| Born | Ian Robert Bishop | ||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 79.5 kg (175 lb; 12 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
| School | Napier Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Engineering assistant | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Ian Robert Bishop (born 1943) is a former New Zealand rugby union player.
Bishop grew up in Napier and attended Napier Boys' High School. He was a player in the school's first XV rugby team, including its record best 1961 season. [1]
In 1963, Bishop debuted for Hawke's Bay at the first-class level. He was part of the team that won the Ranfurly Shield from Waikato in 1966. In the low-scoring match he kicked a penalty goal in the second second half, after Waikato were lured offside in an infamous ruse arranged by halfback Hepa Paewai. [2] By the time Hawke's Bay lost the shield in 1969 to Canterbury, Bishop had become the all-time leading points scorer in Ranfurly Shield matches. [2] He was also the highest point scorer for Hawke's Bay, with 631 points, which was not surpassed until 1995 by Jarrod Cunningham. [3]
In later life, Bishop shifted from Hawke's Bay to Hāwera. [2] He became a successful race horse owner. Several horses he was a shareholder in won multiple races including Heineken Bay, Libra Bay, Beatle Bay and Sarah Little. [3]