Alan Whetton shares with his brother, Gary, the distinction of being the only twins to have played test rugby together for the All Blacks.

Slightly smaller than Gary and with a fairer complexion, Alan nevertheless was a big man whose physique and pace made him an ideal blindside flanker.

However, especially in his earlier years, Whetton, who was always known by his inititals "AJ", was often used as a utility forward playing either at No 8 or lock. The utility tag, indeed, stayed with him for some time and his first four appearances in test rugby (in 1984-85) were all as a replacement from the bench.

Of the two brothers Alan showed the greater promise as a teenager and at high school, but it was Gary who in the early 80s made the first impact at top level. By 1981 he was not only a regular Auckland player but had gained his first All Black test cap.

Alan had been with Gary in the New Zealand Colts side in 1980 and had made the Auckland representative side in 1981 as a 21-year old. But in his first two years with Auckland Alan was only an on-again, off-again selection and it was not until 1983 that he became an automatic choice.

Ironically, he spent most of the 1983 season as a lock, being shifted there to cover for his brother who after playing in the test series against the British Lions suffered a serious knee injury while involved in festival matches in South Africa.

Alan Whetton gained a place in the 1983 North island side and that year had his first All Black trial. But he was overlooked for the All Black tour of Scotland and England in 1983, only gaining national recognition in 1984 when he was a reserve for the two tests against France and then went on the tour of Australia.

Though he failed to make the test starting XV, Whetton developed well on that tour and remained in All Black squads for the next two seasons. He was chosen for the aborted 1985 tour of South Africa but went to Argentina instead.

With most of the others chosen for the 1985 tour he joined the rebel tour the following year with the Cavaliers, an undertaking which perhaps did more damage to his All Black aspirations than some of the others.

After serving a two-test suspension he was introduced for his first test start in the second test of the Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies in Dunedin. But he was dropped for the third and then omitted somewhat inexplicably for the end of season tour of France.

By now Whetton was specialising as a blindside flanker and good early season form with a powerful Auckland side made him a certainty for the 1987 World Cup squad. His success in that tournament made him an automatic All Black selection for the next few seasons and his ability and humour off the field made him an invaluable team member whether with Auckland or the All Blacks.

With his speed, high work rate and consistent support play Whetton had an outstanding World Cup and his performances entitle him to be ranked among the greatest of All Black blindside flankers.

He, Michael Jones at openside flank and Wayne Shelford at No 8 formed one of the best loose forward trios to ever appear for the All Blacks. In the first five matches of 1987 Whetton scored a try in each game.

He had a fine tour of Australia in 1988, but on the 1989 tour of Wales and Ireland he suffered a severe hamstring injury which ruled him out of both internationals and the plum match against the Barbarians.

He returned to the All Blacks in 1990 and remained in the side until the 1991 World Cup tournament. But by then injury, age and the wear and tear of what had been an intense commitment over a number of seasons were starting to take their toll. Whetton's last match for the All Blacks was the semifinal defeat to Australia at Dublin.

He was not even invited to the 1992 trials and his career ended with 65 matches for the All Blacks and 35 tests in which he scored 10 tries. In 1992, after playing 150 matches for Auckland at a time when the province was at its peak, he also faded out of representative rugby.

Player/coach for Kobe Steel in Japan 1996-99.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Alan James Whetton

BORN

Tuesday, 15 December 1959 in Auckland

AGE

50

PHYSICAL

1.93m, 100kg

POSITION

Loose Forward

LAST SCHOOL

Auckland Grammar

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Grammar

PROVINCE

Auckland

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Wednesday, 4 July 1984
v Queensland B at Brisbane
aged 24 years, 202 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 21 July 1984
v Australia at Sydney
aged 24 years, 219 days

LAST TEST

Sunday, 27 October 1991
v Australia at Dublin
aged 31 years, 316 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

35 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

30 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

65 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

40pts (10t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

64pts (16t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

104pts (26t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

853

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1984

 4 Jul vs Queensland B at Brisbane 37-0  

 11 Jul vs South Australia at Adelaide 99-0  

 17 Jul vs Victoria at Melbourne 65-3  

 21 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 9-16 (+) 

 25 Jul vs A.C.T. at Canberra 40-16  

 28 Jul vs Sydney at Sydney 28-3 (+) 

 31 Jul vs N.S.W. Country at Tamworth 21-3  

 8 Aug vs Queensland Country at Surfers Paradise 88-0  

 12 Aug vs Queensland at Brisbane 39-12  

 14 Aug vs N.S.W. B at Gosford 21-15  

 18 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 25-24 (+) 

 17 Oct vs President's XV at Suva 39-0  

 20 Oct vs Western XV at Nadi 32-10  

1985

 29 Jun vs Australia at Auckland 10-9 (+) 

 15 Oct vs Rosario Selection at Fisherton 28-9  

 22 Oct vs Cordoba Selection at Cordoba 72-9  

 26 Oct vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 33-20 (+) 

 29 Oct vs Mar del Plata Selection at Mar del Plata 56-6  

1986

 23 Aug vs Australia at Dunedin 13-12  

1987

 22 May vs Italy at Auckland 70-6  

 27 May vs Fiji at Christchurch 74-13  

 1 Jun vs Argentina at Wellington 46-15  

 6 Jun vs Scotland at Christchurch 30-3  

 14 Jun vs Wales at Brisbane 49-6  

 20 Jun vs France at Auckland 29-9  

 25 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 30-16  

 21 Oct vs Japan 'B' at Tokyo 94-0  

 28 Oct vs Asian Barbarians at Kyoto 96-3  

 4 Nov vs J.R.U. Presidents XV at Tokyo 38-9  

1988

 28 May vs Wales at Christchurch 52-3  

 11 Jun vs Wales at Auckland 54-9  

 22 Jun vs Randwick RFC at Sydney 25-9  

 26 Jun vs Australia 'B' at Brisbane 28-4  

 29 Jun vs N.S.W. Country at Singleton 29-4 (+) 

 3 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 32-7  

 16 Jul vs Australia at Brisbane 19-19  

 26 Jul vs Victorian Invitation XV at Melbourne 84-8  

 30 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 30-9  

1989

 17 Jun vs France at Christchurch 25-17  

 1 Jul vs France at Auckland 34-20  

 15 Jul vs Argentina at Dunedin 60-9  

 29 Jul vs Argentina at Wellington 49-12  

 5 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 24-12  

 14 Oct vs Cardiff at Cardiff 25-15  

 21 Oct vs Swansea at Swansea 37-22 (-) 

 8 Nov vs Leinster at Dublin 36-9 (-) 

 21 Nov vs Ulster at Belfast 21-3  

1990

 16 Jun vs Scotland at Dunedin 31-16  

 23 Jun vs Scotland at Auckland 21-18  

 21 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 21-6  

 4 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 27-17  

 18 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 9-21  

 17 Oct vs Provence/Cote D'Azur Invitation XV at Toulon 15-19  

 24 Oct vs A French XV at Brive 27-24  

 30 Oct vs Cote Basque-Landes at Bayonne 12-18  

 3 Nov vs France at Nantes 24-3  

 10 Nov vs France at Paris 30-12  

1991

 25 Jun vs Tucuman at Tucuman 21-9  

 2 Jul vs Cuyo at Mendoza 47-12  

 6 Jul vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 28-14 (-) 

 3 Oct vs England at London 18-12  

 8 Oct vs USA at Gloucester 46-6  

 13 Oct vs Italy at Leicester 31-21  

 20 Oct vs Canada at Lille 29-13  

 27 Oct vs Australia at Dublin 6-16  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Victoria, 17 Jul 1984

1

-

-

-

4

vs Queensland Country, 8 Aug 1984

1

-

-

-

4

vs Queensland, 12 Aug 1984

1

-

-

-

4

vs President's XV, 17 Oct 1984

2

-

-

-

8

vs Western XV, 20 Oct 1984

1

-

-

-

4

vs Cordoba Selection, 22 Oct 1985

1

-

-

-

4

vs Mar del Plata Selection, 29 Oct 1985

2

-

-

-

8

vs Italy, 22 May 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs Fiji, 27 May 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs Argentina, 1 Jun 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs Scotland, 6 Jun 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs Wales, 14 Jun 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs Japan 'B', 21 Oct 1987

2

-

-

-

8

vs Asian Barbarians, 28 Oct 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs J.R.U. Presidents XV, 4 Nov 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs Randwick RFC, 22 Jun 1988

1

-

-

-

4

vs Australia, 3 Jul 1988

1

-

-

-

4

vs France, 17 Jun 1989

1

-

-

-

4

vs France, 1 Jul 1989

1

-

-

-

4

vs Argentina, 29 Jul 1989

1

-

-

-

4

vs Cardiff, 14 Oct 1989

1

-

-

-

4

vs France, 3 Nov 1990

1

-

-

-

4

vs Tucuman, 25 Jun 1991

1

-

-

-

4

Totals

26

0

0

0

104

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Argentina

5

5

-

-

2

-

-

-

8

Australia

13

9

1

3

1

-

-

-

4

Canada

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

England

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Fiji

1

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

4

France

5

5

-

-

3

-

-

-

12

Italy

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

4

Scotland

3

3

-

-

1

-

-

-

4

USA

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Wales

3

3

-

-

1

-

-

-

4

Totals

35

31

1

3

10

0

0

0

40