As autumn starts to make itself known, sports fans will realise that the rugby season is upon us. NZ On Screen's Zara Potts looks back at some of the best footy moments in New Zealand screen history.
Ah, autumn. Season of falling leaves, chilly mornings and shortened evenings. It's also the season of muddy rugby boots left at backdoors, office sweepstakes and warm beer and hot chips scoffed at the weekend footy match.
Rugby is almost enshrined in the nation's consciousness as THE national sport. We're good at it. We will get up at ridiculous hours of the morning to watch it. Most of the really good players are household names.
So, in the week that the man who was our oldest living All Black died – we thought it high time to look back at some of the most valuable players (and moments) in rugby's screen history.
Ron Elvidge, who passed away this week at 96, had the honour of being the nation's oldest living All Black. A former Otago player, he ran onto the field 19 times during his career, and perhaps most impressively – played on with a broken collarbone and a facial injury, saving the day with a match-winning try against the Lions in 1950.
