Mark Taylor (rugby union, born 1951)

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Mark Taylor
Birth nameNorman Mark Taylor
Date of birth (1951-01-11) 11 January 1951 (age 73)
Place of birth Auckland, New Zealand
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight79 kg (174 lb)
School Dargaville High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Second five-eighth, wing
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1979–1982 Wasps RFC ()
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1973–1978 Bay of Plenty 64 ()
1982 Hawke's Bay 8 ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1976–1982 New Zealand 9 (4)

Norman Mark Taylor (born 11 January 1951) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A second five-eighth and wing, Taylor represented Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, between 1976 and 1982. His career in New Zealand was relatively short, playing 72 first-class domestic matches and 27 matches for New Zealand, including nine internationals. [1]

Taylor also played in England for Wasps in the late 1970s and early 1980s, captaining the club in the 1980–81, [2] 1981-82 [3] and 1982–83 seasons, although he was ruled out of the final season by injury. [4] In his first season as captain the Rothmans Rugby Yearbook stated that his "outspoken captaincy paid dividends for Wasps, who had their best season for twenty years". Taylor also played for the Middlesex county team and helped them reach the semi-final of the 1981-82 County Championship. [5]

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References

  1. Knight, Lindsay. "Mark Taylor". New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  2. Jenkins, Vivian, ed. (1981). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1981-82. p. 344. ISBN   090757405X.
  3. Jenkins, Vivian, ed. (1982). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1982-83. p. 344. ISBN   0907574130.
  4. Jones, Steve, ed. (1983). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1983-84. Unknown Publisher. p. 360. ISBN   0356097315.
  5. Jenkins, Vivian, ed. (1982). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1982-83. p. 135. ISBN   0907574130.