A Perfect Gentleman

It seems poignant that the current All Black team with all its greatness failed to get past Australia on Saturday evening. The new Jersey heralded a new phase in All Black Rugby taking it further away from its roots.

For a team racked by superstition this would have been no minor change. 

The death of Wilson Whineray on that very same night was not lost on me. Whineray or "Skip" as he was known by his players was the All Black Captain supreme, a man every bit as good as his modern counterparts without the million dollar contract.

He played his guts out for his team and his country in an amateur era and then had to work out what to do at the end of it before going on to great commercial success.

His contribution to sport and industry has been immense. 

May he rest in peace.