School celebrates its 50 All Blacks

Grant Fox (left), Sir Wilson Whineray and John Mills are among the 50 All Blacks produced by Auckland Grammar. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

All Black legend Gary Whetton is adamant his Auckland Grammar School 1st XV would have defeated any high school rugby team from any era.

But superboot Grant Fox disagreed: "[My Grammar team] would've beaten them easily. His team didn't even win the championship."

The friendly competition was one of the talking points at Auckland's SkyCity last night, as 1000 guests gathered to celebrate a unique feat: the school's first 50 All Blacks, dating from 1893 to present All Black Doug Howlett.

Among the 24 former All Blacks to attend, fullback Matthew Ridge, centre Jeremy Stanley and prop John Drake all maintained their Grammar 1st XVs were the best. "We would've beaten you," said Stanley.

"You might have come close," Drake replied.

But Whetton said his Grammar team would have conquered all, Fox's team included. "We knew what made Fox tick, so we would've attacked that and he would've crumbled. We were far superior."

He quipped that his team were responsible for everything Fox ever achieved on the rugby field.

"Our team took Fox to Fiji when he was a little fourth former. We had to put him to bed every night with his teddy bear. We taught him how to play rugby."

Sir Wilson Whineray preferred to stay out of the debate and marvel at the occasion: "We're just all delighted to be part of a unique club of rugby players."

The event hoped to raise $200,000 towards a new $1 million sports pavilion; the school has doubled in size since the old one was built.

The sell-out crowd forked out $250 per head for the dinner and evening, which included an auction of 15 autographed portraits featuring the Grammar 50 alongside a specially-made rugby jersey of half-All Blacks and half-Grammar colours.

Grammar headmaster John Morris said: "It's magnificent. I don't think there's a school in the world that could say it's produced 50 All Blacks, or any international sportsmen like this."

He said it was the school's heritage, proud tradition and commitment to excellence - rather than something in the water - that inspired the Grammar schoolboys into the black jersey.

And, just for the record, Mr Morris, a former New Zealand soccer goalkeeper, and his predecessor at Grammar, John Graham - a former All Black captain (New Plymouth Boys High) - both agreed the 1980 1st XV, which had present national coach Graham Henry at the helm and Fox in the pivot, was the greatest.