Referee, coach, administrator remembered
Former Taranaki rugby coach, first class referee and board member John Luckin has been remembered for the passion he showed towards the sport and his province after he died on Tuesday aged 82.
Luckin coached Taranaki for three consecutive years from 1991 after a tremendously successful time coaching Inglewood through the 1980s.
Together with assistant Kelvin Jackson, Luckin saw Taranaki relegated from the National Provincial Championship first division in his first year of coaching following a heart breaking 22-19 loss to Hawke’s Bay in Napier.
The disappointment of that year was replaced by the euphoria of winning the second division and promotion in 1992 after a gutsy 12-0 win over Counties Manukau, a win that was remembered by the players and administrators just a few weeks ago.
Luckin remained at the helm the following year when Taranaki survived relegation following wins over Hawke’s Bay and King Country while they also enjoyed a decent performance against the touring British and Irish Lions, despite the 49-25 loss.
‘‘He was a passionate Taranaki rugby man and that was a great thing about him,’’ former Taranaki captain Andrew Slater said.
’’He was a local guy who enjoyed great success with Inglewood and that saw him progress through to taking the Taranaki A team that was a goal for him. He was there for the right reasons, he loved the game and he desperately wanted Taranaki to do well, that was the greatest thing about him.’’
Luckin did suffer criticism in some parts of the province during his coaching tenure, often being accused of selecting too many Inglewood players.
However, Slater said that was simply how it was at the time.
‘‘Obviously Inglewood were very competitive in first division club rugby back then and a lot of the players deserved to be there of right. You always had a lot of opinions of who should have been playing for Taranaki back then but at the end of the day the greatest thing about him was that Taranaki pride.’’
Taranaki Rugby Football Union chairman Lindsay Thomson said Luckin was a rare figure within the sport given he reached first class level in refereeing and coaching while he also served on the union’s board.
Luckin had six years in the top five of the Taranaki Rugby Referee’s Association, controlling nine first class games, including three first division fixtures, during that time.
‘‘He clearly had a great passion for rugby, it was in his veins,’’ Thomson said.