A profile of Stuart by Lindsay Knight for the New Zealand Rugby Museum noted that he had battled in New Zealand provincial rugby for more than a decade when he was “surprisingly chosen” for the All Blacks tour of France at the end of the 1977 season.
“Though mostly a lock in his long career, Stuart could played usefully as a prop and this versatility was a factor in his gaining on that tour his one test cap.
“To cover lock and prop he was named in the reserves for the first test against France in Toulouse and when Gary Knight was forced from the field, blinded by an eye gouge by his opposing prop Gerard Cholley, Stuart took his place.”
On his one All Blacks tour, Stuart played six matches in all and in his last game in the jersey, against a French Selection at Angouleme scored a try.
“Besides his test cap there were two other highlights for Stuart on this tour: when the team captain Graham Mourie was spelled for the matches against the Selection XVs at Perpignan and Angouleme, Stuart was made the All Black[s] captain for each game.”
Between 1967 and 1971, Stuart played only 18 times for the Bay and it was not until 1972 that he began to be a regular selection, given the high quality of the Hawke’s Bay sides of that era.
But once established, his leadership qualities were quickly recognised.
In 2018, Stuart’s services to sport were recognised when he was inducted into Central Hawke’s Bay Sport’s Hall of Fame.
