Of the many superb loose forwards produced from Southland even accomplished players of more modern times such as Kenny Stewart and Leicester Rutledge would be hard pressed to beat for a place in any mythical XV from the province the champion flanker of the 1930s, Ron Ward.

Blessed with size and speed, Ward was a leading contributor to one of Southland's best ever eras, in the late 1930s.

His time in All Black sides, alas, was all too brief, being limited to just four games and three tests. Besides the whims of selectors and illness, Ward suffered because of the outbreak of World War II. He was only 24 when the war broke out and so lost most of what would have been his playing prime.

The celebrated commentator Winston McCarthy has no doubt that because of his outstanding form in the 1939 season Ward he would have been a first choice for the tour of South Africa in 1940 had it proceeded. In his 1968 book, "Haka", McCarthy included him in the team he was confident would have been selected, praising him as an accomplished player, fast and experienced.

Ward first played for Southland as a 19-year old in 1935 and up until the 1939 season made 33 appearances for the union.

After just one provincial season he won his All Black colours, playing in a practice match against South Canterbury and then in the second test of 1936 against the touring Australians at Dunedin's Carisbrook.

In the following year he was in the South Island side for a second time and after appearances in the trials was included in the first test against the touring Springboks at Athletic Park. Ward made a dramatic contribution to the All Blacks' 13-7 win which was to be the home side's only success in the series. Because of an early injury to Don Cobden reducing the All Blacks to 14 men Ward spent most of the match filling in on the wing.

Yet despite his effort and the win Ward was dropped for Canterbury's Jack Rankin for the second test. However, he was recalled for the third test, which prematurely proved to be his international swan song.

Ward was 1.85m tall and weighed 90kgs, which by the professional standards of the 1990s and 2000s is not a remarkable physique. But for the 1930s Ward was a big man and during the 1935-37 seasons he was often used by Southland as a lock.

Ward's clear preference was for the loose forwards, for which he was well suited by his skill and speed. Fearing his international hopes might be affected by staying as a lock, Ward moved to Hawke's Bay in 1938 to receive more chances as a flanker. But his transfer north coincided with illness and he thus missed selection for the 1938 tour of Australia.

Though he recovered his health and played 10 matches for the Bay in 1938 season he did not settle in his union and returned to Southland for the 1939 season and with Southland now the Ranfurly Shield holders he produced the best rugby of his career. Making him a certainty for the subsequently cancelled tour of South Africa was a top performance for the South in the 1939 interisland match.

Ward played the last of his 59 first class matches with a wartime appearance while he was serving in the army for Canterbury in 1941.

Ward was not finished with rugby, though. In 1957-61 he was a selector and coach of the Southland representative side, the highlight coming with the win over Taranaki in 1959 for the Ranfurly Shield.

His brother J C Ward represented Otago 1942.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Ronald Henry Ward

BORN

Wednesday, 1 December 1915 in Riverton

DIED

Tuesday, 1 August 2000 in Invercargill

PHYSICAL

1.85m, 90kg

POSITION

Flanker

LAST SCHOOL

Winton District High

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Invercargill Pirates

PROVINCE

Southland

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Wednesday, 9 September 1936
v South Canterbury at Timaru
aged 20 years, 283 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 12 September 1936
v Australia at Dunedin
aged 20 years, 286 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 25 September 1937
v South Africa at Auckland
aged 21 years, 298 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

3 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

1 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

4 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

0pts

ALL BLACK NUMBER

429

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1936

 9 Sep vs South Canterbury at Timaru 16-13  

 12 Sep vs Australia at Dunedin 38-13  

1937

 14 Aug vs South Africa at Wellington 13-7  

 25 Sep vs South Africa at Auckland 6-17  

Ward did not score any points for the All Blacks.

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Australia

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

South Africa

2

1

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Totals

3

2

0

1

0

0

0

0

0