Martin Crowe's plans to return to first class cricket remind us that there's one thing the sporting world loves even more than the underdog - it's the comeback king. Just ask a certain Brian Lochore.
It was 40 years ago that All Black great Brian Lochore swapped his farm
boots for his rugby boots and got back on the field to do battle for his country. It was done differently, back then.
These days, former cricket captain Martin Crowe uses Twitter to drop his bombshell, announcing on the social networking site he is in training for a comeback.
But in Lochore's day, it was not so easy to spread the word. The former All Black captain left wife Pam a handwritten note to let her know he was heading back into the international rugby arena.
The plea for Lochore to rejoin the team in 1971, a year after he retired, came from desperate selectors at a Friday lunchtime.
Pam was out and Lochore could not get hold of her by phone so he wrote a note and made a dash for the train to take him from the Wairarapa to Wellington in time for the match against the Lions the following day.
"She was a bit surprised," said Lochore.
The former No8 said his comeback was very different from 48-year-old Crowe's ambitious bid to return to international sport. Lochore was 31, playing club rugby at the time and still match fit, having played against the Lions for Wairarapa Bush.
Now aged 70, Lochore still leads an active life farming cattle and sheep at his property near Masterton. He refused to rate Crowe's chances of getting back to the stumps.
"He's been out of the game for a long time. He's not a young man but he knows his body. It's for him to comment not me."
Lochore said it was a difficult time that led to his return to test rugby. The 1971 All Black team was hit by injury and, despite feeling like he had done his dash after playing 68 All Black games, 46 as captain, it was a matter of national loyalty that got Lochore back on the field.
"If I thought no one in the world knew I'd been asked I probably never would have played," he admits. "I didn't want to let my country down."
So it was off with the farm boots and on with the rugby sprigs - but only for one more game. Sadly, the result reflected the trouble the team was in.
The Lions walked away with a victory, 13 to 3.
New Zealand All Black Brian Lochore on his farm. Photo / Peter Bush
Martin Crowe's plans to return to first class cricket remind us that there's one thing the sporting world loves even more than the underdog - it's the comeback king. Just ask a certain Brian Lochore.
It was 40 years ago that All Black great Brian Lochore swapped his farm
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