Lester Harvey was a tough, rugged farmer from Central Otago who became a stalwart of the champion Otago sides of the 1940s and was an invaluable member of the All Black test sides in each of the 1949 and 1950 seasons.

Harvey played in eight tests and it is a commentary perhaps how soft some have become in modern rugby that they were all against the Springboks or the British Lions, traditionally two of the All Blacks' fiercest foes.

And while World War II was a factor in interrupting Harvey's career he was another example of a late developer achieving international distinction. Harvey was 30 when he became an All Black and made the 1949 tour of South Africa and 31 when he played the home series against the Lions in 1950.

Harvey represented the Vincent sub union as early as 1938 but it was not until 1947 when he was 28 that he entered first class rugby as a member of the great Otago shield sides of coach Vic Cavanagh.

Hard country products like Harvey were to provide the essential steel in those Otago sides. Harvey's locking partner was Charlie Willocks from South Otago and so effective were they together that both were taken on the 1949 tour.

They were automatic test choices, with the partnership broken only by an injury ruling Willocks out for the second test. Such was their complementary qualities Harvey and Willocks were known as "Bacon and Eggs."

At 6ft 3in (1.90m) and 15st 6lb (nearly 100kg) Harvey was a big man for that era and was the tallest and close to the heaviest in the 1949 tourists. The All Black pack, in which Harvey was a key in the engine room, won praise for their forward play and their scrummaging, even from the South Africans.

Harvey's greatest effort for the All Blacks, though, came in the third test against the Lions at Athletic Park in 1950. Injuries to Johnny Simpson and Ron Elvide reduced the All Black pack to just six players and it was a heroic display by Harvey and his colleagues to match the Lions.

After his retirement in the early 1950s Harvey devoted himself to his Matakanui club in Central Otago giving sterling service as a coach and administrator. Harvey was of course the club's first All Black.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Lester Robert Harvey

BORN

Monday, 14 April 1919 in Dunedin

DIED

Thursday, 3 June 1993 in Clyde

PHYSICAL

1.90m, 99kg

POSITION

Lock

LAST SCHOOL

Waitaki Boys' High

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Matakanui

PROVINCE

Otago

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 4 June 1949
v Boland at Wellington
aged 30 years, 51 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 16 July 1949
v South Africa at Cape Town
aged 30 years, 93 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 29 July 1950
v British & Irish Lions at Auckland
aged 31 years, 106 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

8 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

14 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

22 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK NUMBER

494

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1949

 4 Jun vs Boland at Wellington 8-5  

 11 Jun vs Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth 6-3  

 15 Jun vs Border at East London 0-9  

 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  

 2 Jul vs Eastern Transvaal at Springs 5-6  

 9 Jul vs Western Province at Cape Town 6-3  

 16 Jul vs South Africa at Cape Town 11-15  

 23 Jul vs Transvaal at Johannesburg 13-3  

 6 Aug vs Northern Transvaal at Pretoria 6-3  

 13 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 6-12  

 20 Aug vs Griqualand West at Kimberley 8-6  

 27 Aug vs Orange Free State at Bloemfontein 14-9  

 3 Sep vs South Africa at Durban 3-9  

 10 Sep vs Border at East London 6-6  

 17 Sep vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth 8-11  

 21 Sep vs Cape Town Clubs at Cape Town 11-11  

1950

 27 May vs British & Irish Lions at Dunedin 9-9  

 10 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 8-0  

 1 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 6-3  

 29 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 11-8  

Harvey did not score any points for the All Blacks.

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

British & Irish Lions

4

3

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

South Africa

4

-

-

4

-

-

-

-

-

Totals

8

3

1

4

0

0

0

0

0