The 1952 New Zealand XV team that played against the New Zealand Māori. Richard Adam snr is third row back, first on right.
The 1952 New Zealand XV team that played against the New Zealand Māori. Richard Adam snr is third row back, first on right.
Appearing in 50 matches for Waikato Rugby is no easy feat these days, let alone 70 years ago - Richard Adam snr achieved this all while sharing the fullback position with Kereone All Blacks great Don Clarke.
Richard Alasdair Adam was born in 1929 in the Thames Valley region, playing his schoolboy rugby for Netherton School and Ngatea College (now Hauraki Plains College).
In 1942, he was selected for the Thames Valley Northern Roller Mills team but the tournament didn’t take place due to World War II.
After leaving Ngatea College, Adam moved to a farm on Newman Rd at Panetapu (Wharepapa South), 20 kilometres southwest of Te Awamutu.
The young farmer joined the Pirongia-Rovers Football Club in 1948.
An avid goal kicker, Adam erected goalposts in a paddock at home to practise his kicking.
In his second season, he became one of four Pirongia-Rovers players to be selected for Waikato alongside Alby Rowan, Rex Hinton and Bob Hinton.
Adam became Waikato #418 and represented Waikato on 52 occasions across 1949-1953 and 1955-1956, amassing 253 provincial points - two tries, 41 conversions and 55 penalty goals.
On July 15, 1950, he finally represented his Thames Valley roots playing for Waikato-King Country-Thames Valley combined against the British Isles at Hamilton’s Rugby Park - although it was a 30-0 defeat.
Richard Adam snr played for a New Zealand XV against the New Zealand Māori side in 1952.
A July 1950 Te Awamutu Courier article stated that both Pirongia-Rovers reps, Adam and Alby Rowan, were prominent in play against the British.
“Adam was in a difficult position and went remarkably well against the aggressive play of the fast outside backs. Although he is fast, in pursuit of the British backs he was shown a clean pair of heels.
“When he gained possession of the ball he made good use of it, but some of his line kicks did not find touch. A perfect example of effortless and sure passing and handling being faster than a running man was well demonstrated.
“From a lineout on one side of the field, the ball would be across to the other side before the fullback was halfway there, and that was mostly where Adam was defeated.”
Adam played predominantly at fullback but played several games on the wing, too, as Don Clarke came on the scene from 1951 onwards.
When Pirongia-Rovers disbanded in 1951 Adam joined the Te Awamutu United Club.
The highlight of Adam’s Waikato representative career would have been the great Waikato Ranfurly Shield era, in which he was their chief points scorer.
The peak of his career was being selected to play fullback for a New Zealand XV against the New Zealand Māori in 1952.
This team also contained the likes of Brian Fitzpatrick, Bill McCaw and Ponty Reid.
The game, won 28-22 by the New Zealand XV, was a farewell for Lord Bernard Freyberg, who had served as Governor-General of New Zealand since 1946.
In 1956, Adam’s son Richard “Dick” Alexander Adam was born and this was to be his last year on the pitch.
At age 27, Adam snr’s farming career and family became his main priority.
However, he didn’t step away from the game completely. Adam snr coached the Te Awamutu United team for three seasons, during which they were one of the leading teams in the Waikato Championship (first division).
Richard "Dick" Adam on the burst for Waikato.
In about 1968, the Adams family moved Thornwood Stud (jersey cows) to the outskirts of Kihikihi, where Richard Adam jnr still runs Carnmor Jersey Stud to this day.
Granddaughter Michelle took over Thornwood Stud once Adam snr retired. She and her husband Shaun Good have since moved the stud to Ōtorohanga.
Adam snr passed away at age 87 in 2016 and now lies at rest on Picquet Hill at the Te Awamutu Cemetery.
Jersey cows, Waikato Rugby affiliation and a name were just a few of the commonalities that father and son, Richard Adam snr and jnr shared.
“I remember one day at a Ranfurly Shield game - my father held the record for most points for Waikato in Ranfurly Shield games at that stage - and [coach] George Simpkin revved me up and said that seeing I wasn’t the kicker, I’d have to score a lot tries to get there,” Adam jnr says.
Although he never got to see his dad play rugby and he didn’t talk a lot about his career, Adam jnr says it was special that they had both achieved provincial recognition.
Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.
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