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When talking about New Zealand rugby one normally associates the
words "hooker" and "captain" with legends Sean Fitzpatrick and Andy
Dalton. Fitzy had been given a tough act to follow, for his
predecessor Andy Dalton had filled both roles with equal might.
A popular and technically accomplished player, Dalton steered his
side through difficult waters in the early 1980s and helped lay the
foundation for New Zealand's supremacy later on in the decade. He
first appeared for the All Blacks on their harrowing tour of France
in 1977 and overcame nerves to throw superbly in a hard fought win
in the second test. Interestingly, he had become the first hooker to
throw into the lineout for New Zealand. As the 1970s drew to a
close, Dalton formed a front row partnership with Gary Knight and
John Ashworth that would develop into the best in the world. The
threesome became known as "The Geriatrics", and this nickname was
later used as the title for their three-way autobiography published
in 1986.
Andy's career temporarily lost momentum in 1980 when he was
unavailable for the tour to Australia, but the following year would
prove to be one of the most challenging of his career. When skipper
Graham Mourie refused to play against the touring South Africans on
moral grounds, Dalton was given the honour of leading his country.
In a merciless series in which no quarter was asked or given, Andy
lead from the front. The deciding test at Auckland was an all time
classic, a ferocious contest set against a backdrop of protest and
bad feeling. With flour bombs and other debris raining down on the
field, the referee called Dalton and his opposite number Wynand
Claasen over and offered them the chance to stop the match.
Legend
has it that both men simply stood their ground and stared at each
other with a combination of mutual fear and respect, neither wanting
to be the one to "turn chicken". The game continued, and New Zealand
won 25-22.
When Graham Mourie retired in 1982, Andy Dalton took up the
captaincy role again on a long term basis and led his side to a
heavy defeat of the British Lions the following year. Further
successes followed against Australia, England and Argentina. In 1986
he travelled to South Africa with the Cavaliers, but a broken jaw
meant that he could not return for that year's official series
against Australia. Even though Dalton had not played for or
captained the All Blacks since 1985, the selection committee decided
that his years of experience were essential to a successful 1987
World Cup campaign and he was made skipper for the tournament.
However, sport, just like life, can be a cruel place. In a
heartbreaking piece of bad luck, Andy injured his hamstring whilst
leading a training session and was still unfit when the competition
started. In response, David Kirk was handed the captain's armband,
whilst the young Sean Fitzpatrick slotted in at hooker.
In the land of fairytales Dalton would have returned to lead the
side in the final and gone on to lift the trophy instead of Kirk. In
the real world though, All Black rugby has little room for
sentimentality and Fitzpatrick's superb displays ruled out any
possibility of his return to the side. In recognition of Dalton's
off field contribution though, Kirk generously shared his moment of
triumph with the veteran, without whom none of it may have been
possible. Indeed, Andy was much more than just a hard man. He was a
true thinker of the game, endlessly exploring ways in which team
performance could be improved. For example, he advocated the view
that a coach and captain share a more equal relationship and he also
pressed for the kind of specialist coaching that are now common to
all world class sides. In total he played 35 times for the All
Blacks, and captained them to 15 wins out of 17 games between 1981
and 1985.
In a spectacular sporting career, Andy Dalton played 35 tests for
New Zealand and captained the All Blacks in 1981 and from 1983 to
1987, leading them to victory against Australia, France, South
Africa, British Lions and England. In 1984 he was announced New
Zealand Rugby Player of the year.
His rugby career culminated in leading the All Blacks to victory in
the inaugural World Cup, held in New Zealand in 1987.
Andy is well known for his ability to motivate a diverse group of
people to set team goals and achieve them. His warm, relaxed style
appeals to all audiences as he offers his "tried and tested' skills
on motivation and team building, or shares his experiences as an
entertaining after dinner speaker.
Since retiring as an All Black Andy has been involved in coaching
Counties Rugby and developing a very successful business in the area
of waste management and more recently President of the NZRFU. in
March 1999 he was elected President of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
One of the youngest to ever hold that position
Andy's leadership credentials an All Black Captain coupled with his
business acumen makes him a speaker with impeccable credentials. He
has been described as the finest All Black Captain ever, with
outstanding people management skills.
As an after dinner speaker, Andy's humour and thoughts on the
present Rugby environment is worth hearing.
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Topics:
- Motivation
- Team Building
- Inspiration. |
