Overseas Unions rugby union team
 | |
| Unions | International Rugby Board |
|---|---|
| First match | |
| Overseas Unions 32 - 13 Five Nations XV | |
| Largest win | |
| Overseas Unions 32 - 13 Five Nations XV | |
| Largest defeat | |
| None | |
The Overseas Unions rugby union team was set up to commemorate the centenary of the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB), which would shortly afterwards become the IRB or International Rugby Board. It consisted of players from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
They played one match against a combined Five Nations XV on Saturday, 19 April 1986,[1] and beat them 32-15.[2]
Controversially, the squad included a number of white South Africans at a time when the relationship of rugby union and apartheid was being questioned at high levels.
Team members
Coaching team
New Zealand - Brian Lochore (Coach)
Australia - Robert Ian Templeton (Manager)
Players
- Roger Gould[2][3]
- John Kirwan[2][3]
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Danie Gerber[2][3]- Warwick Taylor[3]
- Carel du Plessis[3]
- Naas Botha[2][3][4]
- Dave Loveridge[2][3]
- Steve Tuynman[2][3]
- Simon Poidevin[2][3]
- Mark Shaw[2][3]
- Andy Haden[2][3]
- Steve Cutler[3]
- Gary Knight[3] (van der Merwe had been named in starting line-up in programme instead of Knight)
- Andy Dalton (Captain)[3]
- Topo Rodriguez[2][3][4]
- Bench
- Andrew Slack[3] (not named in programme, but Wayne Smith of New Zealand was)
- Michael Lynagh[3]
- Nick Farr-Jones[3]
- Murray Mexted[3]
- Schalk Burger snr[3]
- Flippie van der Merwe[3] (named in starting line-up in programme instead of Knight)
- Tom Lawton[3]
The match
Unlike the first celebratory match three days earlier in a wet Cardiff Arms Park, this game was played in ideal conditions at Twickenham.[5] At the time, there were only eight Unions affiliated to the Board, thus only players from those unions were chosen.
| April 19, 1986 |
| Five Nations XV | 13 – 32 | Overseas Unions XV |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Ringland (2) Con: Blanco Penalty Goal: Kiernan |
Try: Gerber (2) Kirwan du Plessis Rodriguez Shaw Con: Botha Penalty Goal: Botha (2) |
Five Nations XV: Serge Blanco (
France); Trevor Ringland (
Ireland), Philippe Sella ( France), Mike Kiernan ( Ireland), Rory Underwood (
England); Malcolm Dacey (
Wales), Richard Hill ( England); Jeff Whitefoot ( Wales), Steve Brain ( England), Iain Milne (
Scotland), Jean Condom ( France), Donal Lenihan ( Ireland) (captain), John Jeffrey ( Scotland), Iain Paxton ( Scotland), Laurent Rodriguez ( France)
Overseas Unions XV: R G Gould ( Australia); J J Kirwan ( New Zealand), D M Gerber ( South Africa), W T Taylor ( New Zealand), C J du Plessis ( South Africa); H E Botha ( South Africa), D S Loveridge ( New Zealand); E E Rodriguez ( Australia), A G Dalton ( New Zealand) (captain), P R van der Merwe ( South Africa), SAG Cutler ( Australia), A M Haden ( New Zealand), S P Poidevin ( Australia), S N Tuynman ( Australia), M W Shaw ( New Zealand)
See also
References
- Starmer-Smith, Nigel (ed) Rugby - A Way of Life, An Illustrated History of Rugby (Lennard Books, 1986 ISBN 0-7126-2662-X)
- ↑ Starmer-Smith, p184, image of programme
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Starmer-Smith, p186
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Jim Webster, For Love Not Money - The Simon Poidevin Story {ABC:1 Jan 1990)(ISBN 0733300499)
- 1 2 Starmer-Smith, p185
- ↑ Scrum.com match summary