All Blacks 1976: The many different paths after the jersey
Heard the one about the Tree Planter, Publican and Shearer?
No, they did not walk into a pub (or maybe they did at some stage).
They were all members of the 1976 New Zealand tour squad to South Africa.
The All Blacks headed to the Republic with the green light from Prime Minister Rob Muldoon!
However, this epic tour sparked a massive global storm, leading 28 nations to boycott the Montreal Olympics because they felt the tour supported apartheid.
Five Māori players (Bill Bush, Sid Going, Kent Lambert, Bill Osborne and Tane Norton), as well as ethnic-Samoan player Bryan Williams, made the trip.
South Africa offered these players ‘honorary white’ status for the tour.
Bush, however, did not stay quiet.
He proudly pushed back and acted deliberately provocative toward the strict apartheid regime.
The All Black team played hard, grabbing 18 amazing wins and six losses overall.
South Africa won the official Test series 3–1.
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Aside from the off-field and on-field drama, this amateur-era epic produced volumes of interesting content.
Perhaps the most staggering reality is that these players all had full-time careers outside of rugby.
They had to take leave to represent their country.
There were several farmers and teachers on the tour, but some of the more interesting careers were a stock agent, a lamb buyer, a commercial grower, a mercer, shearer, tree planter and a publican.
During the amateur era of rugby, players had to balance their world-class sports careers with their actual day jobs.
Many of them went on to achieve extraordinary success in business, law, community leadership, and farming after hanging up their boots.
Here are some of the most fascinating post-careers:
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Bill Osborne (The Business Supremo)
Osborne translated his rugby leadership into an incredibly successful corporate career. He famously served as a co-founder of 2degrees Mobile, breaking up the telecommunications duopoly in New Zealand. He earned an Executive MBA, worked as the Chief Executive and served on major boards. He eventually returned to the sport to serve as the President of New Zealand Rugby.
Bryan Williams (The Legal Eagle)
Williams was already balancing his rising rugby stardom with intense legal studies. He built a long, respected career as a practicing lawyer in Auckland. He used his legal and strategic background to coach and mastermind Samoa’s historic triumphs in the 1990s. He was knighted for his services to rugby and the community, and like Osborne, served as President of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
Sid Going (The Farming Bishop)
Affectionately known as ‘Super Sid’, Going was a down-to-earth Northland farmer his entire life, completely detached from the typical glitz of modern sports stars. He devoted much of his life to his faith, serving as a Bishop and later the President of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Kent Lambert (The Shearer)
Lambert was one of the youngest and strongest test props of his era. After a stint switching codes to play professional Rugby League for the Penrith Panthers in Australia, he returned to New Zealand and spent his later career working as a publican (hotel/pub manager).
Tane Norton & Bill Bush (The Guardians of Māori Rugby)
Norton: The tough hooker and 1977 team captain went on to run local businesses and became a heavily decorated sports administrator, eventually earning a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Bush: The famously provocative prop stayed fiercely loyal to grassroots sports, dedicating decades to coaching, selecting, and managing the Māori All Blacks to lift the next generation of players.
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