As a small boy Brian Lochore loved horses and had his heart set on becoming a jockey. His first horse was a black Shetland named Winkle and Brian's parents felt he should have riding tuition at the local pony club. Getting Winkle to pony club was the problem, for the Lochores had no horse float or prospect of getting one. But Winkle was a small pony and the family Chev was a big car. So, Brian's father Jim came up with the devastatingly simple solution of putting Winkle, in the back of the car, with his head out the window, and driving to pony club. It was a huge gesture by Jim Lochore, arriving at gymkhanas, where most horsefloats were flasher than the Lochore's Chev. with a carful of horse.
Growing too big to realise his ambition of being a jockey, Brian Lochore's next sporting love was tennis, where he became the top player in Wairarapa and highly ranked at national age-group level. He stayed playing tennis until he became an All Black, when rugby in winter and farming in summer look priority.
At rugby he made the Wairarapa primary school reps, after a trial match in which he does not remember once touching the ball, and the Wairarapa College 1st XV in 1956, under the coaching of 1949 Black reserve Gordon Henderson. He played his first season of both senior (for Masterlon) and representative rugby in 1959, with an appearance for Wairarapa-Bush, as a flanker, against the Lions a highlight. His play in that match caused no less a critic than T P McLean to identify Lochore as one of the most promising forwards the Lions encountered on tour.
All Black trials in 1961 and 1963 followed, before being a reserve for the one off-test against England and making his All Black debut at No. 8 on the 1963/64 tour to the United Kingdom, a tour in which he played the tests against England and Scotland.
Not wanted for the All Blacks in 1964, he was recalled for the 1965 series against South Africa and, as one of the best No. 8s New Zealand has produced, became an All Black fixture until he retired from international play after the 1970 tour to South Africa. He did though come back at the selector's request for one test in 1971 to help out an injury-struck side.
Coach Fred Allen appointed him All Black captain in 1966, ahead of more experienced All Blacks (Meads, Tremain, Gray, all provincial captains). It turned out an inspired choice, with Lochore proving one of New Zealand's most successful captains, with just three losses (all in South Africa in 1970) in 18 tests.
As a coach he was just as successful. After cutting his teeth with the Masterton club he became Wairarapa-Bush coach in 1980 and took them to First Division status within two season. Appointed a New Zealand selector in 1983 he became the national coach 1985-87. His crowning achievement was the taking out of the 1987 inaugural World Cup, with the 1986 "Baby-Blacks'" victory over France another highlight.
Following his time with the All Blacks there have been various overseas and home assignments, coaching the Overseas Unions at the IRB centenary 1986, All Black campaign manager at the 1995 World Cup, helping with the NZRFU's player negotiations when rugby went professional in 1995 and leading the Rugby Union committee set up to improve the NPC among them.
Brian Lochore, who confesses "I would have trouble with my conscience if I didn't help when I was asked to" has seldom, if ever, looked for a job, he has responded to requests for help. That help has included such major exercises as acting as Commissioner at the then troubled Kuranui College, serving on the Hillary Commission (becoming chairman in 1999) and the Sports Foundation. Honoured with the OBE, Sir Brian was knighted in 1999.
Profile by Bob Luxford
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.
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FULL NAME |
Brian James Lochore |
BORN |
Tuesday, 3 September 1940 in Masterton |
AGE |
69 |
PHYSICAL |
1.91m, 95kg |
POSITION |
Number 8 and Lock |
LAST SCHOOL |
Wairarapa College |
RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from) |
Masterton |
PROVINCE |
Wairarapa |
ALL BLACK DEBUT |
Wednesday, 23 October 1963
v Oxford University at Oxford
aged 23 years, 50 days |
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT |
Saturday, 4 January 1964
v England at London
aged 23 years, 123 days |
LAST TEST |
Saturday, 31 July 1971
v British & Irish Lions at Wellington
aged 30 years, 331 days |
ALL BLACK TESTS |
25 (18 as Captain) |
ALL BLACK GAMES |
43 (28 as Captain) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES |
68 (46 as Captain) |
ALL BLACK TEST POINTS |
6pts (2t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS |
15pts (5t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS |
21pts (7t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK NUMBER |
637 |
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The All Black Games that Lochore played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced |
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Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card |
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1963 |
23 Oct vs Oxford University at Oxford 19-3 |
30 Oct vs Newport at Newport 0-3 |
13 Nov vs Cambridge University at Cambridge 20-6 |
27 Nov vs Pontypool and Cross Keys at Pontypool 11-0 |
11 Dec vs Munster at Limerick 6-3 |
17 Dec vs Western Counties at Bristol 22-14 |
26 Dec vs Combined Services at London 23-9 |
31 Dec vs Llanelli at Llanelli 22-8 |
1964 |
4 Jan vs England at London 14-0 |
11 Jan vs North-Eastern Counties at Harrogate 17-11 |
18 Jan vs Scotland at Edinburgh 0-0 |
25 Jan vs Ulster at Belfast 24-5 |
29 Jan vs South-Eastern Counties at Bournemouth 9-6 |
5 Feb vs South-West France at Bordeaux 23-0 |
12 Feb vs South-East France at Lyon 8-5 |
22 Feb vs British Columbia Under-25 XV at Vancouver 6-3 |
1965 |
31 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 6-3 |
21 Aug vs South Africa at Dunedin 13-0 |
4 Sep vs South Africa at Christchurch 16-19 |
18 Sep vs South Africa at Auckland 20-3 |
1966 |
16 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Dunedin 20-3 (Captain) |
6 Aug vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 16-12 (Captain) |
27 Aug vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 19-6 (Captain) |
10 Sep vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 24-11 (Captain) |
1967 |
19 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 29-9 (Captain) |
14 Oct vs British Columbia at Vancouver 36-3 (Captain) |
25 Oct vs North of England at Manchester 33-3 (Captain) |
28 Oct vs Midlands, London and Home Counties at Leicester 15-3 (Captain) |
1 Nov vs South of England at Bristol 16-3 (Captain) |
4 Nov vs England at London 23-11 (Captain) |
11 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 13-6 (Captain) |
15 Nov vs South-East France at Lyon 16-3 (Captain) |
18 Nov vs France B at Toulouse 32-19 (Captain) |
25 Nov vs France at Paris 21-15 (Captain) |
29 Nov vs Scottish Districts at Melrose 35-14 (Captain) |
2 Dec vs Scotland at Edinburgh 14-3 (Captain) |
6 Dec vs Monmouthshire at Newport 23-12 (Captain) |
13 Dec vs East Wales at Cardiff 3-3 (Captain) |
16 Dec vs Barbarians at London 11-6 (Captain) |
1968 |
21 May vs Sydney at Sydney 14-9 (Captain) |
25 May vs Tasmania at Hobart 74-0 (Captain) |
28 May vs Junior Wallabies at Adelaide 43-3 (Captain) |
8 Jun vs N.S.W. at Sydney 30-5 (Captain) |
10 Jun vs N.S.W. Country at Newcastle 29-3 (Captain) |
12 Jun vs Australian Combined Services at Sydney 45-8 (Captain) |
15 Jun vs Australia at Sydney 27-11 (-) (Captain) |
27 Jul vs France at Wellington 9-3 (Captain) |
10 Aug vs France at Auckland 19-12 (Captain) |
1969 |
31 May vs Wales at Christchurch 19-0 (Captain) |
14 Jun vs Wales at Auckland 33-12 (Captain) |
1970 |
14 Jun vs Western Australia at Perth 50-3 (-) |
8 Jul vs Eastern Transvaal at Springs 24-3 (Captain) |
11 Jul vs Transvaal at Johannesburg 34-17 (Captain) |
13 Jul vs Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom 21-17 (Captain) |
18 Jul vs Orange Free State at Bloemfontein 30-12 (Captain) |
25 Jul vs South Africa at Pretoria 6-17 (Captain) |
1 Aug vs Eastern Province at Port Elizabeth 49-8 (Captain) |
4 Aug vs Boland at Wellington 35-9 (Captain) |
8 Aug vs South Africa at Cape Town 9-8 (Captain) |
15 Aug vs Western Province at Cape Town 29-6 (Captain) |
19 Aug vs South African Country at East London 45-8 (Captain) |
22 Aug vs Natal at Durban 29-8 (Captain) |
25 Aug vs Southern Universities at Cape Town 20-3 (Captain) |
29 Aug vs South Africa at Port Elizabeth 3-14 (Captain) |
5 Sep vs Northern Transvaal at Pretoria 19-15 (Captain) |
7 Sep vs Gazelles at Potchefstroom 29-25 (Captain) |
12 Sep vs South Africa at Johannesburg 17-20 (Captain) |
1971 |
31 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 3-13 |
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