Jeff Wilson was a sporting gift to New Zealand who played international cricket and rugby as a teenager and then starred in his biggest test at the forefront of the establishment's battle with WRC to control the professional game.
The All Black jersey stood for everything Wilson admired and he did not want to ditch all that tradition for barrow loads of money promised by an unproven competitor.
His career spanned nearly eight years with some time at fullback but the bulk of it on the wing. His try-scoring strike rate was high with his best work coming through the 95-98 period when his breadth of play proved a menace for any opponent.
He first tripped off to Europe with the All Blacks in 1993 and soon had the Goldie nickname. The kid had talent, masses of it but he was living in a rarified atmosphere. He rose even higher with three tries and a sideline conversion on his All Blacks debut. What couldn't the southern boy do?
Injuries placed him behind the kicking tee for the next test at Twickenham but his radar went on the blink. The All Blacks lost, Wilson was distressed, his sporting world had cracked.
