Dave Loverage - Halfback.

James M Sandbrook

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Loveridge - Master Halfback

Ron Palenski

ISBN 0 908570 98 8

Published in 1985 by

MOA Publications (1985) Ltd

P.O Box 26 092, Epsom, Auckland 3,

New Zealand

I first read this book many years ago and I find it as interesting now as I did then.

I was a great fan of Dave Loveridge and I always enjoyed watching him play rugby.

He was a player of flair and you never new what great and exciting thing he was going to do next. He seemed to have a great imagination and when he got the ball you never new just what he was going to do next, sprint, dummy, run, dummy, sprint pass... try.

The Forward in this book was written by the great Graham Mourie (Goss), a New Zealand rugby player known world wide.

Mourie was the New Zealand Captain from 1976 to 1982.

The comments from Graham Mourie are just what you would expect from someone who had played with Dave Loveridge.

With Graham Mourie, Dave Loveridge made the New Zealand Junior side in 1975.

Loveridge played with or against the most famous rugby players in his era, these were games of intense excitement and spirit, games that had the audience, either at home or abroad standing on their feet with excitement. I

Loveridge was a rugby player who inspired many a young lad to aim for the All Blacks simply because he was a "keen" player who you new was going to keep the running game going.

New Zealand has provided the All Blacks with many a great halfback such as Sid Going and Chris Laidlaw, Loveridge was no exception to this rule.

This book has a good look at Loveridge's early days with his family and some family history, it then leads up to his being selected for the All Blacks and the tours that followed.

Dave Loveridge had to compete with friend and rival Mark Donaldson for the halfback spot in the All Blacks. Mark Donaldson injured his ankle at the previous Irish test where he had set up a try for Andy Dalton, this try sealed the game for the All Blacks but the injury more or less sealed the fate of Donaldson for the next test.

This was the break Loveridge needed, a chance to show the selectors that they had not made a mistake by choosing him over many good halfbacks back in New Zealand.

His first test was against 'Wales at the Arms Park.' This was a rugby ground that could "make or break" a new player. Playing rugby here was always a highlight in any rugby players career, New Zealand or otherwise.

'The roar as the two teams sprinted on to the field could have been heard in Swansea. Mourie encouraged, urged as the All Blacks went for short sprints, testing their muscles, the ground, their nerves, before they assembled in the middle for the anthems.'

'It was the hardest first 10 minutes in a match I can remember', Loveridge recalls. 'It was definitely another step up on other tour games, on any other match I'd been in. Everything was happening so quick and it was so hard and vigorous I remember thinking "Hell, if it goes on like this I won't last the distance".'

The All Blacks trailed 4-12 at half time and it was also the game of Andy Haden’s famous "dive". Read the book to find out who won!

You also get a good look at how rugby was played back in those days before the "big money" changed the game. It has been mentioned many times by many rugby critics and authors about the change that has taken place since the players started getting large amounts of money playing for the big rugby teams of the world.

In this book you get a look at the team spirit that the players played with and the humour they toured with.

Another example of the time difference between then and now is the mention of the press appearing with typewriters and not computers (laptops) in those days.

Many good photos can be found in this book. Even one when Dave was only one and a half years old, young Dave is sporting a bit of a sad face in this one.

Many colour and black and white photos are included, many are photos of Dave in action showing his style as a halfback.

'Loveridge made his debut for Taranaki against Waikato in Hamilton and although Taranaki were beaten in that and their three following matches, Loveridge was hailed as the find of the season and with the rugby year barely half over, his place in the team was cemented.'

Loveridge felt Taranaki was where he belonged and the team he preferred to play rugby with.

The book is full of great quotes like this one from Bob Graham:

Loveridge is off the top shelf of all All Black halfbacks because of his diversity of talents. Naturally a runner with the ball - a weaving, teasing runner rather than the 'take em on' running of Sid Going - he developed his passing and punting on the same high level.

Going was noted as a runner, Chris Laidlaw as a passer - Loveridge is as good at both as either of them were and sometimes better.

Its no wonder that the recent All Blacks coaches have been asking Dave Loveridge to talk to the current All Black teams to give them advice and also help the present day halfbacks with their style.

The book gives you a good idea about the courage Dave Loveridge shows when up against big problems and his efforts to keep trying to be better and go against the odds.

You will enjoy the rugby history in this book and the big rugby names. If you watched most of the games mentioned in this book you will get the chance to relive the excitement of each game and find out inside information about what happened.

I highly recommend this book to any All Black fan and all other rugby fans.