Eden Park statue fails to score with rugby greats

Artist Natalie Stamilla with her model of Michael Jones. The cardboard cut-out to the left is to indicate scale. Photo / Greg Bowker

Members of the public love the idea of a giant sculpture of Michael Jones diving across the tryline being commissioned at Eden Park for next year's World Cup - but All Black greats are not as convinced.

Sporting legends are not opposed to the sculpture, but there are concerns about whether it is fair to acknowledge only one of the two sporting codes that play at Eden Park and to single out just one of many great players.

Former All Black Buck Shelford said he had no problems with the famous moment in time - which was captured on camera during the 1987 first World Cup in New Zealand - being turned into a bronze sculpture.

But he was conscious that Eden Park had been around for a "long long time" and Jones' try wasn't the only memorable moment there.

"There's been a lot of famous rugby players play on that field, so how far do you go back? Do you only go back to the first World Cup?

"Do you go back to the time of some of our famous Auckland rugby players, back to Snow White's era?"

Shelford said Eden Park was a rugby and cricket stadium so it might be unfair to have only a rugby sculpture.

"Where do you draw the line? How many do you put up? If that field is still there in 20, 30 years' time are they going to put up more?"

The Eden Park Trust Board is yet to make a decision on whether it even wants the sculpture, which is being proposed by artist Natalie Stamilla, whose father Geoff Dale captured the image of Jones diving across the tryline.

Shelford said he wasn't sure the trust would give it the go-ahead given there hadn't been any other acknowledgment of sporting legends at the stadium. "When they won't name their stands after any rugby players then why would they put up a bronze statue?"

His views were echoed by another former All Black who also played in the 1987 game the sculpture is based on, but didn't want to be identified.

"From an Eden Park point of view there's a lot of history, a lot of people who played at Eden Park.

"If you do Michael Jones why don't you do Merv Wallace or why don't you do Snow White - great people from cricket and rugby from our past.

"It's got symbolism for the World Cup but is it necessarily the right thing for Eden Park to do on a longer term basis?"

Most of the readers who contacted the Herald about the sculpture were in favour of it, with comments such as "I like the sculpture! Think it's a great idea and the Eden Park committee should hurry up and fund it."

Trust spokeswoman Tracy Morgan said the board had not had any feedback about the sculpture.

A decision on any additional structures for the redeveloped stadium would be made before the end of the year.