and he said there was definitely controversy at the time about not picking a specialist lock. The 1st test had BeeGee at centre.
The early to mid 70s weren’t vintage years for the abs . Having said that I remember reading somewhere that if tries went from 5 to 6 points a few months earlier we would have won that series against the lions .
All part of the NH conspiracy 😉
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@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@booboo said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@booboo said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@Bovidae said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
@dogmeat said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
A lot has been said today about BJ especially the way he answered the SOS in 71. What hasn’t really been mentioned is how unprepared he was. 24 hours notice.
Not to take anything away from Lochore for answering the call, but I was speaking to my father today about Vodanovich's decision, and he said there was definitely controversy at the time about not picking a specialist lock. The 1st test had BeeGee at centre.
The early to mid 70s weren’t vintage years for the abs . Having said that I remember reading somewhere that if tries went from 5 to 6 points a few months earlier we would have won that series against the lions .
Err .. 3 to 4?
Or are you talking converted tries?
Sigh
So "goals"
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@jegga said in The mighty Totara has fallen. RIP BJ Lochore:
The early to mid 70s weren’t vintage years for the abs .
The 1971 Lions are considered the best touring team to NZ so it was never going to be an easy series.
Having said that I remember reading somewhere that if tries went from 5 to 6 points a few months earlier we would have won that series against the lions .
A 4-pt try would have meant winning the 4th test instead of a 14-14 draw. However, the overall series would have been 2-2.
I blame the coach.
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Superb Rugby player, outstanding captain, one of only three All Blacks coaches to win the World Cup, by any standard one of the Great men of Rugby. Perhaps what was so impressive about Sir Brian was his commitment to the younger generation and making sure they understood the values of the Black Jersey: teamship, honesty, hard work, humility, humour and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Brian Lochore had a superb talent for getting people to work together. In 1986 he gave the Baby Blacks the belief to defeat France. In 1987 he brought the Cavaliers and those who didn't tour SA together and won a World Cup. In 1997 he and Jack Hobbs worked tirelessly to save All Black Rugby. During the Henry years, there he was in background saying the right words to the right people and helping All Blacks become better people. An enormous loss, but a far great legacy.
Condolences and prayers to his family and friends and the folks in Masterton. Rest in peace, Sir Brian.
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@MiketheSnow thanks Mike. God I could have sworn it was McCaw speaking, same tone and inflection to my ears.
Thank you BJ, an example for all people to follow.
