Sporting and professional life lived to full
An Otago rugby immortal, a highly respected medical professional and a top man — Ron Elvidge made the most of his 96 years. Otago Daily Times sports editor Steve Hepburn looks back on Elvidge’s life.
RON Elvidge was one of the greats of Otago rugby and had a successful medical career after giving up the game.
Whatever he took up or attempted usually ended in success.
He played rugby to the highest level and was also a respected medical professional. He lived a long and fun life and was generous in the giving of his time.
Elvidge died in Auckland on March 30. He was 96 and had been the oldest living All Black.
He captained the All Blacks, scored one of the most famous tries in the history of All Black rugby, and was a key figure in one of the great eras of Otago rugby.
Ronald Rutherford Elvidge was born in Timaru on March 2, 1923, the third child of four to John and Hilda Elvidge. He had an older brother, John, and an older sister, Betty, while Derek was his younger brother.
He spent a short time in Timaru as a toddler before the family moved to Dunedin. His father became managing director of Rattrays Ltd and had other business interests.
Elvidge went to John McGlashan College and from his first day he was a high achiever, breaking school records in athletics and swimming and being a key member of the cricket and rugby teams.
He made the McGlashan First XV and First XI at just 14 and was runnerup in the school boxing championships.
He went on to become the boxing, swimming and fives champion at the school and was second in the crosscountry. He was also head boy for his final two years.
The Elvidge Cup is awarded annually at McGlashan to the winning house in a salute to one of its most distinguished former pupils.
After leaving McGlashan at the end of 1940, Elvidge started his long association with the Otago University club and quickly developed a reputation as one of the most promising rugby players in Dunedin.
He also began studying medicine and had to balance a promising rugby career with wanting to become a doctor.
In 1942, he made his Otago debut at centre against Southland in Invercargill, playing outside former All Black Dave Trevathan.
He was selected for the South Island the following year, aged 20, and helped his team to a 1716 win at Athletic Park.
ELVIDGE first achieved national honours in 1945 when he played for New Zealand Universities against Otago at Carisbrook.
When international rugby resumed after the war in 1946, Elvidge was selected for the All Blacks in the first test against Australia at Carisbrook, which the home side won convincingly 318. Elvidge featured again in the second test and scored the All Blacks’ only try to help them win the series 20.
His first taste of Ranfurly Shield success occurred in Invercargill in 1947 under the coaching guidance of Vic Cavanagh jun. Elvidge scored two tries that day and captained
the Otago team that lifted the
Log o’ Wood with a 1711 victory to begin a famous tenure that would last until 1950. Elvidge played 11 shield matches, scoring seven tries and was a backline mainstay in an outstanding 1948 season.
He was now regarded as one of the leading midfield backs in New Zealand with his strong running, excellent defence and overall leadership making him an automatic choice for national teams. Elvidge’s physique was above that of many other rugby players at the time — he was 1.8m tall and weighed 82kg.
He was not available for the All Blacks tour of Australia in 1947, and the All Blacks did not play any games in 1948.
He was an obvious selection for the tour to South Africa in 1949 and ended up being one of the team’s best performers.
He played all four tests, appearing at centre in the first two before moving in one place when he took over the captaincy from Fred Allen in the final two tests. Elvidge always insisted that it had been with reluctance that he had replaced Allen.
Elvidge played 14 matches in total on that tour, and his medical abilities proved valuable when the team was returning by train from matches in Rhodesia. The train collided with a mail train travelling in the opposite direction. None of the All Blacks was seriously injured although they were all shaken up by the experience. Elvidge and another doctor among the passengers worked all night on the casualties. Despite their efforts, a coaltrimmer, trapped in the engine cab, died before he could be cut free.
The next year, Elvidge captained Otago to a famous 239 win over the 1950 Lions. The Otago team contained 13 players that would wear the All Black jersey.
In the eagerly awaited test series against the British Isles, Elvidge was named captain. The first test in Dunedin was drawn 99 with Elvidge scoring a try late in the match.
ELVIDGE’S deeds in the third test at Athletic Park in Wellington have become legendary in New Zealand rugby history.
Johnny Simpson, the All Black prop, left the field with a careerending knee injury after just 20 minutes to reduce the All Blacks to 14 men. Replacements were not allowed.
Seven minutes before halftime,
Elvidge was badly injured in a tackle. He bumped heads with another medical professional, Lions centre Jack Matthews. The injury was so severe that Elvidge not only had to leave the field to have his face stitched up but he also badly damaged his collarbone in the tackle.
This reduced the All Blacks to 13 men and necessitated a repositioning of players with Otago’s Peter Johnstone moving from No 8 to wing and the outside backs moving in one place to cover the departure of Elvidge. This effectively left the All Blacks with just six forwards.
When the teams turned around at halftime, the All Blacks trailed 30.
One minute into the second half, Elvidge returned to the field in a patchedup state. One arm was dangling loose and from all reports he was experiencing great pain. He took up his position as a roving extra back behind the backline to provide whatever help he could.
All Black halfback Vince Bevan kicked the ball into the Lions half, and after the forwards had secured it from a ruck, the All Black backs sparked.
Peter Henderson came in from the right wing and found Johnstone, the makeshift winger, to his left. As Johnstone took the ball, Elvidge suddenly appeared on the scene and Johnstone passed it to his captain. With a remarkable display of courage, Elvidge caught the ball and headed towards the goal line with Lions fullback Billy Cleaver still to beat.
With total commitment, Elvidge dived for the line and crashed across in Cleaver’s despairing tackle to score a truly remarkable try and ignite an All Black revival.
Bob Scott later kicked a penalty to give the All Blacks a famous 63 victory to clinch the series.
The same day, Elvidge’s sister, Betty Borrie, was giving birth to son Peter. The doctor told Betty: ‘‘Well, Bet, the All Blacks won and your brother Ron has more stitches than you.’’
Elvidge’s injuries were so serious he never played rugby again.
He finished with 66 firstclass appearances over nine seasons. A strong player with tactical awareness, he left a significant legacy. He was an Otago rugby great and one of the finest players to wear the blue and gold.
After giving up the game, he travelled to the United Kingdom to continue his medical studies, training at the Edgware General Hospital in London.
He wanted to train as a gynaecologist and obstetrician, saying it was a branch of medicine where one generally worked with people in good health.
He met his future first wife, Prue Brown, who came from a small village in Shropshire, and they were married in England.
The couple returned to New Zealand in 1956 and lived in Auckland. They had three children: James, Tim and Jo.
He coached rugby at a couple of Auckland clubs and enjoyed going to Eden Park to catch up with some of his old teammates. But he had no real aspiration to go further in the game as he was busy with work and family.
He became one of this country’s foremost gynaecologists and obstetricians, working in all the major hospitals in Auckland as well as being in private practice. It was an extremely demanding job but one he carried out with a minimum of fuss and he greatly enjoyed working with people.
He remarried in the 1970s, to Dawn Martin. She brought four children into the family.
He eventually retired from his work when he was in his early 70s.
A social person, he loved getting away on holiday to the Bay of Islands and spent some time back in Central Otago in his later years.
His All Black teammate in the 1950 series Roy Roper, is now the oldest surviving All Black. He is 95.
Elvidge is survived by his second wife, Dawn, and his three children.