June 22, 1993. Hawke’s Bay are running rampant against the British and Irish Lions. Ahead 19-17 after reversing a large halftime deficit the stage is set for Simon Tremain’s seminal moment in the black and white hoops.
“The Lions had a lineout close to our try line. The ball was lobbed to the back and palmed several times by multiple players attempting to win it. Eventually, the ball tumbled to ground and I was the first one to anticipate the bounce, grasping the ball against my chest and diving over the line for a try which ultimately won us the game. It was a pretty satisfying and emotional moment,” Tremain recalls.
It was a try that Tremain wasn’t supposed to score. In 1992, he was an established Wellington loose forward with no intention of returning home to Hawke’s Bay until tragedy struck in May that year.
“I had played 38 games for Wellington and loved my club Wests. I had studied at Otago University before I got a job with the Bank of New Zealand in the capital. It was only because of Dad’s death I returned home,” Tremain reflects.
Simon’s dad is legendary All Black flanker Kel Tremain. When Kel died suddenly aged 54, Simon was summoned back to Napier to assist with the family real estate business.
Simon was deeply immersed in Lions tradition. Kel played all four Tests in the 1966 series sweep and Simon was in the crowd, aged nine, at MacLean Park when the ’77 Lions narrowly pipped Hawke’s Bay 13-11. Murray Tocker, future President of Wellington rugby, converted one out of eight kicks in that game.
In 1966 the Magpies got even closer to toppling the Lions. Kel was captain in an 11-11 draw.
Despite never beating the tourists, Simon insists Hawke’s Bay was genuinely confident of victory on that gloriously fine Tuesday in 1993.
“We were pretty confident we could win. We had a talented side that had beaten Wellington and racked up some big scores early in the year. We gave Auckland a bit of a fright in a Ranfurly Shield challenge too,” Tremain explains.
Hawke’s Bay scored 31 points against Auckland stacked with 12 All Blacks and Fijian international Waisake Sotutu.
Pre-game optimism almost turned to sour pessimism at halftime. The Lions enjoyed a comfortable 17-5 lead at the interval. In the 12th minute, Bay hooker Norm Hewitt muscled over for a try, but the visitors controlled the tempo.
First-five Stuart Barnes, now a prominent television commentator, kicked three penalties while Welsh flanker Richard Webster scored a try and English centre Will Carling added a dropped goal.
“It was a scrappy first-half. We knew we had to score first in the second to have any chance. We were annoyed with the way we had played. We wanted to run it from everywhere. but lacked accuracy,” Tremain complains.
The helter-skelter strategy was conceived by coach Graeme Taylor. The former second-five who played 145 games for Counties and was later an assistant mentor of the Hurricanes was a loud advocate of expansive rugby.
“Graeme was a great attacking coach. He didn’t mind if you tried to run it out from you own goal-line. He didn’t mind if you turned down penalty kicks for quick taps. He believed you should play at pace and play what’s in front of you. It was a lot of fun to be involved with,” Tremain marvels.
“If you look at the game we were able to keep the ball moving and tire out their older, bigger forwards.”
If there was one breakout that changed the course of proceedings, it was an early burst by Hewitt in the second spell. He bumped off Tony Underwood in a movement which later led to fullback Jarrod Cunningham slotting a penalty.
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“Norm led from the front that day with a series of barnstorming runs. He was a great man to have, absolutely inspiring at his best,” Tremain says.
Hewitt played 91 games for Hawke’s Bay and debuted for the All Blacks on the UK tour later that season. The famous nickname ‘Stormin Norman’ was coined by the press after this game.
Marist’s Neil Weber made 49 appearances for his province. The halfback was diminutive in stature when contrasted against Hewitt, but no less effective with ball in hand. A short-side dart from a lineout caught the Lions napping and the hosts closed the gap to 17-13.
Cunningham scored 146 points in 1993, but he chose the worst day to be off target. Only one of his first seven kicks were a success which resulted in first-five Simon Kerr taking over the goal kicking duties.
“Simon was an unsung hero. He didn’t get the plaudits he deserved, but he was a fine player. He had a big boot, pace and composure,” Tremain recalls.
The New Zealand Universities pivot nailed a 40-metre penalty to make it to 17-16 before propelling the hosts ahead with a spectacular drop goal. From a scrappy lineout, Kerr retrieved a high pass behind his back from Weber, pivoted 180 degrees at rapid speed and sent the ball spiralling through the posts from 25 meters out.
Tremain’s try wasn’t pretty to watch, but it was rich reward for an outstanding loose forward effort and the knockout blow in a second-half which the Bay won 24-0.
“Not singling myself out, but I believe to win any game of rugby you need good flankers. Gordon Falcon and Dustin Watts were amazing that day. Gordon was unlucky not to become an All Black and Dustin was as tough as they come,” Tremain says.
Falcon played 71 games for Hawke’s Bay and emulated his father Ray by earning selection for the New Zealand Maori. Gordon’s son Tiaan Falcon is a recent New Zealand under-20s World Cup winning representative.
Watts played 51 games for Hawke’s Bay and has worked in high-level military and VIP security.
Leading by nine points, and with the result safe, Cunningham earlier heckled by grumpy spectators kicked the final penalty in the 29-17 triumph.
Cunningham ended his career as Hawke’s Bay’s record points scorer (998), but would tragically lose his life in 2007, the victim of motor neurone disease.
“Jarrod was a great guy, calm and professional. It was cruel how such a fit and healthy man could suffer so intolerably,” Tremain rues.
Tremain is trustee for the Jarrod Cunningham Youth Sports Trust which supports leading age group sports talent in the region.
Remarkably, Hawke’s Bay would lose their last seven matches of the 1993 season and be demoted to the second division of the National Provincial Championship. In 16 games, they outscored their opponents 63 tries to 46. Taylor ended his tenure as coach and presently manages a retirement village.
Only English front rowers Jason Leonard and Brian Moore backed up four days later for the second Test which the Lions won 20-7 at Athletic Park in Wellington. The All Blacks would win the deciding Test in Auckland by 30-13 and claim the series 2-1.
Hawke’s Bay could claim a large stake in Otago’s 37-24 victory over the tourists. John Timu, Andre Bell, Stu Forster, Jamie Joseph, Josh Kronfeld and Paul Cooke all played in that game and originally hailed from Hawke’s Bay. Cooke scored two tries, Timu got one and Bell kicked three conversions and a penalty.
Tremain remains active in real estate. In 1991, he was a founding member of the Harlequins club in Wellington which was the first year of the University and Wellington College Old Boys’ merger, an outfit that eventually became known as Old Boys’ University (OBU).
On June 3, 2017, the Lions commenced their 11th tour of New Zealand by beating a provincial Barbarians selection 13-7. On the same night, OBU celebrated their 25th anniversary with a special dinner. Simon attended with his nephew William Tremain who plays for the club and, like Simon, was a head prefect at Napier Boys High School, New Zealand Secondary Schools’ rugby representative and proud ‘Billygoat.’
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