Career Record: Played 13, Won 9, Lost 4
Test Points: 4
Tries: 1.
1977 v France (Toulouse) L 18-13
1977 v France (Paris) W 15-3
1978 v Australia (Wellington) W 13-12
1978 v Australia (Christchurch) W 22-6
1978 v Australia (Auckland) L 30-16
1978 v Ireland (Dublin) W 10-6
1978 v England (Twickenham) W 16-6
1978 v Scotland (Murrayfield) W 18-9
1979 v France (Christchurch) W 23-9
1979 v France (Auckland) L 24-19
1979 v Australia (Sydney) L 12-6
1979 v Scotland (R) (Murrayfield) W 20-6
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1981 v South Africa (R) (Auckland) W 25-22
Mark Donaldson became a regular in the New Zealand
side following his debut against France in
November 1977, missing just one of the
next eleven Internationals.
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Mark in action for The All Blacks on 1st October 1979. Photo George Herringshaw. ©
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As a scrum-half, Mark "Bullet" Donaldson was rated by some as more gifted even then the likes of Gareth Edwards and Sid Going, yet for all his talent he did not really receive the recognition he deserved at international level. After precocious form for Manawatu, the youngster was hotly tipped to make his debut for New Zealand against the Lions in 1977, but incurred the displeasure of the selectors when he retaliated to a foul by a British forward in one of the provincial games. Mark would thus have to wait until later in the year to take his bow when he was selected for the tour to France, a trip that few participating All Blacks remember with any great pleasure.
He roomed with clubmate and fellow rookie Gary Knight, and the two later recalled that one place they stayed was so cold they had to pull the curtains down for extra bedding! A spiteful series was eventually drawn 1-1, with Mark playing in both games. In late 1978 he toured the British Isles and played in the first three tests, only to miss out on the "Grand Slam Decider" against Wales through injury. Sitting out that match was heartbreaking for Mark because it had been his boyhood dream to play against the Welsh at Cardiff Arms Park, an ambition he would never fulfil.
In 1979 however, he was still number one and played in both tests against the touring French, scoring a wonderful opportunist try in the first match when he intercepted a deflected clearance kick and darted over the line. He also played in the one off test against Australia that year, but the game was lost and Mark and his teammates were forced to watch as opposing coach Dave Brockhoff danced round the Sydney Oval waving the Bledisloe Cup. By 1981 Mark had been usurped by the more reliable but less gifted Dave Loveridge, and played only a few minutes of the final test against the South Africans in Auckland. Those few minutes proved to be his last in a Black shirt, but they were memorable ones as it was Mark's opportunist thinking that set up Alan Hewson's winning injury time penalty. (Jon Collins)
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