Jock Hobbs

Last updated

Jock Hobbs
Birth nameMichael James Bowie Hobbs
Date of birth(1960-02-15)15 February 1960
Place of birth Christchurch, New Zealand
Date of death13 March 2012(2012-03-13) (aged 52)
Place of death Wellington, New Zealand
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight92 kg (203 lb)
School Christ's College
Notable relative(s) Michael Hobbs (son)
Robbie Deans (brother-in-law)
Bruce Deans (brother-in-law)
Occupation(s)Sports executive
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1980–1986 Canterbury 74 (60)
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1983–1986 New Zealand 21 (16)

Michael James Bowie Hobbs CNZM (15 February 1960  – 13 March 2012), generally known as Jock Hobbs, was a New Zealand rugby union player and administrator. A flanker, he played for Canterbury and won 21 caps for the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, between 1983 and 1986, with four tests as captain.

Contents

In later years he was prominent in rugby administration. Between 2002 and 2010 he was chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union before standing down due to illness. [1]

Youth and playing career

Hobbs was born in Christchurch. He played in the first XV at Christ's College in Christchurch, and was a regular first choice for Canterbury from the 1981 season onwards, playing in the failed Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato. His test debut came in 1983 against the British and Irish Lions, where he was successor to Graham Mourie. Others that were possible replacements were Bruce Middleton and Auckland captain Alwyn Harvey, but Hobbs played so well against the Lions that he was an automatic selection as All Blacks number seven for the next few seasons.

Hobbs was All Black captain on the short tour of Fiji late in 1984 when Andy Dalton was unavailable, and in the tour of Argentina in 1985 when Dalton was again unavailable. He took part in the 1986 New Zealand Cavaliers tour to South Africa, before retiring in 1987 after a succession of concussions.

Administrator

In 1995, Hobbs was instrumental in retaining New Zealand's leading players when they were on the verge of defecting to Kerry Packer's rebel World Rugby Corporation. [2] In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby. [3]

In 2005, Hobbs led New Zealand's successful bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup and in the same year was named the Herald's New Zealander of the year. [4] In the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby and sports administration. [5]

Hobbs was the longest serving chairman in NZRU history and his service to the game was recognized at the 2011 IRB and Steinlager Rugby awards where he received the Vernon Pugh award for Distinguished service and the Steinlager Salver award respectively. [6]

In 2010, Hobbs stepped down from his administrative positions in order to battle leukaemia. [7] He died of the disease on 13 March 2012 at Wellington Hospital. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Provincial Championship (2006–present)</span> New Zealand rugby union competition

The National Provincial Championship (NPC) is an annual round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played in 1976, it is the second highest level of competition in New Zealand alongside the Ranfurly Shield. It is organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and since 2021, it has been known as the Bunnings NPC after Bunnings, its naming rights sponsor. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Farah Palmer Cup.

<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">Wilson Whineray</span> Rugby player

Sir Wilson James Whineray was a New Zealand business executive and rugby union player. He was the longest-serving captain of the national rugby union team, the All Blacks, until surpassed by Richie McCaw in 2014. Rugby writer Terry McLean considered him the All Blacks' greatest captain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Marshall</span> NZ international rugby union player

Justin Warren Marshall is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He played 81 games for the New Zealand All Blacks between 1995 and 2005.

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

Daniel William Carter is a New Zealand retired rugby union player. Carter played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He is the highest point scorer in test match rugby, and is considered by many experts as the greatest ever first five-eighth (fly-half) in the history of the game. He was named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year in 2005, 2012 and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Tietjens</span> Rugby player

Sir Gordon Frederick Tietjens is head coach of the Samoa rugby sevens team, and a celebrated former coach of the New Zealand men's national team in rugby sevens, the All Blacks Sevens. When the International Rugby Board inducted him into the IRB Hall of Fame in May 2012, it said that "Tietjens' roll of honour is without peer in Sevens, and perhaps in the game of rugby as a whole." According to Spiro Zavos, Tietjens is "The greatest of all the Sevens coaches".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Mourie</span> Rugby player

Graham Neil Kenneth Mourie is a former New Zealand All Black flanker and coach of the Hurricanes. He was one of the great All Black captains in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was first selected for the All Blacks in 1976, captaining a second-string New Zealand team that toured South America. He was selected again for the All Blacks against the touring British Lions in 1977, and captained the side to France later that year, replacing Tane Norton as captain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Kirkpatrick</span> Rugby player

Ian Andrew Kirkpatrick is a former New Zealand rugby union player. Described as "supremely athletic, fast, fearless and with an uncanny sense of anticipation", 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Graham (rugby union)</span> Rugby player

Sir David John Graham, generally known as John Graham, was a New Zealand educator and rugby union player. He served as president of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) and was an All Black loose forward; he played 22 Tests between 1958 and 1964, including three as captain. He was headmaster of Auckland Grammar School from 1973 to 1993, New Zealand cricket team manager from 1997 to 1999, the University of Auckland Chancellor from 1999 to 2004, and was elected president of the NZRFU in April 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Allen (rugby union)</span> New Zealand rugby union footballer and coach

Sir Frederick Richard Allen was a captain and coach of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby union team. The All Blacks won all 14 of the test matches they played under his coaching.

The Cavaliers was an unofficial New Zealand rugby union team which toured South Africa in 1986. Because of the Apartheid policies of the South African government, the official New Zealand Rugby Union tour scheduled for 1985 was cancelled, and the Cavaliers tour was very controversial in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Leslie</span> New Zealand rugby player

Andrew Roy Leslie is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A number eight, he represented Wellington domestically and captained the All Black at international level. He was captain during the controversial 1976 New Zealand rugby union tour of South Africa. On 26 April 2007 he was elected as the president of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tane Norton</span> New Zealand rugby union player (1942–2023)

Rangitane Will Norton, commonly known as Tane Norton, was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played at the hooker position. He played for Linwood before he first represented Canterbury in 1969. In 1977, he captained the All Blacks to a series win over the British Lions and played three games for the World Invitation XV in South Africa.

Michael Joseph Deans Hobbs is a retired professional rugby union player. Hobbs previously played for the Blues and Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition. He also played for the Wellington Lions in the Air New Zealand Cup. His playing positions are First Five-Eighth and Inside Centre.

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

Kelly Brazier is a New Zealand rugby union and sevens player. She has played flyhalf, centre and fullback for the Black Ferns, New Zealand's women's national rugby team, and has competed at three Rugby World Cups in 2010, 2014, and 2017. She has represented Otago, Canterbury and the Bay of Plenty in the Farah Palmer Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Greengrass</span> New Zealand rugby league footballer

John Greengrass is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1970 and 1975 World Cups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom French Cup</span>

In rugby union, the Tom French Cup is an honour awarded by New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to the Tom French Memorial Māori player of the year. The cup has been awarded annually since 1949, when it was donated to the New Zealand Māori coach Tom French while the team was on tour in Australia. French had represented Buller provincially, and was selected for New Zealand Maori in 1911. After the First World War, where he lost an arm at Passchendaele, French continued his involvement in rugby by serving as both a selector and administrator. In 1957 he was made a life member of the NZRU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braydon Ennor</span> Rugby player

Braydon Maurice Ennor is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a wing and centre for Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup and Crusaders in super rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Molloy (botanist)</span> New Zealand rugby player and ecologist (1930–2022)

Brian Peter John Molloy was a New Zealand plant ecologist, conservationist, and rugby union player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil MacLean (coroner)</span> New Zealand judge and coroner (1944–2022)

Allan Neil MacLean was a New Zealand District Court judge and that country's first chief coroner, from 2007 to 2015. He was the coroner during the Pike River Mine disaster and the Christchurch earthquakes.

References

  1. "Rugby: NZRU keen to keep Hobbs' experience". The New Zealand Herald . 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  2. FitzSimmons, Peter (2003). The Rugby War. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN   0-7322-7882-1.
  3. "Queen's Birthday honours list 1996". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 1996. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. Cumming, Geoff (17 December 2005). "NZer of the Year: Jock Hobbs". The New Zealand Herald.
  5. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2006". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 5 June 2006. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  6. "Jerome Kaino named NZ rugby player of year". Stuff.co.nz. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  7. Hinton, Marc (7 May 2010). "Health forces Jock Hobbs to stand down". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  8. All Black great Jock Hobbs dies Stuff.co.nz, 13 March 2012
Awards
Preceded by Leadership Award
2010
Succeeded by