AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP
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A nice write up.
Remembering the 'Prince of Centres' Bruce Robertson
Bruce Robertson, who died on Friday, May 12, aged 71, was one of the finest centres to have played for the All Blacks.
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@Chris-B said in AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP:
Laurie Mains was the only decent kicker on the tour, but was perceived to be too slow in general play and Kit Fawcett - better kicker than the other two, but too flaky.
Number of factors
We had really bought into running rugby as a concept after being embarrased by the 71 Lions. Kicking was for nancies.
There weren't that many contenders. Karam had gone to league
Mains was too slow, Fawcett flaky but got into the side because Colin Farrell had a mare in his second test.
Richard Wilson went to Argentina under Mourie at the same time as the SA tour and was a decent kicker but he was kept out of the Canterbury side for years by the 1,000 year old Fergie and so was considered too green (but they took a punt on Fawcett) Greg
RollersonRowlands [thanks @Chris-B for correction] was a decent kicker but was considered too small (70 kgs)Bevan Wilson looked like the answer when he debuted in 77 against the Lions but was permanently injured. McKechnie also debuted in 77 and was an OK kicker but more of a utility and both he and both Wilsons were too inexperienced in 76
It is almost 50 years ago but I don't think JJ had that many options.
What I can recall vividly is just how outstanding Robertson was. Seemed to have all the time in the world. As someone said Conrad with wheels. Would have thrived in the modern game.
RIP
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@Catogrande said in AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP:
@Chris-B I think that whichever way you look at it, Don Clarke was, for his day, a phenomenal kicker.
Not disagreeing with that!
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@dogmeat Yeah - the loss of Karam was massive. We didn't really replace him adequately until the advent of Hewson.
McLean says neither Laurie nor Fawcett should have been picked - he suggests Greg Rowlands (the little guy) and Bob Barrell would have been better options. McLean apparently couldn't stomach Fawcett and reckons none of the ABs could.
He says towards the end of the tour Robertson rated as "the finest back in South Africa".
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I'd forgotten about Bob Barrell. I think he was penciled in to go but had a bad final trial and Mains took his place.
the other Bob that was kicking prolifically at NPC level was Counties Lendrum. He would surely have been a better option than Laurie or 'I'm going to score more off the field than on it" Fawcett, but Lendrum was never forgiven for letting the ball bounce and conceding the winning try at home against England in 73.
Scapegoating of the highest order as the AB's lost 3/4 games on their internal tour - also against the Juniors and a Presidents XV - with Karam at fullback!
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Pretty much spot-on analysis except Farrell debuted in '77 against the B& I Lions. The selectors took a punt on Farrell but he was pilloried (unfairly IMHO) and dumped for the 3rd Test when Bevan Wilson came in at 15 - for the 1st time in years we had a goal-kicker.
Robertson was immense in that series and that 3rd Test for me was his best in Black. He really did have the full bag of tricks.
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From Counties Facebook:
Iconic former Counties Manukau and All Blacks centre Bruce Robertson will be farewelled at Navigation Homes Stadium in Pukekohe on Thursday, May 18 at 11am.
It is the wishes of the Steelers centurion’s family that his funeral service is held at the ground where he shone as a player between 1971 and 1982.
The service will take place in the Phil Kingsley Jones Lounge with additional seating in the grandstand for the likely overflow of people wanting to pay their respects.
Bruce, an Ardmore Rugby Club legend, will also be lying in state at the club’s Pulman Park headquarters from 10am-7pm on Tuesday, May 16 and Wednesday, May 17.
All who wish to pay their respects are welcome at the Ardmore Marist Clubrooms this week.
Following Robertson’s funeral service on Thursday, the family would like to invite guests to remain at Navigation Homes Stadium for refreshments. -
100 Greatest All Blacks: Bruce Robertson - NZ Herald
Latest breaking news articles, photos, video, blogs, reviews, analysis, opinion and reader comment from New Zealand and around the World - NZ Herald
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@Chris-B said in AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP:
@dogmeat Yeah - the loss of Karam was massive. We didn't really replace him adequately until the advent of Hewson.
McLean says neither Laurie nor Fawcett should have been picked - he suggests Greg Rowlands (the little guy) and Bob Barrell would have been better options. McLean apparently couldn't stomach Fawcett and reckons none of the ABs could.
He says towards the end of the tour Robertson rated as "the finest back in South Africa".
Never quite understood the karam switch to league , I mean he didn’t go to a cashed up Sydney club , he played for Glenora in Auckland, you wouldn’t have thought the money was that great.
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@kiwiinmelb said in AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP:
Never quite understood the karam switch to league , I mean he didn’t go to a cashed up Sydney club , he played for Glenora in Auckland, you wouldn’t have thought the money was that great.
IIRC correctly, he was pissed off with the way he was treated by the NZRFU money-wise and was actually losing money playing rugby and suffering financially. Batty mentions some of the shit players of that period put up with in his book.
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@Victor-Meldrew said in AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP:
@kiwiinmelb said in AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP:
Never quite understood the karam switch to league , I mean he didn’t go to a cashed up Sydney club , he played for Glenora in Auckland, you wouldn’t have thought the money was that great.
IIRC correctly, he was pissed off with the way he was treated by the NZRFU money-wise and was actually losing money playing rugby and suffering financially. Batty mentions some of the shit players of that period put up with in his book.
I thought it must’ve been something like that , Auckland league club, although it was a fairly healthy competition with all Nz’s best players playing there , were not exactly wealthy
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I saw that on the brief set of clips shown on The Breakdown for BR they showed the Hika Reid try that we can't find on YT. At the start.
That was a phenomenal try for those days. Look at the wave of players offering support on the break. Offloading, two hand carries, support lines.... -
@Crucial said in AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP:
That was a phenomenal try for those days. Look at the wave of players offering support on the break. Offloading, two hand carries, support lines....
I think the modern game is way better than the old days, but that sort of try was a lot more common than you'd think. From 1964 AB v Barbarians. Watch the try from 2:12 as an example.
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@Victor-Meldrew Countless examples from the 67 Tour as well.
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@MN5 said in AB Great, Bruce Robertson - RIP:
@Chris-B fairly sure Clarke was the heaviest AB in the team including all the forwards !
Protein, Creatine and other “supplements” have definitely changed things a bit in recent times. Robertson being 86kg at 186cm seems bloody slim though even for then !
He was tall for the time and probably above average in weight ,
I remember as a kid I used to look at their stats when the team was announced, and distinctly remember Robertson being listed as 6 foot one and over 13 stone and thinking that is actually on the bigger side of things , so many of the backs then were 12 and a half stone of thereabouts .
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Livestream of funeral.
Funeral Tributes | Dil's Funeral Services
Browse our live stream and tributes page of services hosted by Dil’s Funeral Services.
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I feel a bit bad about really enjoying these sorts of threads. Some great nostalgia, personal memories and you get to learn so much more about these guys. It’s just shitty that a great bloke has to die to start it off.
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@Catogrande dunno if it is enjoying, it is reminiscing and celebrating them, which is perfectly fine to do, although with his health issues of the past 4 or 5 years, it is good that he is finally out of pain.
Saw a post by Cricketer Joey Yovich on Bruce, and this paragraph made me smile:
I will never forget a particular sports festival day in the small town of Dargaville in Northland, where Bruce led a fun game of Rippa rugby with an enthusiastic group of young kids. Observing that one team was struggling, he selflessly joined their backline to even the odds. In a moment of grace and finesse, Bruce received the ball, effortlessly swerving past a couple of young defenders before setting up a young player on the wing for a try. After the match, as Bruce distributed gift packs to the kids, one of the opposing players upon receiving his pack, exclaimed, "Sir, you're a pretty good player. You could have been an All Black." Bruce in his unassuming and gentle way just smiled.
