Obituary: Alex Wyllie, rugby identity

One of New Zealand rugby’s quintessential hardmen, Alex "Grizz" Wyllie was an All Black loose forward who became a respected and winning coach. A Canterbury man through and through, Wyllie played initially for the northern club of Glenmark before making his representative debut in 1964. In all he played 210 times for the province and captained it many times — including, famously, the 1973 Ranfurly Shield loss to Marlborough. He became an All Black in 1970, playing two tests on that year’s tour to South Africa.

Wyllie played 40 times for New Zealand, including 11 tests, and captained his country on three occasions. Dropped as an All Black after 1973, Wyllie continued to play for Canterbury until 1979.

He then went on to coach the province to great success, holding the Ranfurly Shield for a then record three years and strongly challenging the then almost unbeatable Auckland. An assistant coach to Sir Brian Lochore for the All Blacks' World Cup victory in 1987, he was then elevated as the joint head coach alongside John Hart, an unhappy arrangement which ended with a semifinal loss at the 1991 World Cup. Wyllie later coached in England, Ireland, South Africa and Argentina, whose national side he steered to the quarterfinal of the 1999 World Cup. Wyllie died on March 22 aged 80. — APL/Agencies