No 91: North Otago beats Australia (1962)
North Otago beats Australia.
North Otago beats Australia.
Say that line a couple of times and try to grasp the impact of the words.
Well, it happened. On September 4, 1962, at the Oamaru Showgrounds, little North Otago beat the touring Australian rugby team 14-13.
And it was no weak second-string side, either. The Wallabies had been smashing provincial sides on the tour, and in Oamaru fielded six of the eight forwards who would only be beaten 3-0 by the All Blacks in the second test at Carisbrook four days later.
It was a great North Otago side, under the astute coaching of Ken McLeod and the captaincy of rugged No 8 Neville McNee.
The backs featured scorching winger Ian Coe, sound five-eighths Tom Conlan and Bill Pile, and livewire halfback Ken McGregor. But the stars of the day were the "furiously bustling and fiery forwards", according to the Otago Daily Times match report.
McNee inspired a pack that also featured tireless flankers Ian Edmondston and Doug Grant, ball-winning locks Len Familton and Bob Barber, and gutsy front-rowers Brian Lewis, Bill Simpson and Dave Finlay.
Australia took a 5-0 lead but North Otago kicked two penalties and then Coe scored a superb individual try. The tourists were holding on to a 13-9 lead late in the game when the North Otago forwards won possession 5m from the line.
Quick ball got out to Pile, who sidestepped one defender and hurled himself over the line while being tackled by two others. He later recalled the victory.
"The North Otago team excelled on the day and killed every phase of play the Australians tried to put at us, by tackling them," he said.
"It was through our defence we won. We all saved the day."
North Otago would later claim wins over Japan and Tonga, and beat Otago four times in the space of a decade. And in the 21st century, the tiny union would become a symbol of excellence with three national provincial titles.
Hard to top that win over Australia, though.
