KEY POINTS:
* John Reason, rugby journalist. Died aged 77.
New Zealanders may regard the selective and often critical tone that Stephen Jones takes in his Sunday Star-Times articles about New Zealand rugby in general and the All Blacks in particular as bilious and ill-aimed assaults on our beloved game.
They might take a more charitable view of the inimitable Welshman if they realised that this month came the death of John Reason, the Sunday Telegraph and Daily Telegraph rugby correspondent whose witheringly cynical blasts at New Zealand rugby in the 1960-80s make Jones' efforts appear as mere slaps on the wrist.
It should first be mentioned that Reason was an expert rugby reporter. He knew the rules backward, he was the first by a furlong to have his own little television set in the press-box and thus had benefit of the replays denied the rest of us. He wrote well, and quickly, he had excellent contacts among the players, the "alickadoos"(retired players) at Twickenham and on the international board as well. Love him or hate him, you still read Reason, so often jabbing the game in tender places.
But he could not resist a gallop on one of his pet hobby-horses. With a philosophy markedly to the right of Enoch Powell, Reason's criticisms might one day pungently attack demonstrators against sporting contact with South Africa, and the next rail against ballboys in Gisborne who snaffled the ball in touch before the British Lions could make a quick throw-in.
Not surprisingly, the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand offered fresh fodder. Reason vented his fury against the anti-tour movement in a letter to the Christchurch Press - but was further enraged when the Press ran the rant on page 28 of one edition.
Reason could also smile. Toward the end of the tour he failed several times to make contact with the Prime Minister, Rob Muldoon, to get his views both on the tour and its possible effect on the Queen's approaching visit to New Zealand.
He told me this while I was driving him to a party. We stopped in reach of a telephone. I persuaded Information to give me Mr Muldoon's home number in Wellington, but when Reason's call was answered some servant said the Prime Minister did not accept casual calls, even from John Reason.
"Is that John Reason?" came the PM's voice from the background. "Put him on." Half an hour later Reason was still hugging himself about getting a yarn of considerable impact, and even had a kind word for a country where a reporter could hope to telephone the Prime Minister and get a story.
Reason had royalty on the front page of the Telegraph next day, balanced by the lead rugby story on the sports page.
