Buck Shelford tribute

Wayne 'Buck' Shelford was one of the greatest No.8's and hardest men to ever play rugby. A truly great All Black and formidible presence during one of the stellar periods of All Black rugby.

If ever there was one moment when New Zealand’s Shelford embedded his name forever into rugby's rich history, it was during the infamous “Battle of Nantes” in 1986.

Playing only his second Test for the All Blacks against a physically intimidating French side, Shelford found himself at the bottom of a rather aggressive ruck on 20 minutes.

An errant Les Bleus stud found its way to his groin, where it somehow managed to tear his scrotum, leaving one testicle hanging out.

This alone would leave most men screaming in agony and heading for the nearest hospital. But not Shelford. He calmly instructed the physio to stitch him up.

The French public were gobsmacked as an over-eager pitchside cameraman filmed the stomach-turning surgery, and even more so when Shelford returned to the field and carried on playing...

"I was knocked out cold, lost a few teeth and had a few stitches down below," Shelford later recalled. "It's a game I still can't remember... I don't really want to, either."

Sadly the recent news has come through that the now 49 year old legend has been diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of cancer which affects white blood cells.

"We found out a month ago and he has five more months of treatment," his wife Jo told the Sunday Star Times newspaper in New Zealand.

"We are very positive and pleased with how the treatment is going but it has been a traumatic time for the family."

We wish him and his family all the best. Enjoy this great tribute to a true All Black legend.

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Jerry Collins charges into Tony Woodcock

You really don't want to get in this guys path when he's on the run. Tony Woodcock learnt that the hard way, thanks to Danie Rossouw and the fact that he was lingering aimlessly.

Butch James takes a long dropout that is taken by the All Black halfback Kelleher. He flips it to big Jerry who lines up the first thing he sees, which is Schalk Burger by the look of things... until Tony Woodcock (his own loose-head) is shoved into his running line by Springbok flanker Rossouw.

While this looks like dirty play, and it may well be, Rossouw was actually blocked from getting to Collins by Woodcock, albeit unintentional or not. The shove at the end was probably a little unnecessary though.

All in all, a massive collision, especially when seen live in real time.

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Ma'a Nonu spear tackle on Darcy

Ma'a Nonu somehow escaped further punishment after this tackle on Gordon Darcy in 2005. The commitee ruled that the refs penalty and the subsequent chat was enough.

Nonu was booed by Irish fans still incensed at the incident during the Lions tour of New Zealand this year when their captain Brian O'Driscoll was hit by a double tackle in the opening minute of the first test.

Both coaches condemned Nonu's tackle after the game.

"We don't want those sorts of things happening in the game," said All Blacks coach Graham Henry. "I know they're not done deliberately but we need to try and make sure they don't happen."

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan said D'Arcy had been turned upside down.

"It's not safe to do that to anybody," he said. "It's not a pretty sight and a bit scary to see."

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All Blacks vs France - Auckland

New Zealand scored five tries to beat France in what was an average performance from the hosts with Les Bleus showing plenty of courage throughout the match at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.

The All Blacks were far from perfect, and will be hoping for a better performance against the French this weekend in Wellington.

That said, a win is a win, and the final score of 42-11 is satisfactory. The highlights of the match in my mind being the memorable haka and of course that textbook tackle by Chabal.


Time: 04:16

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Kapa O Pango vs France 2007

An awesome rendition of the All Blacks 'new' Haka, the Kapa O Pango, brilliantly led by halfback Piri Weepu.

Checkout Sebastien Chabals face throughout. Virtually licking his lips like an animal waiting to be unleashed.

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Classic Punch ups From the Past - Buck Shelford vs Huw Richards

Buck Shelford was renound for being an All Black hardman. In 1987 when the All Blacks played Wales at Ballymore in the World Cup Semi-Final, the result was 49-6 but was remembered more for Shelford flooring Welsh lock Huw Richards late in the match.

When Shelford spied Richards and Gary Whetton having a skirmish – the latter alleged the Welshman grabbed his wedding tackle in a maul – he decided to put an end to their frolicking and felled Richards with a well placed blow to the head.

Though Shelford was also belted by a Welsh player, he remained on his feet and on the field. Richards was not so lucky. After a brief visit to la la land, he woke up to discover referee Kerry Fitzgerald had sent him off for provoking the incident.

Remarkably, Shelford escaped censure by the officials and played a major role in the All Blacks winning the final the following weekend.

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