Notable names from the past

Press, 5 August 1988, Page 16

Notable names from the past

North Harbour has four present AH Blacks in its ranks — Wayne Sheiford, Franco Botica, Ron Williams and Kevin Boroevich — and the first three have been in the team since the union’s establishment in 1985.

Several other players of note, however, played in the region in the days when the territory over the bridge was part of the Auckland union.

The most notable were two props, “Snow” White, a stalwart of the Northcote club, and Brad Johnstone, of North Shore. White was a test prop with Bob Stuart’s All Blacks on the British tour of 1953-54, and will become president of the New Zealand Rugby Union in 1990. He played a record 196 games for Auckland.

Johnstone soldiered on for five years in the New Zealand front row, and was recognised as one of the best of the loose-head specialists.

North Shore’s first All Black was Don McKay, the right wing who scored a try in the first minute of his test debut, against France on Eden Park in 1961.

Shelford, Botica, and the North Harbour coach, Peter Thorburn, all played first class rugby from the North Shore club, Shelf ord and Thor-

burn both representing Auckland at No. 8. Other prominent members of North Shore were Gary Cunningham, an All Black midfield back and wing, Murray Jones, a red-headed prop who later became an All Black from North Auckland, Perry Parlane and Ash Edwards, two longserving Auckland players, and Wayne Underhay, a former Sydenham flanker. White’s Northcote club also had the services of Ron Dobson, a twinkletoed Kiwi (Army version)

’ five-eighths who had one game for the All Blacks, Eddie Dunn, later a New Zealand five-eighths from North Auckland, 1 and, briefly, Terry 1 Wright. Present players ! include Ron Williams 1 and Richard Kapa, a ‘ North Harbour wing, who 1 scored 11 tries in a Maoris match earlier 1 this season. Takapuna is the other strong club in the union. It has produced two All Blacks, Greg Burgess and Stu Conn, as well as Chris Kennings, a former

Auckland lock who played a big part in the formation of the North Harbour union. Two former Canterbury players, Alwyn Harvey and John Collinson, also appeared for Takapuna, and Harvey had the distinction of playing for both South and North Islands. East Coast Bays had two prominent backs, Wayne Hill and Mike Mills, who both played for Auckland and became key players when

North Harbour started out on its own. The Navy club from the Devonport base has made a strong contribution to rugby on the north shore for many years. Back in the 1950 s it boasted an outstanding flanker, Able Seaman H. K. Emery, who, along with White, Wilson Whineray and Waka Nathan, was one of the characters of the Auckland XV. Later, “Maunga” Emery made his mark as an international rugby league prop.