A lifetime's passion for rugby

Waipu’s Richie Guy has recently been named the Northland “Rugby Legend” as part of the Living Legends project.

Living Legends is a community conservation project that is coordinating 17 native tree planting projects throughout New Zealand during Rugby World Cup 2011.

Each planting is being run in conjunction with provincial rugby unions and dedicated to a regional ‘Rugby Legend’ who has been selected by the union. These Rugby Legends are people who have made a significant contribution to rugby in New Zealand.

Richie Guy's considerable feats as a player have been a little overshadowed by his prominence as a rugby administrator in later years. But despite a late start as a representative, Richie Guy was a leading player for many years with a flair for scoring tries.

Richie made the North Auckland (now Northland) side in 1966 when he was 25. By the time he retired in 1974 he had played 91 matches for the union, including the 1971 Ranfurly Shield win over Auckland, the game he says was one of his greatest rugby memories.

In 1971 Richie trialled for the All Blacks and won a place in the series against the touring British Lions. Though he was meant to only be a reserve Richie ended up playing in all four tests.

Though his 109-match first class career concluded in 1974 Richie continued playing for his Waipu club and it was from there he began an illustrious administrative record.
By 1981 he was chairman of the North Auckland union. He then joined the New Zealand Rugby Union council in 1984 and in 1995-96 he was chairman, continuing that role when a board was introduced until 1997.

In his early years on the NZRU council Guy acted as the All Black manager. He took the touring team to France in 1986 after earlier that year managing the Baby Blacks. In 1987 he was manager of the side which won the inaugural Rugby World Cup. As chairman he faced many major challenges including the shift to professionalism and for a time the possible loss of leading players to the rebel World Rugby Corporation.

Richie’s greatest feeling of satisfaction came with his work on the laws, negotiating the SANZAR agreement. SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby) is the body which operates Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, and was formed in 1996. "There was the ability to be part of a group who could influence the game on a worldwide scale” says Richie.
He’s humbled to have been selected as Northland’s Rugby Legend. “It’s a great honour, but also a little bit embarrassing!” says Richie. He is very much looking forward to New Zealand’s hosting of Rugby World Cup 2011. “Well we have to win it and we have underperformed on this stage before. But economically it will be a huge boost for New Zealand and it will give many more New Zealanders a chance to see rugby at this level” says Richie.
Let’s hope that the All Blacks have the same fortune this year as they did under Richie Guy’s watch in 1987!