Bernie McCAHILL

Centre Bernie McCahill learned his rugby at the Marist Brothers club in Auckland, the same team that produced All Black contemporaries such as John Kirwan and Terry Wright. McCahill would play ten tests in New Zealand colours spread over four years, though never really established himself due to the backline strength the All Blacks possessed during this period. Bernie made his test debut at 22 against Argentina in the 1987 World Cup and also came on as replacement in the Scotland and Wales games in the knockout stages, the latter an unprecedented 49-6 hammering in the semi-finals. McCahill then toured Australia in 1988, but was not used in any of the three tests, and would have to wait until a year later for his next appearance, when he was a replacement in both matches of a comfortable home series against Argentina.

Bernie then experienced another long hiatus before his next taste of international football, eventually lining up against Australia in 1991 in a 6-3 Bledisloe Cup victory in Auckland. The World Cup of that year was the only time when McCahill was really given an extended run in the side and he played in four matches in partnership with Craig Innes. It was in the quarter-final in Lilles that McCahill scored his only test try in a 29-13 victory over an organised, if limited, Canadian team. However, the combination with Innes never really clicked, and the pair were ineffective against the Australian 20 year olds Tim Horan and Jason Little in the last four encounter at Lansdowne Road. Like several other All Blacks Bernie found no answer to the magic of David Campese and that 16-6 defeat would be his last international appearance. (Jon Collins)