1978 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland

1978 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland
Manager	Russell Thomas
Tour captain(s)	Graham Mourie
Summary	P W D L
Total	18 17 0 1
Test match	4 4 0 0
Opponent	P W D L
Ireland	1 1 0 0
Wales	1 1 0 0
England	1 1 0 0
Scotland	1 1 0 0

In 1978 the New Zealand national rugby union team, the All Blacks, toured Britain and Ireland. They were the eighth All Black team to undertake a full tour of the countries and became the first to achieve a Grand Slam in beating the national teams of Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland. The previous seven touring parties had either lost or drawn at least one international, or had not played all four nations.

The tourists played eighteen matches, winning seventeen and losing one. Their sole defeat was by Munster at Thomond Park, Limerick. This was the first time that an All Black team had been beaten in Ireland and it remained the All Blacks' only defeat by any Irish team until they lost to the Ireland national team in 2016. The Munster victory inspired a subsequent stage play, Alone it Stands.

Although the All Blacks won their four internationals, three of the matches remained undecided until close to the end. The match against Ireland was level 6–6 at the end of normal time and was settled by Andy Dalton's try in injury time. Against Wales, a 78th-minute penalty goal by replacement full-back Brian McKechnie turned a 12–10 deficit into a 13–12 win. In the Scotland game the All Blacks led 12–9 going into injury time and a drop goal attempt by Ian McGeechan, which would have tied the scores if successful, was charged down and led to a breakaway try for New Zealand by Bruce Robertson.

Matches

Scores and results list New Zealand's points tally first.

Test matches

Ireland

4 November 1978

Ireland	6–10	New Zealand
(6 – 2pg) Ward		(6 – 2dg) Bruce (4 – 1t) Dalton

Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Clive Norling (WRU)

The All Blacks opened the scoring with a dropped goal by Bruce, with Ward's penalty making the score 3–3 at half-time. Bruce put the visitors ahead again with a further dropped goal before Ward levelled again with another penalty. The score remained at 6–6 as the game went into injury time but an unconverted try by Dalton after Donaldson's break from a line-out gave New Zealand a 10–6 victory. Rothmans Yearbook called it a "tense, if unspectacular, struggle in perfect playing conditions" and asserted that the All Blacks "deserved their narrow victory" after winning 31 of the 40 line-outs in the game.^[1]

NEW ZEALAND: Clive Currie, Stu Wilson, Bill Osborne, Mark Taylor, Brian Ford (rep Bryan Williams), Doug Bruce, Mark Donaldson, Billy Bush, Andy Dalton, Brad Johnstone, Andy Haden, Frank Oliver, Graham Mourie (c), Leicester Rutledge, Gary Seear.

IRELAND: Lawrence Moloney, Terry Kennedy, Mike Gibson, Alistair McKibbin, Freddie McLennan, Tony Ward, Colin Patterson, Ned Byrne, Pa Whelan, Phil Orr, Moss Keane, Donal Spring, Fergus Slattery, Shay Deering (c), Willie Duggan

Touring party

• Manager: Russell Thomas
• Assistant Manager: Jack Gleeson
• Captain: Graham Mourie
• Physiotherapist: Brian McKenzie

Full back

Clive Currie, Brian McKechnie, Richard Wilson

Three-quarters

Stu Wilson, Robert Kururangi, Brian Ford, Bryan Williams, Bruce Robertson, Lyn Jaffray, Mark Taylor, Bill Osborne

Half-backs

Doug Bruce, Eddie Dunn, Dave Loveridge, Mark Donaldson

Forwards

Brad Johnstone, John Ashworth, John McEldowney, Gary Knight, Andy Dalton, John Black, Billy Bush, John Fleming, John Loveday, Andy Haden, Frank Oliver, Barry Ashworth, Leicester Rutledge, Graham Mourie, Wayne Graham, Gary Seear, Ash McGregor

References

Sources

• Vivian Jenkins, ed. (1980). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1979–80. Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0354090879. 

External links

• 1978 Tour in Details

Rugby union tours of Wales
Argentina	1976 (no test) 1978 (no test) 1998 2001
Australia	1908-09 1927-28 (Waratahs) 1947-48 1957-58 1966-67 1973 1975-76 1981-82 1984 1992 1996 2001 2005 2006 2008 2009 2013
New Zealand	1905 1924-25 1935-36 1953-54 1963-64 1967 1972-73 1974 (no test) 1978 1980 1989 1997 1998 2000 ("A" team) 2002 2004 2005 2006 2008
NZ Maori	1888-89 (NZ Natives) 1926-27 1982
South Africa	1906-07 1912-13 1931-32 1951-52 1960-61 1969-70 1994 1996 2000 2004 2005 2007 2008
Romania	1979 2002
Fiji	1964 1985 1995 2002 2005
Samoa	1988 1996 (no test) 2000
Tonga	1997 2001
Pacific Islanders	2006
Japan	1973 (no test) 1976 (no test) 1983 (no test) 1993 2004
Canada	1979 (no test) 1999 2002 2008
United States	1987 1997 1999 (no test) 2000