‘Snow’ White a legend for Auckland

Hallard Leo White (Snowy White) in Auckland colours in 1958

ALL Black prop and Auckland legend ‘‘Snow” White has died at 87.

White’s full name was Hallard Leo White, but few rugby fans would recognise him without the addition of “Snow”.

The Northcote prop played 15 matches, including three tests, on the 1953-1954 All Black tour of Britain and France.

His teammates on that tour included Poverty Bay All Black great Tiny White and Brian Fitzpatrick (father of All Black captain Sean), who as a Poverty Bay player earlier in his career, appeared for the All Blacks in 1951.

Snow White played only one other match for the All Blacks, a test against Australia in 1955.

White, who could prop on both sides of the scrum, continued to play as a prominent member of a strong 1960s Auckland team, but was never selected for the All Blacks again.

The Kawaka-born man played a record 196 matches for Auckland between 1949 and 1963. It seems unlikely the record will be broken in the era of Super Rugby and off-shore contracts.

He played for the Fred Allen-coached side who won the Ranfurly Shield from Southland in 1960 and then defended it a record 25 times until 1963.

It was this Ranfurly Shield record that Alex Wyllie’s Canterbury side tried unsuccessfully to break in ‘‘the match of the century’’ against Auckland in 1985.

That Auckland side, coached by John Hart, went on to set a new record of 61 Ranfurly Shield defences.

White later served as president of the Auckland Rugby Union (1988 and 1989) and the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (1990).