Forever in the headlines during the height of his rugby career, ‘Super Sid’ Going’s family say that off the field he was always a humble man who shied away from the limelight. Here Going leads the Northland side (then called North Auckland) on to the field in a match against the British Lions at Okara Park, Whangarei in 1977. Photo / NAD
Forever in the headlines during the height of his rugby career, ‘Super Sid’ Going’s family say that off the field he was always a humble man who shied away from the limelight. Here Going leads the Northland side (then called North Auckland) on to the field in a match against the British Lions at Okara Park, Whangarei in 1977. Photo / NAD
To most of us, ‘Super Sid’ Going was a sporting star - renowned as one of the greatest All Black halfbacks ever and as a legendary Northland and Māori rugby player. To his family he was a shy, humble man who gave his all to rugby and to his Mormon faith.
Celebrated as “a mighty Northlander who could stand amongst the tallest of kauri”, Going died aged 80 on Friday surrounded by family at his home in Maromaku, about half an hour’s drive from Whangārei.
Announcing Going’s passing, his wife Colleen and her family - Tracey (deceased), Lea and Allan, Milton and Mel, Jared and Lijana, and Boss and Camilla spoke of their “tremendous sadness” at losing “one ‘Super Sid’, super hubby, super dad and super G’pa”.
The family invited people to say their final farewells to Going at Lea and Allan’s home on the family farm on Sunday.
Going was to be buried today at the Maromaku Cemetery after a funeral service at his beloved Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints Maromaku Chapel.
Remembering his dad to the Northern Advocate on Sunday, Milton Going said he wasn’t sure how many might turn up to remember his dad’s life but it wouldn’t surprise him if numbers were huge. The family had received a vast number of calls and messages from what seemed like “everyone we’ve ever known”, Milton said. And, they were grateful for that outpouring of support.
While his dad was known by most New Zealanders as a rugby star, Milton said he was too young to have ever seen him play. He remembered his dad as someone who was “never comfortable in the limelight” but who gave his all to the sport long after he finished playing.
In one of his roles as Rugby Officer for Northland Rugby, his dad visited schools, including his own, Milton proudly recalled.
When Going wasn’t playing rugby or busy with church commitments, he was a farmer who grew up in a house on the land he worked. Milton said he and his siblings were fortunate to have also been raised in that same house on the farm, which was now being managed by Going’s second-oldest boy Jared.
Since their retirement in 2006, Going and Colleen had lived at Paihia.
Sid Going in action during a test match between the All Blacks and South Africa, 1970. Photo / www.photosport.nz
Going’s death on Friday has since dominated New Zealand social media.
“Together, from Te Kao to Mahurangi, from our North Auckland days, and across the country, we will respectfully mourn his passing, but also remember all that he has given to the game of rugby. "
Rugby commentator and long time grassroots supporter Steven Harris wrote: “Moe mai ra e te rangatira i tou moe” (Sleep, departing chief, sleep in peace).
Others posted: “A mighty Kauri has fallen”; “Such a quiet, unassuming man with a loving heart and the grit and determination so rarely seen these days”; “Should be a national day of mourning for a true legend of NZ rugby”.
New All Blacks coach Scott Robertson told media “Sid lit up the field with his ability and energy. He lit up people’s hearts off it - that was his trademark”.
"Super Sid' Going, playing Marlborough at Okara Park, Whangārei, 1975. Photo / NAD
Gifted with speed, strength, elusiveness and tactical cunning, Going captained the All Blacks five times between 1967 and 1977; he played 86 matches, including 29 Tests. During that decade at the top he scored 164 points from 33 tries, 18 conversions, five penalty goals and a dropped goal. He played for New Zealand Māori for 12 years, Northland (when it was known as North Auckland) for 16 and numerous other national and invitation teams.
He was awarded the Tom French Cup for Māori player of the year a record six times between 1967 and 1972. During 1977 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to rugby; and in 2020, he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.
“As a child growing up with four brothers in the Maromaku Valley, north of Whangārei, Going learned early how to deal with rugby’s physicality. He’d say, on the family lawn ‘there was no beg pardons. We’d hit each other really hard’.”
Challenging for an All Blacks halfback position in 1966, Going faced huge competition from Chris Laidlaw, a more traditional player with an impeccable pass, Gifford said. But when finally given the chance Going could “produce extraordinary moments at the highest level.
“In 1968 he scored two solo tries in the first 30 minutes of a test against France at Eden Park.”
Gifford also recalled the might of the Going trio when Sid’s brother Ken and Brian took to the field with him for Northland and New Zealand Māori games. Many people believed the All Blacks selectors of the 1970s “missed a game-changing chance” by not taking the three.
“The Goings’ Northland coach Ted Griffin, swore that together behind an All Black pack they would have torn the world’s best teams apart.
“There’s never been a magic act quite like the one the trio used to put on, with just a footy ball for a prop. ‘Going, Going, Going, gone’ was the headline after one dazzling triple-scissors try for Northland’,” Gifford wrote.
Sid Going was inducted into the NZ Sports Hall of Fame, during the 57th ISPS Handa Halberg Awards, at Spark Arena, in February 2020. Photo: www.photosport.nz
He remained a devout and respected member of the Mormon faith throughout his life, embarking on a two-year mission for the church in Alberta, Canada, when he was 19 years old.
His decision to serve that mission before playing rugby for New Zealand was, “a testament to his faith and dedication to his beliefs”, Elder Neil L. Anderson said during the church’s 2011 general conference.
Sid and wife Colleen served as senior missionaries for the church in Australia and as temple president and matron of the Hamilton, New Zealand Temple from 2013 to 2016.
They cared for hundreds of people daily, who came from New Zealand and the Pacific islands to be spiritually uplifted and healed.
Going would be remembered for “his love of God and compassion to all”, the church said in a media release.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference
