Rangitane Will ‘Tane’ Norton, one of New Zealand Rugby’s greatest servants, passed away in Christchurch at the age
of 81.
In his final season of Test rugby, Norton captained the All Blacks to a 3-1 series victory over the British & Irish Lions
in 1977. He made his first-class debut in 1961, playing three games for Mid Canterbury out of the Methven club.
Before he faced the British & Irish Lions in 1971, he would have to wait a another decade to make his All Blacks
debut. That came about following his relocation to Christchurch and his involvement with the Linwood Club. He
played three games in his debut for Canterbury in 1969. In 1970, he played 13 more games and participated in an All
Blacks trial.
Following the tour, the All Blacks underwent a rejuvenation.
After the 1971 Lions tour, New Zealand’s scrumping was completely revamped throughout his career.
They had underestimated the Englishmen in the forward positions, according to Norton in Behind the Silver Fern.
“We connected them to a few of those glitzy London clubs. Not until we traveled there and performed for them in
Workington in 1972. That’s a another kettle of fish, though. They derived a lot of their power from those individuals
in the northern area because they were tough.
In an effort to make the scrum better, JJ Stewart put it through its paces as coach when he came over in 1973.
The British were excellent at scrummaging, so we were attempting to get better at it, according to Norton. We would
alter our grips, bindings, and other techniques, but the most of it was mental. JJ was adamant that we would do it
correctly even though we hadn’t given it enough thought.
They were no more strong than we were, but we discovered that in order to succeed, we needed to put in a lot of
effort over time and ensure that everyone was working at scrum time—no loose ends hanging around. Getting your
own ball was a hooker’s main responsibility; getting one of theirs was more luck-based.”
He led the All Blacks to victory in the series as a capstone to his Test career.
“[Prop] John McEldowney needed to go because he had a crook back. I found nothing wrong with what we
accomplished. It would still function if I tried it again tomorrow. I could not have put [No8] Lawrie Knight in front
row against Fran Cotton after McEldowney went off and we had to wait for two or three scrums. At the time, I was
participating in rugby spinal injuries, so there was no way out. We managed to score three goals despite the foolish
people scoring eight against us, and we still won the ball. It disappeared as soon as you connected it.The New
Zealand public found it embarrassing that the All Blacks were degraded in such a manner.
Throughout his international career, he maintained a close relationship with Māori rugby, representing the Māori All
Blacks 26 times and Southern Māori seven times in the annual inter-island game. The Tom French Cup, which was
given to the Māori Player of the Year in 1973 and 1974, was given to him.
Before retiring from Canterbury in 1977, he participated in 89 games with them.
Following his playing career, Norton was involved in administration and received life memberships in both the
Canterbury Union and the Linwood Club. In 2003–04, he served as President of New Zealand Rugby; in 2008, he
was awarded the Steinlager Silver Salver for his exceptional contributions to rugby. As a result of his rugby service,
he was granted membership in the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2006.
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