Brian Ford's main claim to rugby fame came not so much from his exploits for the All Blacks but for the starring role he had in Marlborough's short but momentous Ranfurly Shield reign in the 1973-74 seasons. A swift and strong running wing, Ford was one of the heroes of Marlborough's 13-6 shock defeat of Canterbury in 1973. In what it is agreed was the biggest upset in shield history Ford beat the redoubtable defence of Fergie McCormick to score, after a long run, Marlborough's match winning try.

A successful sprinter with plenty of size at 1.83m and around 90kg, Ford gained a number of placings at national track and field championships, running ironically as a representative of the Canterbury athletics centre. From the township of Kaikoura halfway between Christchurch and Blenheim, Ford had his first taste of provincial rugby for Canterbury, playing eight matches in the 1970-71 seasons.

But in 1972, following Kaikoura leaving the then Canterbury subunion of Hurunui to affiliate with Marlborough, he began a long association with that union. Between 1972 and 1983 Ford played in 145 matches for Marlborough and when his career ended he had a tally of 109 first class tries, most of which were scored for Marlborough.

Even before his sensational shield try in 1973 Ford had emerged as a national prospect. In 1972 he was in the South Island side and up until the 1981 season he played in nine interisland games. He was also in the New Zealand Colts in 1972 but handling problems in a match against Taranaki perhaps contributed to a reluctance to give him All Black honours.

Though he appeared in many trials from 1972 on it was not until 1977 that he finally achieved his All Black jersey. He was overlooked for at least four All Black tours for which he seemed a strong contender: both of those in 1974 (to Australia and then to Ireland) and both in 1976 (to South Africa and by a second selection to Argentina).

By 1977, particularly from the specialised coaching he received in Marlborough from former test wing Ralph Caulton, Ford had improved his handling and after playing for a combined Marlborough-Nelson Bays selection against the touring British Lions was included in the All Blacks for the third and fourth tests.

Ford toured France at the end of the 1977, scoring four tries in six matches but failing to make the playing XV for the two tests. He was again an All Black the following year on the Grand Slam tour of Britain but after making the test side against Ireland at the expense of Bryan Williams was injured and played in only one of the remaining 13 matches.

In 1979 he played in both the unofficial internationals played by an understrength All Black side against the touring Argentina Pumas and was on the end of the year tour of Scotland and England. Ford's only real moment in the limelight on this tour was a court appearance after a nightclub incident for which he received only token punishment. Though disciplined within the side he was still chosen for the international against England, which proved to be the last of 20 games for the All Blacks, in which he scored eight tries but none in his four tests.

While he never again appeared in All Black trials he stayed high in the national ladder with matches for the South island in each of the 1980 and 1981 seasons.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Brian Robert Ford

BORN

Tuesday, 10 July 1951 in Kaikoura

AGE

59

PHYSICAL

1.83m, 89kg

POSITION

Wing three-quarter

LAST SCHOOL

Rangiora High

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Kaikoura

PROVINCE

Marlborough

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 30 July 1977
v British & Irish Lions at Dunedin
aged 26 years, 20 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 30 July 1977
v British & Irish Lions at Dunedin
aged 26 years, 20 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 24 November 1979
v England at London
aged 28 years, 137 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

4 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

16 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

20 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

32pts (8t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

32pts (8t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

774

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1977

 30 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Dunedin 19-7  

 13 Aug vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 10-9 (-) 

 22 Oct vs Italian President's XV at Padua 17-9  

 26 Oct vs French Selection at Brive 45-3  

 29 Oct vs French Selection at Lyon 12-10  

 1 Nov vs French Selection at Perpignan 12-6  

 8 Nov vs French Selection at Bayonne 38-22  

 15 Nov vs French Selection Angouleme at Angouleme 30-3  

1978

 18 Oct vs Cambridge University at Cambridge 32-12  

 28 Oct vs London Counties at London 37-12  

 4 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 10-6 (-) 

 21 Nov vs Combined Services at Aldershot 34-6  

1979

 8 Sep vs Argentina at Dunedin 18-9  

 15 Sep vs Argentina at Wellington 15-6  

 24 Oct vs London Division at London 21-18  

 31 Oct vs Edinburgh at Edinburgh 16-4  

 6 Nov vs Glasgow at Glasgow 12-6  

 14 Nov vs Anglo-Scots at Dundee 18-9  

 20 Nov vs South and South-West Counties at Exeter 16-0  

 24 Nov vs England at London 10-9  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Italian President's XV, 22 Oct 1977

1

-

-

-

4

vs French Selection, 29 Oct 1977

2

-

-

-

8

vs French Selection, 8 Nov 1977

1

-

-

-

4

vs London Counties, 28 Oct 1978

1

-

-

-

4

vs Combined Services, 21 Nov 1978

1

-

-

-

4

vs Glasgow, 6 Nov 1979

2

-

-

-

8

Totals

8

0

0

0

32

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

British & Irish Lions

2

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

England

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Ireland

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Totals

4

4

0

0

0

0

0

0

0