Through a 10-year career in top rugby Greg Somerville won an enviable reputation for his durability, honesty and sound scrummaging technique. So there was widespread satisfaction that when he came to end his New Zealand rugby involvement at the end of the 2008 season, to take up a contract in Japan, he had become All Black rugby’s most decorated prop.
Having been a regular member of All Black squads since his selection in 2000, Somerville finished with 66 test caps, edging him past the previous record-holder Craig Dowd, who gained 60. Despite being the record-holder Somerville may not have been the greatest of all All Black props.
As tight-head specialists Carl Hayman and Olo Brown, of those of recent vintage, may have been his superior and a loose-head he was probably bettered by another contemporary in Woodcock, for one. And other legendary props of by-gone eras, such as Johnny Simpson, Kevin Skinner and Ken Gray, played in the years when tests were not as plentiful as today. But where Somerville’s most precious qualities lay was in his versatility for he was equally adept at either side of the scrum.
Other than Richard Loe, it is difficult to recall too many props who have been able to make the switch with the same facility.
Known by his nick-name “Yoda,” because of his resemblance to one of the beloved cherubic “characters” from the Star Wars films, Somerville packed an ideal propping build onto a 1.86m, 115 kg frame. But for all his stockiness and fondness for the tight, Somerville was surprisingly mobile and always vigorous in the loose.
Though he became an essential member of Canterbury and Crusaders sides for the duration of his representative career, Somerville was a Hawke’s Bay product who from Napier Boys High School won his way into national under 19 and colts sides.
However, recognition seemed to be slow in coming in his home union and it was not until his move to Canterbury in 1998 that he began to thrive. His Canterbury A debut in the national provincial championship semifinal of that year against Waikato was dramatic with coach Robbie Deans suddenly dropping both his first choice props and replacing them with Somerville and his Canterbury B team-mate, Dave Hewett.
Canterbury lost that semi-final but for the next few seasons Somerville, with Hewett as the loose-head prop, were to be the basis on which the provincial side and the Crusaders had so much of their success.
Somerville was in the Crusaders sides which won the Super 12/14 titles in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008. He was also a member of Canterbury teams which won the national provincial championship in 2001, 2004 and 2008 and which lifted the Ranfurly Shield in 2000 and 2004.
Somerville’s progress in his debut Super 12 season in 1999 made his promotion to the All Blacks inevitable and after playing for New Zealand A in 1999 he joined the national side in 2000.
For the next three or four seasons, taking in the 2003 World Cup, Somerville was the usual test tighthead prop, even though Kees Meeuws was still available and Hayman had already emerged.
The elevation of Hayman in 2004, plus the presence of Meeuws and Woodcock’s development, made Somerville’s All Black tenure less assured. But he continued to be an invaluable squad member and it was only an injury during 2007 which interrupted his back-up role to Hayman and Woodcock. He also was a readymade replacement when injury ruled out Hayman for the last two tests against the Lions in 2005.
Because of his many absences with the All Blacks, Somerville managed only 56 games at provincial level for Canterbury, but he was comfortably in an elite group with a century of appearances for the Crusaders, finishing at the end of the 2008 season with 115.
He was 31 when he quit New Zealand rugby for English club, Gloucester, and with 250-odd first class games to his credit, any debts he owed the game here well and truly discharged.
Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.
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FULL NAME |
Greg Mardon Somerville |
BORN |
Monday, 28 November 1977 in Wairoa |
AGE |
32 |
PHYSICAL |
1.87m, 115kg |
POSITION |
Prop |
LAST SCHOOL |
Napier Boys' High |
RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from) |
Merivale-Lincoln University |
PROVINCE |
Canterbury |
RUGBY NICKNAME |
Yoda |
ALL BLACK DEBUT |
Friday, 16 June 2000
v Tonga at Albany
aged 22 years, 201 days |
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT |
Friday, 16 June 2000
v Tonga at Albany
aged 22 years, 201 days |
LAST TEST |
Saturday, 1 November 2008
v Australia at Hong Kong
aged 30 years, 339 days |
ALL BLACK TESTS |
66 (0 as Captain) |
ALL BLACK GAMES |
1 (0 as Captain) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES |
67 (0 as Captain) |
ALL BLACK TEST POINTS |
5pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS |
0pts |
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS |
5pts (1t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK NUMBER |
991 |
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The All Black Games that Somerville played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced |
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Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card |
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2000 |
16 Jun vs Tonga at Albany 102-0 (-) |
24 Jun vs Scotland at Dunedin 69-20 (-) |
19 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 40-46 (+) |
11 Nov vs France at Paris 39-26 (-) |
18 Nov vs France at Marseille 33-42 (-) |
25 Nov vs Italy at Genova 56-19 (-) |
2001 |
16 Jun vs Samoa at Albany 50-6 (-) |
23 Jun vs Argentina at Christchurch 67-19 (+) |
30 Jun vs France at Wellington 37-12 (-) |
21 Jul vs South Africa at Cape Town 12-3 |
11 Aug vs Australia at Dunedin 15-23 (-) |
25 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 26-15 (-) |
1 Sep vs Australia at Sydney 26-29 (-) |
17 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 40-29 |
24 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 37-6 |
1 Dec vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 24-20 (+) |
2002 |
15 Jun vs Ireland at Dunedin 15-6 |
22 Jun vs Ireland at Auckland 40-8 |
13 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 12-6 |
20 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 41-20 (-) |
3 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 14-16 (-) |
10 Aug vs South Africa at Durban 30-23 |
2003 |
14 Jun vs England at Wellington 13-15 |
28 Jun vs France at Christchurch 31-23 |
19 Jul vs South Africa at Pretoria 52-16 |
26 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 50-21 (-) |
9 Aug vs South Africa at Dunedin 19-11 (+) |
16 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 21-17 |
11 Oct vs Italy at Melbourne 70-7 |
24 Oct vs Tonga at Brisbane 91-7 (-) |
2 Nov vs Wales at Sydney 53-37 |
8 Nov vs South Africa at Melbourne 29-9 |
15 Nov vs Australia at Sydney 10-22 |
20 Nov vs France at Sydney 40-13 |
2004 |
26 Jun vs Argentina at Hamilton 41-7 |
24 Jul vs South Africa at Christchurch 23-21 |
7 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 18-23 (+) |
14 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 26-40 (+) |
13 Nov vs Italy at Rome 59-10 (+) |
20 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 26-25 |
27 Nov vs France at Paris 45-6 (+) |
4 Dec vs Barbarians at London 47-19 |
2005 |
10 Jun vs Fiji at Albany 91-0 |
25 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 21-3 (+) |
2 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 48-18 |
9 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 38-19 |
6 Aug vs South Africa at Capetown 16-22 (+) |
13 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 30-13 (+) |
27 Aug vs South Africa at Dunedin 31-27 (+) |
3 Sep vs Australia at Auckland 34-24 (+) |
2006 |
24 Jun vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 25-19 |
8 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 32-12 (+) |
22 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 35-17 (+) |
29 Jul vs Australia at Brisbane 13-9 (+) |
19 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 34-27 (+) |
26 Aug vs South Africa at Pretoria 45-26 (-) |
2007 |
15 Sep vs Portugal at Lyon 108-13 (-) |
29 Sep vs Romania at Toulouse 85-8 |
2008 |
14 Jun vs England at Auckland 37-20 |
21 Jun vs England at Christchurch 44-12 |
5 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 19-8 (-) |
26 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 19-34 (-) |
2 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 39-10 (-) |
16 Aug vs South Africa at Cape Town 19-0 (-) |
3 Sep vs Samoa at New Plymouth 101-14 |
13 Sep vs Australia at Brisbane 28-24 (-) |
1 Nov vs Australia at Hong Kong 19-14 (+) |
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