Big N.Z. win tribute to Jack Gleeson

Press, 5 November 1979, Page 36

Big N.Z. win tribute to Jack Gleeson

NZPA Leicester A croud of 15,000 stood in silence at Leicester yesterday to the memory of Jack Gleeson, before the All Blacks plated like demons to beat the Midlands, 33-7, with rugby that would have earned Mr Gleeson’s whole-hearted approval.

Mr Gleeson died at his Feilding home on Friday night after a long and painful illness. His death at the age of 52, has drawn tributes from a wide range of sportsmen, including the present All Blacks touring Britain. The All Blacks learned of the former coach’s dea’h the night before the match, and the team’s manager Mr Russell Thomas, made immediate plans for the minute's silence.

While he was doing that Graham Mourie and the senior AH Blacks made their own plans — that the match aeainst the highlv rated Midlands side would be “for Jack." Mr Thomas took the unusual sten before the game of sneaking to the plavers In the dressing room. Usually, last-minute talks are left to Mourie. “I told them they were not only playing for New Zealand, they were playing for Jack too” Mr Thomas said. “I said that Ida (Mr Gleeson’s widow ) was looking for a good win. It was a very emotional mommen t.” But Mourie said it was not “terribly” emotional. “It was not the wav Jack would have liked it” he said. “But I know I and several players were thinking as we ran out that Jack was here at this same ground only a year ago ” Mr Gleeson’s replacement, Eric Watson, said it was a pity that Mr Gleeson had not been in Leicester to see the match. “They played for him today,” he said.

The England hooker and Midlands captain, Peter Wheeler, also paid tribute to Mr Gleeson as an outstanding coach and as having a large influence on rugby everywhere.

He coached New Zealand teams in 52 matches between 1972 and last year, with an impressive winloss ratio of 48 to four — the losses were to the British Lions (second test 1977), France (first test, 1977) Australia (third test 1978) and Munster, in Limerick, on last year’s Grand Slam tour.

The win over France in the second test in 1977 was reckoned to have been one of Mr Gleeson’s great strategic triumphs but he also had notable lesser wins — in particular the Junior All Blacks’ thrashing of Japan at Eden Park in 1974.

A former " Black captain, Tane Norton, said: “His rugby kept him going. He refused to curl up and give up the ghost and that was typical of him. “It is the loss of a friend. He was a tremendous person to work under. There was never any friction in his teams and I think that that was one of his great attributes — he was a friend to all. “In all the time he was at the top, I have never heard a word of criticism of him as a man. He never gave up. He was right in the centre of things until the end. “He will be sadly missed at a time when New Zealand is very thin at the top in experienced coaches,” said Norton.

“He had a lot of experience and we will be the poorer for his passing. He was one of New Zealand’s most successful coaches.”

All Blacks are usually solemn and unsmiling on the morning of a match —they were even more so yesterday.