Bruce Robertson: Never a Magpie, still a Hawke’s Bay rugby legend

Bruce Robertson. Photo / Photosport

Legendary All Blacks centre Bruce Robertson, who died on Friday at 71, was one of the most famed Hawke’s Bay All Blacks never to have played for the Magpies.

Robertson was born in Hastings on April 9, 1952, went to Mahora Primary School and then Heretaunga Intermediate, in 1964 and 1965, playing Ross Shield rugby for Hastings and in both years winning selection in the Hawke’s Bay Schoolboys team.

At Hastings Boys’ High School he was in the First XV in 1968 and 1969, a try-scoring centre who also kicked goals, including a penalty and a conversion as Hastings were beaten 9-8 by Napier Boys’ High School in the school’s annual match in his second and last year in the team.

It was in that year that he also played in the Hawke’s Bay Saracens Colts team, on the verge of the Magpies team in what was the last season of the 1966-1969 Ranfurly Shield era, with still-deep riches in the centres, with Ian MacRae and Bill Davis already established All Blacks, and Mick Duncan on a rise which made him an All Black in 1971.

Bruce Robertson as a rugby trainer for Northland in 2017. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Robertson left Hawke’s Bay to go to teachers’ college at Ardmore, immediately gaining the attention of Counties selectors in a development grades team in 1970.

He made his debut at first-class level at second five-eighths for Counties in 1971, and three months later played at centre for the North Island in the annual inter-island match, despite not having played in the trials.

The New Zealand Rugby Almanack named him one of the five most promising players in New Zealand and he made his debut for the All Blacks against the touring Wallabies in August 1972, aged just 20.

Including the 1976 tour of South Africa and the Grand Slam tour of the UK two years later, when the All Blacks had a clean sweep of wins over the home nations, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales for the first time, he played 34 test matches.

He retired from international rugby after a home test against Scotland in 1981, when he made himself unavailable for the ensuing tests in the tumultuous Springboks tour, retiring from inter-provincial rugby the following season after playing 135 matches for Counties (now Counties Manukau).

He was back in Hawke’s Bay in 2017 as one of the first inductees on Hastings Boys’ High School’s Wall of Fame, along with Hillary Everest mission member George Lowe (posthumously), and businessmen Sir Selwyn Cushing and Craig Hickson.