All Black and Amber: 1963 and a Game of Rugby by Steve Lewis, Y Lolfa

LIFELONG fan and author Steve Lewis has written the definitive account of Newport’s stunning and historic 3-0 victory in 1963 over Wilson Whineray’s All Blacks in a highly entertaining book.

On October 30 this year, the club celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Black and Ambers’ memorable triumph, the 13 surviving players and one of their opponents that day, the current New Zealand Rugby Union president, Ian MacRae who faced them in the centre, all coming together, with club officials and fans at a dinner to commemorate that wet Wednesday at Rodney Parade that is now part of folklore.

It was the only defeat the late, great Whineray’s side suffered on a four-month, 36-match tour of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and finally Canada.

The New Zealand side were as fine then as they are now and boasted world class players like Colin Meads, Don Clarke, Brian Lochore, Waka Nathan and Kel Tremain – all of whom tasted defeat in Newport.

Lewis does an outstanding job in bringing the day and the era of the time to life with references to the music and mood of that seminal year which saw US president John F Kennedy assassinated in Dallas just weeks later.

The author is also very good at unearthing great anecdotes such as the story behind John ‘Dick’ Uzzell’s nickname, the centre dropping the famous early drop goal which eventually saw Newport join Swansea and Cardiff as the third Welsh club side to beat New Zealand (Llanelli became the fourth with their 9-3 win at Stradey Park nine years later in 1972).

There are some eye-opening tales as well that ensure the reader doesn’t forget how different those amateur days were – a million miles away from today’s game with its near Olympic standard professional athletes and their strict diet regimes.

There are plenty of delightful tales about players enjoying a large sherry before kick-off and how, almost unbelievably in those rather more straight laced and, perhaps, unforgiving times, some of those heroes had a real battle on their hands to even get the day off work to play in one of the most important games of their lives.

Now that really is Scrooge-like. Talking of Christmas, this would make a great present for any rugby fan, but is essential reading for all Newport supporters.

Iwan Gabe Davies