The current All Black squad has nearly 1000 Test caps combined. That suggests it’s harder to get out of the Test team than in it.
In days gone by many All Blacks didn’t earn a Test cap, they were simply known as ‘dirt-trackers’.
Who are the best All Blacks to have never played a Test match? Here is my starting XV.
15. Mark Finlay
Finlay played two matches for the All Blacks in Fiji in 1984. Given the competition for the 15 jersey at the time included Kieran Crowley, Robbie Deans, Greg Cooper and John Gallagher that was no mean feat.
Finlay played 71 games for Manawatu and scored 511 points. He was a gifted attacker, accurate goal kicker and only 23 when he left New Zealand to play in Japan in 1986.
14. Stu Freebairn
Freebairn was one of the best wingers in New Zealand during the 1950s. He was noted for his ability to score long-range tries in an era of cautious play.
He scored a record 53 tries in 84 games for Manawatu, touring with the All Blacks in Britain and France in 1953-54 where he scored 10 tries in 14 games. Strangely he was never selected for the All Blacks again.
13. Jackie Blake
Blake was selected for the New Zealand Maori as a 19-year-old in 1921 when they played the Springboks. A midfielder of high quality, Blake played for the famous Hawke’s Bay team which defended the Ranfurly Shield a record 22 times between 1922 and 1927. Blake played in all games and scored 22 tries!
Hawke’s Bay had several All Blacks in their team, including the famous Brownlie brothers. Blake played for the All Blacks on the tours of Australia in 1925 and 1926. He appeared on each tour in the ‘Tests’ against the New South Wales Waratahs, games which have not been given full international status by the NZRFU, but have by Australia. He played 13 games for the All Blacks and scored five tries.
12. Mark Sayers
Veteran rugby journalist Lindsay Knight once wrote, “Sayers was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the best and most influential backs in the game.”
Sayers played 94 games for his province Wellington and toured with the All Blacks to Great Britain in 1972-73. ‘Twig’ played 15 games and scored four tries. He never played for the All Blacks again.
11. Tabby Wynyard
Wynyard was a brilliant all-round sportsman who represented both Auckland and Wellington at rugby, cricket and athletics, as well as being an accomplished golfer, oarsman, cyclist and billiards player. His reputation as a top-class rugby player was established on the 1888-89 Natives’ tour of New Zealand, Britain and Australia.
Wynyard played in 75 of the 107 tour matches and with 86 points (including 36 tries) was one of the leading point’s scorers. He played seven matches for the All Blacks in Australia in 1893 and scored four tires. His nephew, Jim, was an All Black in 1935.
10. Len Wilson
In 1951 the All Blacks toured Australia and won all 12 games, including a 3-0 sweep of the Wallabies. Wilson was the reserve first-five.
He played seven impressive games and scored four tries. In 1952 he captained Southland to 24-9 win over Australia. Despite being a regular for his province and the South Island he never played for the All Blacks again.
9. Lyn Colling
Some critics considered Lyn Colling to have a superior pass to the great Sid Going. It’s unlucky then that Colling, who appeared in 7 All Blacks trials and 21 games for his country – including the famous Barbarians match in 1973 – never gained a Test cap.
After playing on the All Blacks’ 1972 internal tour he was selected for the 1972/73 tour of the British Isles. He also played in the Scottish RFU centenary matches and on the 1973 internal tour.
Colling later became a successful coach and his niece Belinda represented New Zealand in netball and basketball.
8. Bevan Holmes
Holmes holds the record for most All Black games without a Test. The athletic loose forward played 31 times for the All Blacks and scored 11 tries. Holmes went on four tours with the All Blacks, to South Africa in 1970, on the internal tour in 1972, then to Britain and France later that year and in 1973 on the short internal tour. Holmes played in the match where the New Zealand Juniors infamously beat the All Blacks.
Holmes, a schoolteacher by trade, struggled with injures. He was restricted to eight games on the 1970 tour of South Africa and broke his leg in 1974 when he appeared likely to make his Test debut.
Holmes played 90 matches over 11 years for North Auckland. He won the Ranfurly Shield twice and captained the New Zealand Juniors in 1969.
7. Tom Ellison
Ellison was a forward in an era where positions were not defined like they are today. His status as a New Zealand rugby legend though is unquestioned. He was the first official captain of a New Zealand team when they toured Australia in 1893. Ellison, 36 at the time, played seven games.
This was not his first taste of international rugby. He was a member of the New Zealand Natives side in 1888-89. Ellison finished the tour as the team’s second-highest point’s scorer with 113 points, including 43 tries.
In his whole career he played 117 matches (68 of them first-class games) and scored 160 points, including 51 tries. Ellison was the pproposer, at the first General Meeting of the N.Z. Rugby Union, that the playing colours of the union should be black with a silver fern.
6. Kevin Barry
A versatile loose forward who also covered lock, Barry made three tours with the All Blacks: Australia in 1962 and 1964, and Great Britain in 1963-64. Barry played 23 games for the All Blacks and was never on the losing team, scoring eight tries.
He never played a Test match because his main competition in was from Waka Nathan, Kel Tremain and Brian Lochore, three greats of the game.
5. Ian Eliason
Eliason made his debut for Taranaki in 1964 aged only 19, and continued playing for the union until 1981, notching up a record 222 games for the famous province.
At 190 centimetres and 101 kiograms, ‘Legs’ was big for his time. He was an adept winner of lineout ball and a mobile ball carrier.
Eliason made two All Black tours: the internal tour of 1972 and the tour to Britain and France the same year. He played 19 games for the All Blacks, winning 16 times and scoring eight tries.
4. Keith Bagley
Bagley made his first-class debut a year out of school in 1948. By 1953 he was a dominant figure in the Manawatu pack, winning much line-out ball and impressing with his tight play, despite lacking support. Following fine displays during the All Black trials the young fencing contractor was off to Britain at the end of the season.
He played in 20 of the 36 games and although he was one of the most improved players on tour, he could not displace Tiny White or Nelson Dalzell from the Test team. Bagley only played a handful of first-class matches after the of the 1953-54 tour.
3. Con Barrell
Barrell was a warrior of a prop. He played 223 first class games and won three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders. He earned All Black selection for the first time in 1996, playing two games on the successful South African tour.
In 1997 Barrell was selected for the British tour and played another two games. He was unlucky not to start a Test after outplaying Craig Dowd during the NPC semi-final, where Canterbury ended Auckland’s run of four consecutive titles.
2. James Burrows
Burrows played first XV secondary school rugby at Christchurch Boys’ High School in 1920 with five future All Blacks. Not surprisingly that team won all 14 games and scored 584 points!
He was selected for the All Blacks tour of South Africa in 1928. He made his debut against Griqualand West at Kimberley and scored two tries in the 16-3 victory against Eastern Province. In 1930, after playing for Canterbury in their win against Great Britain, Burrows retired from all rugby after nine matches for the All Blacks. He was the victim of a persistent leg injury. His services were not lost to New Zealand rugby however, serving as an All Black selector in 1936 and 1937.
Burrows played first-class cricket and served in the military with great distinction being awarded the DSO in 1942, a bar in 1944 and the Order of Valour in Greece. In 1954 he commanded the New Zealand K Force during the Korean War and was honoured with the CBE in 1959.
1. Lindsay Clark
Clark started his career as a loose forward before switching to prop. Despite three of his Otago contemporaries, Keith Murdoch, Jeff Matheson and Paul Sapsford being All Blacks, Clark at the time of his retirement had played a record 143 games for his province.
Clark played seven games for the All Blacks on the 1972-73 tour of Britain, ironically replacing Keith Murdoch, who was sent home in disgrace after the Welsh Test. Murdoch, while celebrating the All Blacks’ narrow victory, assaulted hotel staff.
Sources: All Blacks.com, New Zealand Rugby Encyclopaedia.
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