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The title of John Gallagher's autobiography "The World's Greatest Rugby Player?" may have been a touch fanciful given the brevity of his career, but there can be no doubt that during the late 1980s he was possibly the most talented and effective fullback in world rugby. London born, Gallagher could have played for England if he had wanted, but unsurprisingly, the lure of that black jersey proved too great a temptation. The 23 year old Wellington player made his debut for the All Blacks in the 1987 World Cup, and he immediately took centre stage, notching up a New Zealand record equaling 4 tries in the 71-15 rout of Fiji in the group stages. Remarkably, the record was also equaled by his teammate Craig Green in the same match! Following victory in the World Cup, Gallagher and his teammates embarked on a three year journey of world domination, enjoying series victories over the likes of Australia, Wales and Argentina, wins often coming by very large margins.
The decade ended with a successful autumn parade through Wales and Ireland, but few were expecting what was to come. Shortly after the Hong Kong Sevens final in the spring of 1990 in which New Zealand were beaten by Fiji, Gallagher turned his back on the amateur game. In a blaze of publicity he signed for English Rugby League side Leeds who were looking for a world class star to revive their fortunes. The move did not particularly benefit either John or the Yorkshire team. Indeed, Gallagher's league career can only be described as modestly successful, whilst his absence from the test side caused the All Blacks all sorts of difficulties during the World Cup in 1991. Indeed, with second choice Matthew Ridge also converted to the rival code, no fewer than three different full backs were used by New Zealand in that campaign. In total, Gallagher played 18 Tests for New Zealand, and enjoyed the distinction of never having been on the losing side. (Jon Collins)
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