1976 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand and Fiji
Encyclopedia
1976 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand and Fiji. The Ireland national rugby union team
toured New Zealand
and Fiji
for the first time in 1976. Although Ireland had first played the All Blacks
in 1905, this tour saw Ireland play them away for the first time. However the tour is probably best remembered for the final game against Fiji
. A tired Ireland team arrived in Fiji only to discover that, as a result of a scheduling mistake, the senior Fiji team were actually on tour in Australia
. The Fiji Rugby Union
did, however, put together what was effectively a reserve side. Despite this Ireland only managed to win 8-0. As well as playing in extremely hot weather, Ireland also had to deal with a pitch invasion by dozens of frogs . Mike Gibson, Willie Duggan
, Philip Orr
and Moss Keane
all returned to New Zealand with the British Lions
for their 1977 tour
.
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
toured New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
for the first time in 1976. Although Ireland had first played the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in 1905, this tour saw Ireland play them away for the first time. However the tour is probably best remembered for the final game against Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
. A tired Ireland team arrived in Fiji only to discover that, as a result of a scheduling mistake, the senior Fiji team were actually on tour in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Fiji Rugby Union
Fiji Rugby Union
Fiji Rugby Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in Fiji. It is divided into over 30 provincial unions. The Fiji Rugby Union is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance , along with Samoa and Tonga. There are approximately 80,000 registered players from a total population...
did, however, put together what was effectively a reserve side. Despite this Ireland only managed to win 8-0. As well as playing in extremely hot weather, Ireland also had to deal with a pitch invasion by dozens of frogs . Mike Gibson, Willie Duggan
Willie Duggan
William Patrick Duggan is a former Ireland international rugby union player. He won 41 Irish Caps, the first in 1975 and finished his international career in 1984 as captain...
, Philip Orr
Philip Orr
Philip Andrew "Phil" Orr , is a former Irish international and British and Irish Lions Rugby Union loosehead prop. Educated at The High School, Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, Orr played for Old Wesley for over 20 years and was, for many years, his country's most-capped prop with a then world...
and Moss Keane
Moss Keane
Maurice Ignatius "Moss" Keane was a rugby union footballer who played for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.-Life and career:...
all returned to New Zealand with the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
for their 1977 tour
1977 British Lions tour to New Zealand
In 1977 the British Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand. The Lions played 26 matches, including four internationals against the All Blacks. They lost the series against the All Blacks by three matches to one. The team played as the British Isles in their internationals against the All Blacks...
.
Matches
- Scores and results list Ireland's points tally first.
Opposing Team For Against Date Venue South Canterbury South Canterbury Rugby Football UnionThe South Canterbury Rugby Football Union is a rugby province based in the central South Island city of Timaru, New Zealand. The South Canterbury team play from Alpine Energy Stadium located in Timaru.-History:...
19 4 15 May Fraser Park Alpine Energy StadiumAlpine Energy Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Timaru, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches. The stadium is able to hold 12,000 people.-History:...
, TimaruTimaruTimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...North Auckland Northland Rugby UnionThe Northland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Northland region of New Zealand.-History:Rugby was first played in Northland in the 1870s, and the first union was set up in the province in 1895, known as the Marsden Football Union. The Northland union was founded in...
12 3 19 May Okara Park, Whangarei WhangareiWhangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...Auckland Auckland Rugby Football UnionThe Auckland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Auckland Region, in the North Island of New Zealand. Its colours are navy blue and white in a hoop design. Auckland's top representative team have won New Zealand's top provincial rugby competition 16 times, more than...
10 13 22 May Eden Park Eden ParkEden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...Manawatu Manawatu Rugby UnionManawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of Rugby union in the Manawatu rugby province. The Union is based in the city of Palmerston North but has a catchment area from nearby towns in the province, including Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Dannevirke and...
22 16 26 May The Showgrounds Oval Arena ManawatuArena Manawatu is the current name of the 180,000 square metre publicly owned recreational complex just west of the Palmerston North city centre in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand.It has three linked indoor stadiums, with movable tiered seating...
, Palmerston NorthPalmerston NorthPalmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...Canterbury Canterbury Rugby Football UnionThe Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
4 18 29 May Lancaster Park, Christchurch ChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...Southland Southland RugbyThe Southland Rugby Football Union is a provincial rugby union who govern the Southland Region founded in 1886. The headquarters of Southland Rugby are in Invercargill, New Zealand however the Southland Union also covers country teams such as Midlands of Winton and Excelsior Rugby Club of Gore.The...
18 3 1 June Homestead Stadium, Invercargill InvercargillInvercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...New Zealand All BlacksThe New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
3 11 5 June Athletic Park Athletic Park (Wellington)Athletic Park was a well-known ground used mostly for rugby matches in Wellington, New Zealand. The ground was also the inaugural home of New Zealand's principal knockout football tournament, the Chatham Cup ....
, WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...Fiji Fiji national rugby union teamThe Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
8 0 9 June Buckhurst Park, Suva SuvaSuva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
Touring party
- Manager: K. Quilligan
- Assistant Manager: Roly MeatesRoly MeatesT.W.Roland "Roly" Meates is a former Ireland national rugby union team coach and chairman of the Irish Rugby Football Union board of selectors....
- Medical Officer: T.C.J. O’Connell
- Captain: Tom GraceTom GraceThomas Oliver Grace was a University College Dublin RFC and St. Mary's College RFC winger in the 1960 and 1970s as well as playing for his province Leinster. He appeared for the Ireland during his career...
Backs
|
Cork Constitution Cork Constitution is a club, based in Cork. It was founded by staff of the Cork Constitution. Since the paper did not publish on Sundays, the staff were looking for activities to pursue on Saturday afternoons. In the summer, cricket was played, while in the winter, rugby was the designated... ) Ballymena RFC Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It is affiliated to the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club fields six adult teams and an under-20 team. In youth rugby there are under-18, under-16 and under-14 teams... ) Garryowen Football Club Garryowen Football Club , usually referred to as Garryowen, is a rugby union club from Limerick, Ireland. Historically it has been one of the most successful clubs in Irish rugby union leagues.-Name:... ) Mick Quinn (Rugby player) Michael Anthony Mary Quinn is a former rugby union footballer who played international rugby for Ireland. He played schools rugby for Newbridge College and captained them to victory in the 1970 Schools Cup Final over Blackrock College RFC. He then moved on to play senior rugby for Lansdowne... (Lansdowne) John Robbie John Cameron Robbie is a former international rugby union player. He went to The High School in Dublin, Ireland. He toured South Africa in 1980 with the British and Irish Lions and at the time played club rugby for Greystones RFC. He was later picked twice for the South African rugby team but... (Dublin University Dublin University Football Club Dublin University Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Dublin, Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland.-History:... ) |
Forwards
|
Stewart McKinney (rugby player) Stewart Alexander McKinney is a former Ireland international rugby union player. In 1974 he played for the British Lions on their tour of South Africa. At the time he played club rugby for Dungannon. He moved to England and played for London Irish. His son Sam was the club Captain for the London... (Dungannon Dungannon RFC Dungannon RFC is a rugby union club from Dungannon, Northern Ireland. The club first team plays in the AIB League Division One, Ulster Senior League and Ulster Senior Cup.-History:... ) Moss Keane Maurice Ignatius "Moss" Keane was a rugby union footballer who played for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.-Life and career:... (Lansdowne) Philip Orr Philip Andrew "Phil" Orr , is a former Irish international and British and Irish Lions Rugby Union loosehead prop. Educated at The High School, Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, Orr played for Old Wesley for over 20 years and was, for many years, his country's most-capped prop with a then world... (Old Wesley Old Wesley Old Wesley Rugby Football Club was founded in 1891 from the past pupils of Wesley College, Dublin. Since then it has become one of Leinster's most famous clubs. The club won the Leinster Senior Cup in 1909 and 1985 as well as winning the AIL Division 2 title in 1989... ) Dolphin RFC Dolphin Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Cork. It was founded in 1902, by members of Dolphin Swimming Club seeking to find a wintertime activity.They play in Division 1 of the All-Ireland League. In 2007/08 they finished in their highest ever league position- 6th... ) Ballymena RFC Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It is affiliated to the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club fields six adult teams and an under-20 team. In youth rugby there are under-18, under-16 and under-14 teams... ) Garryowen Football Club Garryowen Football Club , usually referred to as Garryowen, is a rugby union club from Limerick, Ireland. Historically it has been one of the most successful clubs in Irish rugby union leagues.-Name:... ) |
See also
- History of rugby union matches between All Blacks and Ireland