1978 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland

1978 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland
1978 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland
Manager	Russell Thomas
Tour captain(s)	Graham Mourie
Summary
P	W
Total
18	17
Test match
04	04
Opponent
P	W
Ireland
1	1
Wales
1	1
England
1	1
Scotland
1	1

Last updated April 09, 2025

In 1978 the New Zealand national rugby union team, the All Blacks, toured Britain and Ireland. They were the eighth All Black team to undertake a full tour of the countries and became the first to achieve a Grand Slam by beating the national teams of Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland. The previous seven touring teams had either lost or drawn at least one international, or had not played all four nations.

The New Zealand team played eighteen matches between 18 October and 16 December, winning seventeen games and losing once, to Munster at Thomond Park, Limerick. This was the first time that an All Black team had been beaten in Ireland and it remained the All Blacks' only defeat by any Irish team until they lost to the Ireland national team in 2016. The Munster victory inspired a stage play, Alone it Stands .

Although the All Blacks won their four international matches, three of the games were undecided until close to the end. The match against Ireland was level 6–6 at the end of normal time and was settled by Andy Dalton's try in injury time. Against Wales, a 78th-minute penalty goal by replacement full-back Brian McKechnie turned a 12–10 deficit into a 13–12 win. In the Scotland game the All Blacks led 12–9 going into injury time and a drop goal attempt by Ian McGeechan, which would have tied the scores if successful, was charged down and led to a breakaway try for New Zealand by Bruce Robertson.

Matches

Scores and results list New Zealand's points tally first.

Opposing Team	For	Against	Date	Venue	Status
Cambridge University	32	12	18 October 1978	Grange Road, Cambridge	Tour match
Cardiff	17	7	21 October 1978	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff	Tour match
West Wales XV	23	7	25 October 1978	St Helen's, Swansea	Tour match
London Counties	37	12	28 October 1978	Twickenham, London	Tour match
Munster	0	12	31 October 1978	Thomond Park, Limerick	Tour match
IRELAND	10	6	4 November 1978	Lansdowne Road, Dublin	Test match
Ulster	23	7	7 November 1978	Ravenhill, Belfast	Tour match
WALES	13	12	11 November 1978	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff	Test match
South and South-West Counties	20	0	15 November 1978	Memorial Ground, Bristol	Tour match
Midland Counties	20	15	18 November 1978	Welford Road, Leicester	Tour match
Combined Services	34	6	21 November 1978	Aldershot Military Stadium, Aldershot	Tour match
ENGLAND	16	6	25 November 1978	Twickenham, London	Test match
Monmouthshire	26	9	29 November 1978	Rodney Parade, Newport	Tour match
North of England	9	6	2 December 1978	Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead	Tour match
North and Midlands	31	3	5 December 1978	Linksfield Stadium, Aberdeen	Tour match
SCOTLAND	18	9	9 December 1978	Murrayfield, Edinburgh	Test match
Bridgend	17	6	13 December 1978	Brewery Field, Bridgend	Tour match
Barbarians	18	16	16 December 1978	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff	Tour match

Test matches

Ireland

4 November 1978

Ireland	6–10	New Zealand
Pen: Ward (2)		Try: Dalton Drop: Bruce (2)

Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Referee: Clive Norling (WRU)

The All Blacks opened the scoring with a dropped goal by Bruce, with Ward's penalty making the score 3–3 at half-time. Bruce put the visitors ahead again with a further dropped goal before Ward levelled again with another penalty. The score remained at 6–6 as the game went into injury time but an unconverted try by Dalton after Donaldson's break from a line-out gave New Zealand a 10–6 victory. Rothmans Yearbook called it a "tense, if unspectacular, struggle in perfect playing conditions" and asserted that the All Blacks "deserved their narrow victory" after winning 31 of the 40 line-outs in the game.^[1]

NEW ZEALAND: Clive Currie, Stu Wilson, Bill Osborne, Mark Taylor, Brian Ford (rep Bryan Williams), Doug Bruce, Mark Donaldson, Bill Bush, Andy Dalton, Brad Johnstone, Andy Haden, Frank Oliver, Graham Mourie (c), Leicester Rutledge, Gary Seear.

IRELAND: Larry Moloney, Terry Kennedy, Mike Gibson, Alistair McKibbin, Freddie McLennan, Tony Ward, Colin Patterson, Ned Byrne, Pa Whelan, Phil Orr, Moss Keane, Donal Spring, Fergus Slattery, Shay Deering (c), Willie Duggan

Wales

11 November 1978

Wales	12–13	New Zealand
Pen: Davies (3) Fenwick		Try: Wilson Pen: McKechnie (3)

Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Referee: Roger Quittenton (RFU)

NZ admitting cheating in this test match by jumping out of the line-out in order to fool the referee into giving them a last-minute penalty kick.^[2]

England

25 November 1978

England	6–16	New Zealand
Pen: Hare Drop: Hare		Try: Oliver Johnstone Con: McKechnie Pen: McKechnie (2)

Twickenham, London
Referee: Norman Sanson (SRU)

Scotland

9 December 1978

Scotland	9–18	New Zealand
Try: Hay Con: Irvine Drop: McGeechan		Try: Seear Robertson Con: McKechnie (2) Pen: McKechnie (2)

Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Referee: John West (IRFU)

Touring party

Manager: Russell Thomas
Assistant Manager: Jack Gleeson
Captain: Graham Mourie
Physiotherapist: Brian McKenzie

References

↑ Rothmans p25-26
↑ https://nation.cymru/sport/brazen-all-blacks-cheated-wales-out-of-a-deserved-victory/

Sources

Vivian Jenkins, ed. (1980). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1979–80. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0354090879.

External links

1978 Tour in Details

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[1] Rothmans p25-26

[2] ttps://nation.cymru/sport/brazen-all-blacks-cheated-wales-out-of-a-deserved-victory/

[1]

[2]

v t e Grand Slam tours
Australia	1927–28 1947–48 1957–58 1966–67 1975–76 1981–82 1984 2009 2013
New Zealand	1905-06 1935–36 1953–54 1963–64 1972–73 1978 2005 2008 2010
South Africa	1906–07 1912–13 1931–32 1951–52 1960–61 1969–70 1998 2004 2010

v t e Rugby union tours of England
Argentina	1978 1990 1999 2000 2006 2022
Australia	1908–09 1927–28 (Waratahs) 1947–48 1957–58 1966–67 1973 1975–76 1981–82 1984 1988 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2008 2009 2013
New Zealand	1905 1924–25 1935–36 1953–54 1963–64 1967 1972–73 1974 (no test) 1978 1979 1983 1993 1997 2002 2005 2006 2008
South Africa	1906–07 1912–13 1931–32 1951–52 1960–61 1969–70 1992 1996 ("A" team) 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2004 2006 2008
Romania	1984–85
Japan	1973 (no test) 1976 (no test) 1986
Fiji	1982 (no test) 1985 (no test) 1989
Samoa	1989 (no test) 1995 1996 (no test) 2005
Tonga	1997 (no test)
Pacific Islanders	2008
Canada	1979 (no test) 1983 (no test) 1994 1999 2004
United States	1924 (no test) 1977 (no test) 1999
Maori All Blacks	1888–89 1926–27

v t e Rugby union tours of Ireland
Argentina	1973 1990 1999 2002 2004 2008 2021
Australia	1927–28 (Waratahs) 1947–48 1957–58 1966–67 1968 1975–76 1981–82 1984 1992 1996 2002 2004 2005 2006 2009 2013
Canada	2008
Fiji	1985 1995 2002
Italy	1988-89
Japan	2000
New Zealand	1888–89 (Māori) 1905 1924–25 1926–27 (Māori) 1935–36 1953–54 1963–64 1972–73 1978 1989 1997 2001 2005 2008
Pacific Islanders	2006
Romania	1980 2002
Samoa	1988 1996 2001
South Africa	1906–07 1912–13 1931–32 1951–52 1960–61 1965 1969–70 1994 (no test) 1996 ("A" team) 1998 2000 2004 2006
United States	1994

v t e Rugby union tours of Scotland
Argentina	1973 1990 1999 2001 2005 2022
Australia	1947–48 1957–58 1966–67 1968 1975–76 1981–82 1984 1988 1996 1997 2000 2006 2009 2013
New South Wales	1927–28
New Zealand	1888–89 (NZ Natives) 1905 1935–36 1953–54 1963–64 1967 1972–73 1978 1979 1983 1993 2001 2005 2008
South Africa	1906–07 1912–13 1931–32 1951–52 1960–61 1965 1969–70 1994 1996 ("A" team) 1997 1998 2002 2004 2008
Romania	1981 2002
Fiji	1982 (no test) 1989 2002
Samoa	1995 2000 2005
Tonga	1997 (no test) 2001
Pacific Islanders	2006
Japan	1976 (no test) 1986 2004
United States	2000
Canada	2008

v t e Rugby union tours of Wales
Argentina	1976 (no test) 1978 (no test) 1998 2001 2021 2022
Australia	1908–09 1927–28 (Waratahs) 1947–48 1957–58 1966–67 1973 1975–76 1981–82 1984 1992 1996 2001 2005 2006 2008 2009 2013
Canada	1979 (no test) 1999 2002 2008
Fiji	1964 1985 1995 2002 2005
Japan	1973 (no test) 1976 (no test) 1983 (no test) 1993 2004
New Zealand	1905 1924–25 1935–36 1953–54 1963–64 1967 1972–73 1974 (no test) 1978 1980 1989 1997 1998 2000 ("A" team) 2002 2004 2005 2006 2008
NZ Māori	1888–89 (NZ Natives) 1926–27 1982
Pacific Islanders	2006
Romania	1979 2002
Samoa	1988 1996 (no test) 2000
South Africa	1906–07 1912–13 1931–32 1951–52 1960–61 1969–70 1994 1996 2000 2004 2005 2007 2008
Tonga	1997 2001
United States	1987 1997 1999 (no test) 2000
Sportsportal Walesportal

1978 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland

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