Andy HADEN

There have been countless players in New Zealand's history who became greats, some of whom can even be described as legends There are fewer still, men like Colin Meads and Sean Fitzpatrick, who tower above them all and have acquired iconic status. There is little doubt that Andy Haden too belongs to this select group. In common with those great men, Haden was more than a rugby player, he was a talismanic figure who represented an era and a mood of the times as much as he represented a country. Haden was a magnificent player to whom others looked up to for inspiration and whose performances were often the difference between a win and a loss. A cunning and technically advanced lock, he demanded everything from himself and his teammates.

He was also a highly controversial character who sometimes earned more notoriety off the field than he did on it, and in retirement would exert a major influence on the game behind the scenes. He once stated that his intention was to become "rugby's first millionaire" and was a pioneer in the drive towards professionalism, an attitude that brought him into to conflict with officialdom. But back in the early 1970s this was all still to come. In his youth, the lad from Wanganui was regarded as something of a tearaway, and many doubted if he had the temperament to make it in the big league. He toured the UK in 1972/73 as an uncapped 22 year old (see photo above in action against Cambridge University), but did not play in any tests and afterwards become disillusioned with rugby in New Zealand.

For the next few years Andy inhabited an international wilderness partly of his own making and spent time playing and studying in Europe with his young wife to accompany him. This period aided his physical and technical development, but also gave him a broader outlook on life that he would use to his advantage later in his career. After fine All Black trial performances and an excellent visit to Argentina in 1976 he considered himself unlucky not to be selected to tour South Africa, blaming behind the scenes politics for his omission.

By 1977 there was no denying him though and he played in all four matches of the Lions series, scoring his first international try in the third test. The series was won 3-1 and Andy consolidated his growing reputation on the tour to France later in the year. Then in 1978 he lined up against the Aussies for the first time, and in the third test encountered a prop on debut by the name of Chris Handy. Handy, who had prepared for the match by drinking a bottle of Kaluha with two journalists, proceeded to harass and intimidate Andy throughout the game to the point of distraction. Rugby players have long memories, and Andy would have his revenge a couple of years later. (Jon Collins)

The scene is Cardiff Arms Park, November 1978. New Zealand are locked in combat with Wales in the hardest match of their Grand Slam tour. With the Welsh leading 12-10 and the clock running down, New Zealand win a lineout deep in opposition territory. When the ball is thrown, lock forwards Andy Haden and Frank Oliver fall from the line as if they have been pushed. The referee awards the All Blacks a penalty which Brian McKechnie sends over to win the game. The Welsh are incensed, and in the stands Barry John reportedly jumps up and down screaming "You bloody cheats! You bloody cheats!".

Welsh full-back JPR Williams feels so strongly that he later writes in his autobiography "It was disgraceful and there is no doubt in my mind that Andy Haden should have been sent off for ungentlemanly conduct". The affair nearly causes a diplomatic incident between the two countries and is the source of much bad feeling in the years to come. However, for all the controversy, that famous Haden incident actually turned out to be a smokescreen, for the referee later explained that the penalty had been awarded for a foul by Geoff Wheel and had nothing to do with the New Zealander's theatrics.

The Welsh reaction probably stems from the fact a win would have meant so much to them and the reality is that they should have put the game out of sight long before that moment. As to the question of whether Haden did dive, only the man himself probably knows the answer. However, in an intriguing twist, Andy's skipper Graham Mourie later recalled how the night before the test he had described the tactic to Haden, having witnessed it carried out by another player. A year later Andy played in perhaps the most significant test in Bledisloe Cup history, the 12-6 loss to Australia in Sydney.

The Aussies dominated the test with their ferocious forward play and the result proved to be a turning point in the fortunes of the previously one sided Bledisloe Series. After the game, Andy entered the Australian dressing room and handed his shirt to the Australian's flamboyant and controversial coach, Dave Brockhoff, saying, "I've got to give this to you Brock. I've never seen an Australian team take ball off the All Blacks like that." It was a noble gesture, reminiscent of Colin Meads tribute to the Lions in 1971. (Jon Collins)

In 1980 the Bledisloe Cup slipped away again when the Aussies triumphed 2-1 on home territory. Andy lost his temper in the first test when he punched old foe Chris Handy in the face following a scuffle that also involved Gary Knight. Handy refused to let anyone clean the blood away and reckoned that this acted as further motivation for the team and Australia won 13-9. In his own inimitable style, Andy later pleaded for no more rough play in the series! The Blacks eventually went down 2-1, but the Cup was regained in 1982 in an exciting rubber. 1980 saw the restoration of relations of Wales with a highly successful tour to acknowledge the centenary of the WRU, although Andy couldn't resist "repositioning" two All Black figures on the special cake that was prepared for the celebrations, a humorous reference to the events of 1978. In 1983 Andy lined up against the British Lions for a second time, though this time New Zealand had an easier series than in 1977. The rubber was won 4-0 and it was Andy's downfield charge from the Lions' opening kick off that sparked the fourth test hammering. In the second half he even found time to go over himself to score his second and last international try, both of which had come against the Lions. That year Andy also published a book entitled "Boots 'n' All!" widely regarded as one of the most interesting and intelligently written of the innumerable rugby biographies available. Like many established players, he missed the UK tour in the Autumn of '83, but returned the year after to face France in both tests.

His 41st and final appearance as an All Black came in the 21 all draw against Argentina in Buenos Aires in 1985, and so ended a quite remarkable career. Andy had always bucked convention, both on and off the field, and he was one of the first All Blacks to compete in Europe during the off season, sometimes playing in different countries on consecutive days! He frequently came into conflict with the NZRFU regarding his amateur status and was once suspended pending an investigation into his activities. An Auckland man through and through, Andy was also a vociferous supporter of John Hart and played a full part in the seemingly endless political manoeuvring to get his old coach the national job, often using the media to further the cause. One publication wrote of Andy's scheming: "Publicity is to Haden what a jolt of electricity was to Dr. Frankenstein's monster. Let him off the slab and in front of the cameras, and he's out of your control.". Despite his ongoing wranglings with officialdom, Andy became the All Black's first professional marketing agent in the late 1980s and occasionally helped out with the national team as a lineout coach. However, with the all the various controversies that surrounded him, it should not be forgotten what a fine player Andy was, certainly one of the best lineout forwards New Zealand has ever produced. A perfectionist on the field and in training, legend has it that he even expelled a young man called Sean Fitzpatrick from an Auckland practice session because he was unhappy with his performance! (Jon Collins)

1977 v France (Paris) W 15-3

1978 v Scotland (Murrayfield) W 18-9

1979 v England (Twickenham) W 10-9

1980 v Wales (Cardiff) W 23-3

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 France (Paris) W 18-6

1982 v Australia (Auckland) W 33-18

1983 v Australia (Sydney) W 18-8

1984 v France (Auckland) W 31-18