Rugby stars pay tribute to Thorburn
Peter Thorburn once slipped $2000 into Frank Bunce’s hand for the RWC and said ‘‘have a beer on me’’. Richard Knowler remembers the legend with Bunce and Buck Shelford.
Former All Blacks Wayne ‘‘Buck’’ Shelford and Frank Bunce recounted stories of the late Peter Thorburn joining water fights, providing unexpected financial windfalls and dreaming-up eyepopping moves that creased excited chatter throughout New Zealand.
Thorburn, who had dementia, died in North Harbour Hospital this week. He was 81.
Good enough to play 40 games for Auckland as a No 8 between 1965-70, Thorburn later excelled at coaching. This led to him taking roles with the NZ Sevens team, North Harbour, English club Bristol and the United States national team.
Thorburn was also an All Blacks selector under coach Laurie Mains, in 1992 and 1993, and Wayne Smith in 2000 and 2001.
North Harbour’s foundation coach from 1985-91 (he also returned for a stint in 1997), Thorburn was an innovative, passionate coach who ensured players wanted to work together for the greater cause.
Nurturing talent, constructing game plans and analysing opponents – something Thorburn did well – can be one thing. Creating the right chemistry and harmony in a squad is another.
Thorburn knew how to make players feel valued.
Bunce, who switched from Auckland to North Harbour in 1991, represented Manu Samoa at the World Cup in Britain in Ireland later that year and recalled Thorburn giving him a pleasant surprise before leaving for the tournament.
‘‘I remember when I made the Samoan team for the World Cup and ‘Thorbs’ gave me an envelope and said ‘here have a beer on me’,’’ Bunce said.
‘‘When I opened it up, there was $2000. It was out of his pocket. I know he was pretty well off, but I didn’t really know him that well, and he still did that.
‘‘He expected nothing back from it. It was just a good turn from someone who was a good guy.’’
Shelford, who was to later captain the All Blacks between 1987-90, switched from Auckland when North Harbour became the 27th provincial union.
Although widely recognised as one of the most uncompromising men to play the game, No 8 Shelford still wanted to enjoy himself. He relished Thorburn’s willingness to brew-up unorthodox attacking methods and respected him for insisting wives and girlfriends be welcomed to after-match functions.
The team had to be prepared to do the tough yakka, but once the work was done there was an acceptance everyone should share the good times with their mates.
‘‘He was part of that framework of having fun and to the point where all the boys had water pistols, and he had one of those bloody big cannon things,’’ Shelford said.
‘‘Court sessions were part of the enjoyment, and this was before rugby went pro, and you could really have some fun. He was just a great guy — pretty innovative and always up for a challenge.’’
Shelford, whose debut for Auckland in
1982 coincided with the appointment of John Hart as coach, played for the North Shore club and in 1984 the idea of forming a new provincial union across the harbour bridge appealed.
Having attended a few meetings, Shelford liked the prospect of more players getting exposed to provincial footy, instead of being stuck behind the big names in the Auckland squad.
So, in 1985, North Harbour entered the third division. Thorburn’s goal was for the team to be in the first division after three years, and he was to be proved correct.
Thorburn quickly made it clear he wasn’t afraid to come up with bold ideas. There was the monster scrum, where the backs joined the set-piece, as well as the 13-man maul.
‘‘Then there was ‘the wall’ move from penalties, with a runner going through the centre, or the inside or the outside,’’ Shelford said. ‘‘Sometimes we got through, sometimes we got caught.’’
Radical, yes. But Shelford said the players were always keen to try whatever the coach suggested.
‘‘I think all the players were on board straight away because they had to learn very quickly, and the radical ideas gave them the ability to express themselves.
‘‘And when you got players like Paul Feeney, Frano Botica, Wayne Hill and Gary Cunningham you wanted to give the ball to the backs because they had all the speed.’’
Bunce decided to switch from Auckland to North Harbour when Eric Rush, who also went on to play for the All Blacks, told him he would enjoy the set-up across the bridge. ‘‘That was the big difference when I moved from Auckland over to Harbour. You were able to be yourself a little bit more,’’ Bunce said. ‘‘You could laugh about things, it wasn’t as strict as it was with Auckland – and I guess that reflected in their results at the time.
‘‘With North Harbour it was fun. And ‘Thorbs’ was a lot to do with that. He made playing rugby, turning up to training fun, and going away on trips fun.
‘‘That’s why we were playing rugby. That’s why you started as a kid, because your mates were playing, and you go along and enjoy it.’’
Thorburn coached Bristol between 2001-03 and later took the United States to the 2007 World Cup. He was awarded a life membership to North Harbour and was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year honours list in 2013.
For many, especially those who played for him or worked alongside him, Thorburn was remembered for his contribution to North Harbour.
Bunce also noted Thorburn was no pushover, and had the ability to spit sparks if required to deliver a dose of tough love: ‘‘I didn’t see it that often, but it was there.’’
Shelford enjoyed Thorburn’s sense of humour, and willingness to treat his men with respect.
‘‘I think ‘Thorbs’ was at the forefront of that and is going to be missed by a lot of people.’’