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Dave Loveridge may have cut a rather comical looking figure off the field, but he has gone down in history as one of the greatest backs in the history of New Zealand rugby. "Trapper", as he became known, was a compact and dynamic scrum-half, famed for the phenomenal speed of his pass and audacious breaks down the blindside. The Taranaki player first appeared for the All Blacks in a 13-12 win against Wales in 1978, a result which the Welsh still dispute to this day thanks to Andy Haden's famous alleged 'dive' from the lineout. That victory was part of a unique "Grand Slam" of victories over the home nations, the first time that this feat had been accomplished by a touring side and one that has been rarely repeated.
Loveridge returned to the UK the year after and consolidated his reputation with two more sound performances in the Scotland and England matches as New Zealand yet again escaped the British Isles without a defeat in tests. In 1980 further honours came his way as Dave was made captain for the tour to Australia in the absence of hooker Andy Dalton. New Zealand lost the Bledisloe Cup for the second year in a row, but Loveridge performed his captaincy duties reasonably enough.
The year of 1983 was arguably his greatest when he was an instrumental component in New Zealand's 4-0 execution of the Lions. Several of those victories were by narrow margins, and it was the class of Loveridge that helped make the difference. By the close of the 1983 season, Trapper was considered a veteran, having played in 22 successive tests at halfback for the All Blacks since 1979. He was unavailable for the subsequent tour to the UK in the autumn as New Zealand struggled, and would play his last game in a New Zealand shirt during the 1985 series in Argentina. (Jon Collins)
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Dave Loveridge pictured playing for New Zealand on 25th. November 1978.
Photograph George Herringshaw. ©
Career Record: Played 24: Won 19, Drew 1, Lost 4
Test Points: 12
Tries: 3.
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1978 v Wales (Cardiff) W 13-12
1979 v Scotland (Murrayfield) W 20-6
1979 v England (Twickenham) W 10-9
1980 v Australia (Sydney) L 13-9
1980 v Australia (Brisbane) W 12-9
1980 v Australia (Sydney) L 26-10
1980 v Wales (Cardiff) W 23-3
1981 v Scotland (Dunedin) W 11-4
1981 v Scotland (Auckland) W 40-15
1981 v South Africa (Christchurch) W 14-9
1981 v South Africa (Wellington) L 24-12
1981 v South Africa (Auckland) W 25-22
1981 v Romania (Bucharest) W 14-6
1981 v France (Toulouse) W 13-9
1981 v France (Paris) W 18-6
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1982 v Australia (Christchurch) W 23-16
1982 v Australia (Wellington) L 19-16
1982 v Australia (Auckland) W 33-18
1983 v British Lions (Christchurch) W 16-12
1983 v British Lions (Wellington) W 9-0
1983 v British Lions (Dunedin) W 15-8
1983 v British Lions (Auckland) W 38-6
1983 v Australia (Sydney) W 18-8
1985 v Argentina (Buenos Aires) D 21-21
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