All Blacks paid royalties

Press, 13 July 1984, Page 23

All Blacks paid royalties

By

JOHN BROOKS

Graham Mourie’s rugby career was self destructed when he announced his intention to accept the financial proceeds from his book, “Graham Mourie, Captain.” He would be chagrined to learn that one of his predecessors as New Zealand skipper, Dave Gallaher, retained his amateur status despite being paid for writing a rugby book. Those were the days before the International Rugby Board brought down its harsh rule banning the acceptance of book royalties by players. In fact, in Gallaher’s day, bookmaking was conducted openly in the stands at the national swimming championships, in Auckland, so no-one was perturbed over rugby players being paid for writing a book. Gallaher and his vicecaptain, Billy Stead, pooled their literary talents to produce a book called “The Complete Rugby Footballer” at the end of the tour of Britain and France

by the 1905 “Originals.” They each received £5O for their efforts, which was a vast amount in those days. Stead’s weekly wage as an Invercargill cobbler was 10 shillings, so the literary lump sum was equivalent to 100 weeks income.

The footballing authors must have had writer’s cramp by the time they finished their epic. According to Mrs Flo Wilson, of Mosgiel, who is one of Stead’s three surviving offspring, her father and Gallaher wrote the book in five days in Paris at the end of the tour.

The book contains 80,000 words, which means that Gallaher and Stead collectively wrote 16,000 words each day. Considering that they were operating in longhand, that represents an almost unbelievable output. The midnight oil must have taken a thrashing.

The book, which was bolstered by photographs and diagrams, was regarded by contemporary rugby folk as the definitive work on the game, because of the All Blacks’ sweeping success with their “revolutionary” style of play. As Jimmy Hunter scored 42 tries from second fiveeighths on the tour, the book should be compulsory reading for the current coach of the All Blacks, Bryce Rope. Stead, credited by Hunter for master-minding many of his tries, allowed himself a little extravagance after collecting his money from, the publishers in London. He hired a hansom cab for a journey to Chelsea to rejoin “the mob.”

Apparently the publisher’s representatives expressed regret that Stead and Gallaher had received so little for their efforts. But the

New Zealanders were pleased with their share of the proceeds, and Stead bought his wife some of the latest in London fashions before heading for home. Possibly because one of its favourite sons, Bruce Robertson, has recently joined the growing ranks of rugby playing authors, the Counties union sought the adoption of a three-year moratorium on the relevant 1.R.8. clause.

Although the move foundered when ruled out of order on legal advice, the fact that Counties attracted support from nine other unions illustrated the growing concern around the country over the effects of the rule. The N.Z.R.F.U. has already tried, unsuccessfully, to bring about a change of heart by the international body. The Stead-Gallaher experience might encourage another charge at the well meant but outdated principles of true blue amateurism.