Stu WILSON

A prolific try scorer, 'Stu' Wilson was a powerful wing with pace and style. He quickly progressed through the junior and provincial ranks before making his test debut in November 1977 at the age of 22, in an 18-13 defeat against the French in Toulouse. Stu would go on to score nineteen tries in thirty-four tests, making him New Zealand's record scorer until being equalled by Terry Wright and then overhauled by another great winger, John Kirwan. Had he been playing in the professional era both figures would have been doubled. An immensely popular player Stu scored fifty tries in all games for the All Blacks. His international involvement began on the 1976 tour to Argentina and he played in both tests against the home country. He made his full debut a year later on the tour to France, scoring his first try in a 15-3 victory in Paris.

The following year saw Wilson take on the Wallabies for the first time and he enjoyed an excellent series, scoring two more tries in the second and third tests. He was then one of the stars of the show on New Zealand's record breaking tour of the UK in the autumn, touching down in the 13-12 victory over Wales. That try followed a move involving Andy Haden, Graham Mourie, Doug Bruce and Bill Osborne, and brought New Zealand back into the game after being 9-0 down. A year later Stu scored two more against the touring French, his first a stunning effort after he had instinctively caught a bad pass high above his head. He toured the UK again later that year and participated in both of New Zealand's victories, scoring the first of his five tries against the Scots. (Jon Collins)

A prolific try scorer, 'Stu' Wilson was a powerful wing with pace and style. He quickly progressed through the junior and provincial ranks before making his test debut in November 1977 at the age of 22, in an 18-13 defeat against the French in Toulouse. Stu would go on to score nineteen tries in thirty-four tests, making him New Zealand's record scorer until being equalled by Terry Wright and then overhauled by another great winger, John Kirwan. Had he been playing in the professional era both figures would have been doubled. An immensely popular player Stu scored fifty tries in all games for the All Blacks. His international involvement began on the 1976 tour to Argentina and he played in both tests against the home country. He made his full debut a year later on the tour to France, scoring his first try in a 15-3 victory in Paris.

The following year saw Wilson take on the Wallabies for the first time and he enjoyed an excellent series, scoring two more tries in the second and third tests. He was then one of the stars of the show on New Zealand's record breaking tour of the UK in the autumn, touching down in the 13-12 victory over Wales. That try followed a move involving Andy Haden, Graham Mourie, Doug Bruce and Bill Osborne, and brought New Zealand back into the game after being 9-0 down. A year later Stu scored two more against the touring French, his first a stunning effort after he had instinctively caught a bad pass high above his head. He toured the UK again later that year and participated in both of New Zealand's victories, scoring the first of his five tries against the Scots. (Jon Collins)

The 1982 Bledisloe Cup encounter saw Wilson come up against an untried 19 year old called David Campese, and it proved to be a series that Stu would rather forget. Prior to the first test at Christchurch, a journalist asked the young Campo how he felt about taking on the hardcore test veteran Stu Wilson. His nonchalant response was "Stu who?". Incensed at Campese's apparent arrogance, Stu admitted that he went into the game intent on "serving it up" to the young Wallaby. The retribution never happened, and Campese's first touch of the ball saw him sell Stu the trademark dummy that would fool many an opponent in the years to come. It set the pattern for the series and Stu became increasingly frustrated which led to him having a poor series.

The All Blacks won the rubber 2-1, but Wilson came away seriously chastened and with a lot of thinking to do. However, his return to form in 1983 was nothing short of spectacular and he scored a try in the second test against the British Lions, his first for nearly two years. That try equalled the New Zealand record, and after touching down Stu raised a single finger as if to say "I'm Number One". He then ran riot in the fourth test and scored three tries, the first of which broke the record and came courtesy of his old mate Bernie Fraser. In the same year he became captain but his record here was less impressive. On the 1983 UK tour, the All Blacks drew with Scotland and were defeated by England at Twickenham. A natural comic and extrovert, Stu was probably unable to put the necessary distance between himself and his team-mates in the same way that a Graham Mourie or a Tane Norton could. The England defeat was his last, and he retired from all forms of rugby in 1984 at the age of just 29. (Jon Collins)