1972 v Wales (Cardiff) W 19-16
1972 v Scotland (Murrayfield) W 14-9
1973 v England (Twickenham) W 9-0
1973 v Ireland (Dublin) D 10-10
1973 v France (Paris) L 13-6
1974 v Australia (Sydney) W 11-6
1974 v Australia (Brisbane) D 16-16
1974 v Australia (Sydney) W 16-6
1974 v Ireland (Dublin) W 15-6
1975 v Scotland (Auckland) W 24-0
Career Record: P10, W7, D2, L1
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Test Points: 65
Tries: 1
Penalties: 13
Conversions: 11
Joe became a regular member of the New
Zealand side following his debut against
Wales in 1972. He missed just one of the
next nine Internationals over a three year
period.
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Joe Karam taking a place kick for The All Blacks during their match on 8th November 1972 against Cambridge University.
They won 34 -3. Photo George Herringshaw. ©
| Of Lebanese extraction, full-back Joe Karam was a fine all round footballer best known for his ultra reliable kicking, an attribute that earned him the nickname "Clock". No more was this evident than on the All Blacks' long and controversial visit to the UK in 1972/73 during which the 21 year old made his debut. In the early part of the tour, New Zealand lost 9-3 to Llanelli at Stradey Park which led Welsh supporters to believe that victory was theirs for the taking in the upcoming test. However, the All Blacks had different ideas and prior to the Cardiff Arms Park showpiece, Joe took renowned Kiwi journalist Spiro Zavos around the New Zealand living quarters. In contrast to their Welsh counterparts who prepared for the match by listening to tub thumping speeches by former players and generally working themselves into a frenzy, the All Blacks were sitting around reading the papers or talking to loved ones on the phone. "We're not expected to win" Joe told Zavos, "We're not feeling much pressure". Joe and his teammates took this superior focus into the game and they triumphed 19-16 over a Welsh side paralysed by nerves. Joe in particular showed remarkable composure for one so young and stroked home five penalties in an awesome test debut. The All Blacks continued their winning ways with victories over England and Scotland, with Joe scoring important conversions in each, but were denied the "Grand Slam" by Ireland. A by now exhausted New Zealand then lost 23-11 to the Barbarians, though Karam's penalty sparked an impressive second-half comeback. In 1974 Joe featured in a remodeled All Black side which won eleven out of twelve games in Australia, taking the test series 2-0, and he scored his only try against Ireland later in the year. The last of Karam's ten caps came against Scotland in 1975 before he switched to Rugby League. (Jon Collins) |