Arthur Jennings was a long serving lock at representative level for Bay of Plenty who had a brief stint in the All Blacks, as one of the squad on the 1967 tour of Britain and France.

Jennings, though, was more in the national limelight after his career had ended for his off field activities. Of Fijian extraction, born in that country but schooled in New Zealand from an early age, Jennings had an entreprenaurial streak which during the 1980s saw him involved with the administration of Fiji rugby.

As such he found himself frequently at odds with officialdom, particularly in his involvement in organising unofficial "Barbarians" type tours of South Africa when that country was in isolation because of the apartheid policy.

Jennings was a tall, athletic lock good in the open and effective in lineouts.

All of his provincial rugby which spanned nine seasons between 1962 and 1970 was with Bay of Plenty. However, within that union he did a great deal of moving around playing for no fewer than five different clubs.

Of Jennings' 104 first class games 89 were with the Bay and his possibilities as a lock above average gained him a number of opportunities. He played the first of his seven All Black trials in 1963 but only in 1967 did he win the nod of national selection.

But Jennings did not quite manage the step up to top international level. As Colin Meads' locking partner the younger Sam Strahan was preferred and of the 15 matches in Britain and France Jennings played in only five. His other tour appearance was en route in Canada against British columbia.

Jennings never again played for the All Blacks though he did receive early trials in 1968 for the tour of Australia and again in 1970 for the tour of South Africa.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Arthur Grahn Jennings

BORN

Saturday, 15 June 1940 in Lautoka

AGE

70

PHYSICAL

1.93m, 95kg

POSITION

Lock

LAST SCHOOL

Northcote College

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Kahukura

PROVINCE

Bay of Plenty

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 14 October 1967
v British Columbia at Vancouver
aged 27 years, 121 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

0 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

6 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

6 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK NUMBER

659

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1967

 14 Oct vs British Columbia at Vancouver 36-3  

 28 Oct vs Midlands, London and Home Counties at Leicester 15-3  

 8 Nov vs West Wales at Swansea 21-14  

 18 Nov vs France B at Toulouse 32-19  

 21 Nov vs South-West France at Bayonne 18-14  

 6 Dec vs Monmouthshire at Newport 23-12  

Jennings did not score any points for the All Blacks.

Jennings played in no test matches for the All Blacks.