Ian Kirkpatrick

Last updated

Ian Kirkpatrick
MBE
Ian Kirkpatrick 1971.jpg
Birth nameIan Andrew Kirkpatrick
Date of birth (1946-05-24) 24 May 1946 (age 78)
Place of birth Gisborne, New Zealand
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight102 kg (225 lb; 16 st 1 lb)
School King's College
Occupation(s)Farmer
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1966, 1970–1979 Poverty Bay 82 ()
1967–1969 Canterbury 33 ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1967–1977 New Zealand 39 (57)

Ian Andrew Kirkpatrick MBE (born 24 May 1946) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. Described as "supremely athletic, fast, fearless and with an uncanny sense of anticipation", [1] Kirkpatrick is widely regarded as one of the greatest flankers to have ever played the game. His try-scoring ability was astonishing; at the time Kirkpatrick played rugby, it was rare for forwards to score tries, but his 16 test tries were an All Black record until Stu Wilson surpassed it in 1983. He also captained the All Blacks and was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014.

Contents

Early life, background and career

Kirkpatrick grew up in a farming community. [2] He followed rugby from age 10. [3]

Kirkpatrick attended King's College, Auckland where he was in the First XV from 1962 to 1964, helping the side win the 1A championship in 1963. He was first XV captain and head prefect in 1964. Additionally, he was the school boxing, sprint, hurdles and pole vault champion. [4]

Kirkpatrick worked as a farmer. [3]

Rugby playing career

Kirkpatrick began his first-class career in 1966 at the age of 20 playing for Poverty Bay. One year later he moved to Christchurch and established himself in the Canterbury team. Later that year, he made his international debut for the All Blacks against France in Paris.

In the first test of the 1968 series in Australia in Sydney, a game equally remembered for Colin Meads' crude attempt to clear Wallaby scrumhalf Ken Catchpole from a ruck, resulting in a horrific injury to Catchpole, Kirkpatrick came on as a 22nd-minute replacement for the captain Brian Lochore, who had broken his thumb. [5] He thus became the first All Black to be used as a substitute according to the new International Rugby Football Board regulations [6] [7] With his only warm-up being the run down the stairs from the reserve seats, Kirkpatrick scored a hat-trick of tries in a 27–11 victory.

Tours to South Africa were sometimes cancelled due to apartheid during this time. Kirkpatrick has said he was “never comfortable” with apartheid but adopted the position of many leading players at the time and that playing South Africa was the “ultimate challenge”. [4] [8]

In his career Kirkpatrick was one of the first names on the All Blacks team sheet,[ citation needed ] playing a then-record 38 consecutive tests for the All Blacks. [5]

In 1971, he was a part of the President's Overseas XV that was chosen to play against England to celebrate the centenary of the Rugby Football Union, scoring two tries in the 28–11 win at Twickenham. Later in the 1971 Lions series, he would score one of his most famous tries, a 55-metre solo effort in the 22–12 victory in the Second Test in Christchurch.

Kirkpatrick was appointed All Black captain in 1972 and led the 1972-73 tour to Europe and North America, a tour memorable for the controversial expulsion of Keith Murdoch (which Kirkpatrick would call one of his biggest regrets) [9] [3] and the Barbarians' famous 23–11 victory at Cardiff Arms Park.

By the time he retired early in the 1979 season, Kirkpatrick had played a total of 289 first-class games and scored 115 tries. He is to date also the only man to have captained both islands: the South in 1969 in his last season with Canterbury and then the North (in 1972–73) when he had returned home to Poverty Bay. He also appeared in 33 Ranfurly Shield matches for Canterbury.

Physical conditioning

Kirkpatrick has said "Our general farm work, which varied a lot from shearing sheep to fencing, certainly kept you fit and kept your weight down. We would do a little bit of exercise above that in summer, but not much." [3]

Recognition

In the 1980 Queen's Birthday Honours, Kirkpatrick was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to rugby. [10]

In 2003, he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

In May 2020 he was named New Zealand Rugby's patron after the death of Sir Brian Lochore in 2019. [11]

Kirkpatrick has been called 'one of the greatest blind-sides of all time.' [12]

Later life

From 2005 to 2010 Kirkpatrick served as a part-time mentor with the Hurricanes Super Rugby franchise. [13]

Opinions

In 2020, Kirkpatrick expressed his concerns for the physical wellbeing and welfare of modern rugby players. [13] [4] [8] [14]

In 2020 and 2022 he expressed additional concerns about the direction of rugby, including the gladiatorial nature of the game, the massive emphasis on defence, less open play, and the need to be physically big and strong. He expressed concerns that the physicality of the modern game was behind a major dropoff in playing numbers at schools level. [8] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand national rugby union team</span> Mens rugby union team of New Zealand

The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for their international success, the All Blacks have often been regarded as one of the most successful sports teams in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Meads</span> New Zealand rugby union player

Sir Colin Earl Meads was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played 55 test matches, most frequently in the lock forward position, for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 1957 until 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonah Lomu</span> New Zealand rugby union player (1975–2015)

Jonah Tali Lomu was a New Zealand professional rugby union player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential players in the history of the sport, and as one of the most talented sportsmen ever. Lomu is considered to have been the first true global superstar of rugby, and consequently had a huge impact on the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union positions</span> 15 on-field positions in the sport

In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards and seven backs. In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16–23. Players are not restricted to a single position, although they generally specialise in just one or two that suit their skills and body types. Players that play multiple positions are called "utility players".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie McCaw</span> New Zealand international rugby union player

Richard Hugh McCaw is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, in 110 out of his 148 test matches, and won two Rugby World Cups. He has won the World Rugby Player of the Year award a joint record three times and was the most capped test rugby player of all time from August 2015 to October 2020. McCaw was awarded World Rugby player of the decade (2011–2020) in 2021. McCaw is also a winner of the New Zealand sportsman of the decade award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Campese</span> Australian rugby union player

David Ian Campese, AM, also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player (1982–1996), who was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and played 85 Tests at wing and 16 at fullback.

Michael Patrick Thomas Lynagh, is an Australian former rugby union player who played 66 Tests at fly-half and six Tests at inside centre between 1984-1995. Lynagh was capped 72 times for Australia, and was captain from 1993 to 1995.

In 1971 the British Lions toured New Zealand, also playing two matches in Australia. Despite losing the first match to Queensland the tour was a great success, the Lions winning the Test series against the All Blacks. They are still the only Lions side to have won a Test series in New Zealand. The side was captained by John Dawes, coached by Carwyn James and managed by Doug Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sid Going</span> New Zealand rugby union footballer (1943–2024)

Sidney Milton Going was a New Zealand rugby union footballer. Dubbed Super Sid by his fans, he played 86 matches, including 29 tests, for the All Blacks between 1967 and 1977. He represented North Auckland domestically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Lochore</span> New Zealand rugby union player and coach (1940–2019)

Sir Brian James Lochore was a New Zealand rugby union player and coach who represented and captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He played at number 8 and lock, as well as captaining the side 46 times. In 1999, Lochore was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

Kenneth William Catchpole was an Australian rugby union footballer. A state and national representative half-back, he played twenty-seven matches for Australia, thirteen as captain. Catchpole rose through the ranks at the Randwick club as a young man, before making his debut for New South Wales at only 19 years of age, then captaining Australia at age 21. He is considered one of Australia's greatest rugby scrumhalves.

The 2006 Heartland Championship was the inaugural season of the Heartland Championship, an amateur rugby union competition in New Zealand, following the reorganisation of the Second and Third Divisions of the country's former rugby competition, the National Provincial Championship. The competition featured 12 teams, divided into two pools of six.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartland Championship</span>

The Heartland Championship competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship (NPC). The country's 27 provincial teams were split into two separate competitions. Thirteen of the original teams, plus one merged side created from two other teams, entered the new top-level professional competition, the Air New Zealand Cup. The remaining 12 sides entered the new Heartland Championship, whose teams contest two distinct trophies, both named after famous New Zealand players:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kel Tremain</span> Rugby player

Kelvin Robin Tremain was a New Zealand rugby union player and administrator. A flanker, he won 38 full caps for the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, between 1959 and 1968, scoring nine tries. During the 1960s he had a status in New Zealand rugby comparable to that of his teammate, Colin Meads.

The 1972–73 New Zealand rugby union tour of the Britain, Ireland, France and North America was a collection of rugby union test match games undertaken by the All Blacks against England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France. The tour also took in several matches against British, Irish, French and North American club, county and invitational teams. This was the seventh tour of the Northern Hemisphere. It was also the first time the All Blacks lost to the invitational Barbarians team.

Colin "Col" Windon, was a rugby union player and soldier who captained Australia – the Wallabies – in two Test matches in 1951. By age 18 Windon was playing at flanker for his club Randwick in Sydney's Shute Shield. After serving with the Second Australian Imperial Force in the Pacific Theatre during the Second World War, Windon resumed his rugby career in 1946. He was first selected for Australia for their tour of New Zealand that year. Despite the Wallabies losing both their Tests on tour, Windon impressed with his play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Whitelock</span> New Zealand rugby union footballer

Samuel Lawrence Whitelock is a former New Zealand rugby union player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliot Dixon</span> Rugby player

Elliot Christopher Dixon is a professional rugby union player. He represents the Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition and Southland in the ITM Cup, playing at number 8. Dixon is best known for his three test appearances for the All Blacks in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Crotty</span> Rugby player

Ryan Stevenson Crotty is a New Zealand-born rugby union Rugby player. He currently plays as a midfield back for Canterbury in the Bunnings NPC and the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition.

Luke Charles Whitelock is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a loose forward for Section Paloise (Pau) in France's Top 14 rugby competition.

References

  1. ↑ "Ian Kirkpatrick – Captain Kirky". The New Zealand Herald . 1 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "Ian Kirkpatrick – Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti".
  3. 1 2 3 4 "'It never leaves you': All Blacks great opens up on 50 years of regret over mystery". NZ Herald. 9 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Beer with an All Black: Ian Kirkpatrick". 11 December 2021.
  5. 1 2 Richards, Huw (28 November 2017). "Ian Kirkpatrick: Beacon of light in All Blacks' 'decade of disaster'". ESPN.
  6. ↑ "The greatest blindsides of all time: Ian Kirkpatrick". Rugby World. 17 August 2016.
  7. ↑ NB: Kirkpatrick was the first All Black Test replacement since 1947, when match rules had been organised bilaterally between New Zealand and Australia.
  8. 1 2 3 Hinton, Marc (10 June 2020). "All Blacks legend Ian Kirkpatrick: I still blame myself for Keith Murdoch banishment". Stuff.
  9. ↑ "Rugby: All Blacks legend Ian Kirkpatrick's regret over Keith Murdoch". Newshub . 9 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "No. 48214". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 14 June 1980. p. 41.
  11. ↑ "Rugby: Former All Blacks captain Ian Kirkpatrick's warning for World Rugby bosses". The New Zealand Herald . 13 June 2020.
  12. ↑ World, Rugby (17 August 2016). "The greatest blindsides of all time: Ian Kirkpatrick". Rugby World.
  13. 1 2 Knowler, Richard (9 May 2020). "All Blacks great Ian Kirkpatrick fears for future of 'gladitorial' game". Stuff.
  14. 1 2 "'Rubbish game': All Blacks great on what's wrong with rugby". NZ Herald. 9 January 2024.
Sporting positions
Preceded by All Blacks Captain
1972–1973		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.