KEY POINTS:
Keith Gudsell played rugby for New Zealand and Australia and later became a vet, a thoroughbred breeder and bloodstock agent.
Gudsell, who died in Waikato Hospital after a brief illness, was a stocky, strong-running midfield back from Wanganui. He was chosen for the 1949 All Blacks in South Africa but injuries restricted his appearances to six matches and none of the four tests.
Gudsell went to Australia to study veterinary science after returning from South Africa and was chosen to play for the Wallabies - against the All Blacks - in 1951, in which they lost all three tests. Working as a vet in Tirau, he played twice for Waikato in 1956. Gudsell also bred horses at Tirau, achieving success with the imported US mare Miamian, who produced the Group 2 winner Reingard and became grand-dam of Group 1 winners Dandy Andy and Ballroom Babe.
Later, under the banner of the Dominion Bloodstock Agency, Gudsell did well as a bloodstock agent. He is survived by his wife and four children.
- NZPA
