Tales of young Buck and rugged tests regale crowd

Wayne Shelford, All Blacks legend, told of old-style brawls on the field and on buses when he spoke to the crowd at the RSA last night after the Hastings Pro-Am Tournament. Photo / Duncan Brown

Wayne "Buck" Shelford is calling for a commitment to youth development to ensure the future of rugby in New Zealand.

The former All Blacks captain is now devoting his time to coaching the younger brigade.

"The best coaches should be coaching the lower grades, the youth need the most nurturing," he said.

Shelford spoke at the RSA last night, following the Hastings Pro-Am Golf Tournament.

The crowd of about 60 were treated to tales from his playing career, including backseat bus brawls and a young Buck visiting Buckingham Palace.

He declared Zinzan Brooke to be the most competitive man he had met.

"Not just on the field but off it, he was always looking for competition," Shelford said.

Shelford spoke of the major differences between today's game and the amateur era back in his day.

"When we played the Battle of Nantes, the French boys were certainly on more than orange juice.

"Playing in France you had to have eyes in the back of your head," Shelford said.

He was knocked unconscious for a full three minutes during the match before being told to play on by Jock Hobbs.

These days, he is enjoying coaching under-19 players.

Shelford led the All Blacks during one of their great periods of domination, going unbeaten from 1987 to 1990, with only a drawn test against Australia in 1988 to mar the perfect record

He is known as one of the toughest All Blacks to don the jersey, having famously had his scrotum torn open against the French in 1986.

He is also credited with turning the All Blacks haka from an embarrassment to a phenomenon.

His legacy is still evident today with "Bring back Buck" signs making sporadic appearances at All Blacks test matches.

Buck by the numbers
•All Black number 860.
•Test debut November 8
•1986 v France at Toulouse.
•Represented the All Blacks in 22 test matches, scoring 20 points.
•Played 48 games in all for the All Blacks.
•Captained the All Blacks 31 times.
•Scored 22 tries for NZ.