After being on the fringe of All Black honours for several seasons towards and after the end of World War II Des Christian finally secured a place for the 1949 tour of South Africa. This was fair reward for the honesty of effort and versatility Christian had shown since his debut for Auckland as a 19-year old in 1943.

Christian, close to 6ft (1.83m) and around 14st (89kg) and capable of playing either at prop or No 8, was soon identified as a top prospect. He made two appearances for a New Zealand XV against Services teams in each of the 1944 and 1945 seasons and in 1944 had the first of his five matches for the North Island.

He was in All Black trials firstly in 1947 and after missing out on the tour to Australia that year made the side for South Africa after the 1948 trials.

In South Africa Christian had a solid, if unspectacular, tour. His utility qualities proved to be his best value and his 11 matches were as a prop on either the tighthead or loosehead, No 8 and when Has Catley was injured in the early part of the tour in two games as a hooker.

An excellent performance against Border late in the tour at No 8 won him selection for the fourth test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth, which proved to be his only international cap.

In 1950 Christian captained Auckland against the touring British Lions, played in the All Black trials and for the North Island. But he missed All Black selection and at the end of the season, having reached 50 matches for his province, he retired.

But Christian, who for all his career had been a staunch member of Auckland's Otahuhu club, was not lost to the game. He turned to coaching and administration and after his transfer to Levin to become a hotelier coached and selected the Horowhenua representative team.

He served on the North Island selection panel from 1963 to 1969 and with his friend and old Auckland and All Black team-mate Fred Allen was a national selector for three seasons between 1964 and 1966.

Christian's nickname was "Stuffy," which was the exact opposite of his cheerful, amiable personality.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Desmond Lawrence Christian

BORN

Sunday, 9 September 1923 in Auckland

DIED

Tuesday, 30 August 1977 in Auckland

PHYSICAL

1.83m, 89kg

POSITION

Number 8 and Prop

LAST SCHOOL

Unknown

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Otahuhu

PROVINCE

Auckland

RUGBY NICKNAME

Stuffy

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Wednesday, 8 June 1949
v South-Western Districts at Oudtshoorn
aged 25 years, 272 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 17 September 1949
v South Africa at Port Elizabeth
aged 26 years, 8 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 17 September 1949
v South Africa at Port Elizabeth
aged 26 years, 8 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

1 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

10 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

11 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK NUMBER

497

The All Black Games that Christian played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1949

 8 Jun vs South-Western Districts at Oudtshoorn 21-3  

 11 Jun vs Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth 6-3  

 18 Jun vs Natal at Durban 8-0  

 22 Jun vs Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom 19-3  

 29 Jun vs Orange Free State at Kroonstad 9-9  

 23 Jul vs Transvaal at Johannesburg 13-3  

 30 Jul vs Rhodesia at Salisbury 3-3  

 17 Aug vs Northern Universities at Pretoria 17-3  

 24 Aug vs North-Eastern Districts at Aliwal North 28-3  

 10 Sep vs Border at East London 6-6  

 17 Sep vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth 8-11  

Christian did not score any points for the All Blacks.

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

South Africa

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Totals

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0