Though Bernie Fraser was a schoolboy star when he attended Auckland's St Paul's College he took a surprisingly long time to establish himself as a regular representative player. Coming to Wellington in 1973, Fraser suffered a broken leg early in his debut season and the following year his season was disrupted for a lengthy period again when he copped a suspension after being ordered off in a club game.

When Fraser did crack the Wellington representative team it was only for occasional appearances in the 1975-76 seasons. Then Wellington coach Ray Dellabarca did not appreciate Fraser's casual attitude to discipline and in 1975 he got only three starts and in 1976, despite two tries when New Zealand Marist met Wellington, was given just the one game.

Only when Petone stalwart Ian Upston took over the Wellington side in 1977 was there a change in Fraser's fortunes. He played 12 games that year including the 13-6 loss to the Lions and after a brief stint back in his home town of Tokoroa early in the year continued his advance in 1978. He had a starring role in Wellington's national championship win that season and in one NPC match scored four tries against Canterbury.

By 1979 Fraser, even though at a relatively advanced age of 26, clearly had an All Black future and he duly made his debut in the two unofficial tests against Argentina which was followed by the tour to England and Scotland and his first full internationals.

His international aspirations suffered a temporary setback when he, along with several others, had a disappointing tour of Australia in 1980. But back in the Wellington environment he regained confidence and starting with the end of season 1980 tour of Wales his All Black place was assured for the next three seasons.

He was part of a fine Wellington quartet, with fellow three quarter Stu Wilson, fullback Allan Hewson and No 8 Murray Mexted, which had a fabulous 1981, including the series win over the Springboks and for the province the NPC-Ranfurly Shield double.

By now Fraser had become something of a cult figure in Wellington forming a lethal partnership with his close friend Wilson. Where one (Wilson) was fair and light featured, Fraser, of Fijian ancestry, was dark and dusky and the physical contrast provided a lovely title for their joint 1984 biography, "Ebony and Ivory".

At Athletic Park, such was Fraser's ability to score tries with regularity in a particular part of the ground, the south east corner was dubbed, "Bernie's Corner." When he retired from top rugby in 1986 he had scored 105 tries in 124 Wellington appearances and his 171 tries from his 201 first class matches was the New Zealand record at the time.

But Fraser never quite repeated his feats for Wellington on the international stage, even though he had a worthy All Black career, finishing with 55 matches including 23 tests. His tally of six test tries, however, was only modest and in the standing of test wings of the past 25 years he would rate behind not only Stu Wilson, John Kirwan, Jonah Lomu, Jeff Wilson and Doug Howlett but probably Craig Green and Terry Wright, too.

Yet for all his failings Fraser was always a bright, entertaining player who gave his province and country exemplary service.

Fraser's All Black career ended in 1984, by which time he had been supplanted by Kirwan, and his involvement on his swan song, the 1984 tour of Australia, only came as a mid tour replacement for an injured Kirwan. Fraser continued to play for Wellington until early 1986 and that year he made the Cavaliers' rebel tour of South Africa, though only as a replacement for the unavailable Kirwan. Fraser, halfback Andrew Donald and replacement hooker John Mills were the three Cavaliers who had not been chosen in 1985 for the aborted All Black tour of the republic.

Profile by Bob Luxford
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Bernard Gabriel Fraser

BORN

Tuesday, 21 July 1953 in Lautoka

AGE

57

PHYSICAL

1.78m, 83kg

POSITION

Wing three-quarter

LAST SCHOOL

St Paul's College (Auckland)

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Hutt Valley Marist

PROVINCE

Wellington

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 8 September 1979
v Argentina at Dunedin
aged 26 years, 49 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 10 November 1979
v Scotland at Edinburgh
aged 26 years, 112 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 21 July 1984
v Australia at Sydney
aged 31 years, 0 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

23 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

32 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

55 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

24pts (6t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

160pts (40t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

184pts (46t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

797

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1979

 8 Sep vs Argentina at Dunedin 18-9  

 15 Sep vs Argentina at Wellington 15-6  

 27 Oct vs South of Scotland at Hawick 19-3  

 3 Nov vs Midland Division at Leicester 33-7  

 10 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 20-6  

 17 Nov vs Northern Division at Otley 9-21  

 24 Nov vs England at London 10-9  

 28 Nov vs Italy at Rovigo 18-12  

1980

 31 May vs Sydney at Sydney 13-13  

 7 Jun vs Victoria at Melbourne 45-6  

 11 Jun vs Tasmanian Invitation XV at Hobart 73-0  

 16 Jun vs N.S.W. Country at Newcastle 34-3  

 24 Jun vs Queensland Country at Townsville 63-6 (-) 

 2 Jul vs Australian Universities at Brisbane 33-3  

 8 Jul vs A.C.T. at Canberra 48-15  

 12 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 10-26  

 16 Jul vs Nadroga at Lautoka 14-6  

 23 Jul vs Fiji at Suva 30-6  

 11 Oct vs Canada at Vancouver 43-10  

 18 Oct vs Cardiff at Cardiff 16-9  

 25 Oct vs Swansea at Swansea 32-0  

 1 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 23-3  

1981

 13 Jun vs Scotland at Dunedin 11-4  

 20 Jun vs Scotland at Auckland 40-15  

 15 Aug vs South Africa at Christchurch 14-9  

 29 Aug vs South Africa at Wellington 12-24  

 12 Sep vs South Africa at Auckland 25-22  

 20 Oct vs Romania South at Constanza 25-9  

 24 Oct vs Romania at Bucharest 14-6  

 31 Oct vs Auvergne Selection at Clermont-Ferrand 18-10  

 4 Nov vs Alpes Selection at Grenoble 16-18  

 11 Nov vs Rousillon-Languedoc Selection at Perpignan 6-6  

 14 Nov vs France at Toulouse 13-9  

 21 Nov vs France at Paris 18-6 (-) 

1982

 14 Aug vs Australia at Christchurch 23-16  

 28 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 16-19  

 11 Sep vs Australia at Auckland 33-18  

1983

 4 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 16-12  

 18 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 9-0  

 2 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Dunedin 15-8  

 16 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 38-6  

 20 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 18-8  

 29 Oct vs South of Scotland at Galashiels 30-9  

 2 Nov vs Northern Division at Gateshead 27-21  

 5 Nov vs London Division at London 18-15  

 12 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 25-25  

 19 Nov vs England at London 9-15  

1984

 11 Jul vs South Australia at Adelaide 99-0  

 15 Jul vs Western Australia at Perth 72-0  

 17 Jul vs Victoria at Melbourne 65-3  

 21 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 9-16  

 25 Jul vs A.C.T. at Canberra 40-16  

 31 Jul vs N.S.W. Country at Tamworth 21-3  

 8 Aug vs Queensland Country at Surfers Paradise 88-0  

 14 Aug vs N.S.W. B at Gosford 21-15 (-) 

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs South of Scotland, 27 Oct 1979

2

-

-

-

8

vs Midland Division, 3 Nov 1979

2

-

-

-

8

vs Italy, 28 Nov 1979

1

-

-

-

4

vs Sydney, 31 May 1980

1

-

-

-

4

vs Victoria, 7 Jun 1980

1

-

-

-

4

vs Tasmanian Invitation XV, 11 Jun 1980

4

-

-

-

16

vs N.S.W. Country, 16 Jun 1980

2

-

-

-

8

vs A.C.T., 8 Jul 1980

2

-

-

-

8

vs Australia, 12 Jul 1980

1

-

-

-

4

vs Nadroga, 16 Jul 1980

2

-

-

-

8

vs Fiji, 23 Jul 1980

3

-

-

-

12

vs Canada, 11 Oct 1980

1

-

-

-

4

vs Cardiff, 18 Oct 1980

1

-

-

-

4

vs Swansea, 25 Oct 1980

1

-

-

-

4

vs Wales, 1 Nov 1980

1

-

-

-

4

vs Romania South, 20 Oct 1981

2

-

-

-

8

vs Australia, 14 Aug 1982

1

-

-

-

4

vs Australia, 28 Aug 1982

1

-

-

-

4

vs South of Scotland, 29 Oct 1983

1

-

-

-

4

vs Scotland, 12 Nov 1983

2

-

-

-

8

vs South Australia, 11 Jul 1984

3

-

-

-

12

vs Western Australia, 15 Jul 1984

2

-

-

-

8

vs Victoria, 17 Jul 1984

3

-

-

-

12

vs N.S.W. Country, 31 Jul 1984

2

-

-

-

8

vs Queensland Country, 8 Aug 1984

4

-

-

-

16

Totals

46

0

0

0

184

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Australia

6

3

-

3

3

-

-

-

12

British & Irish Lions

4

4

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

England

2

1

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

France

2

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Romania

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Scotland

4

3

1

-

2

-

-

-

8

South Africa

3

2

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Wales

1

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

4

Totals

23

17

1

5

6

0

0

0

24