NEWPORT rugby veterans are today living the dream again, toasting their finest hour in club rugby 45 years to the day since they beat the All Blacks at Rodney Parade.

Brian Price’s team were the only side to topple the All Blacks in their 30 matches on their 1963/64 tour, courtesy of Dick Uzzell’s dropped goal.

New Zealand, led by the legendary Wilson Whineray beat Wales, England, Ireland and the Barbarians (they didn’t play France) and lost just once – against Newport.

Price still remembers that famous day vividly and though he also captained Wales, was capped 32 times and played for the British Lions, that Newport victory remains a career highlight.

“Obviously as this time of year comes around I get a big buzz. It’s still very fresh in my memory, and it’s very much in the forefront of the minds of those who played,” he said.

“There’s always a nice smile on my face but it’s also my birthday and I’m another year older (he’s 71 today) so I’ll have a little toast certainly.

“We still often meet up to play golf or watch rugby, but Dick left for Portugal (where he spends a lot of his time) yesterday and we had a chat, I’ll probably have a phone call sometime today.”

Apart from Newport’s achievement one other thing from that day stands out in Price’s memory.

“A real highlight was Wilson Whineray coming into the changing room to congratulate us which was fantastic and took a lot,” he said.

“We were all shouting and bawling and he was stood there in the doorway, it proved what a gentleman he was.”

But Price admits there is one thing which still irks him - the lack of recognition his side received compared with Llanelli after their win against the All Blacks nine years later.

“I’ve been upset at the amount of publicity the Llanelli match has received while ours seems to have faded into the distance,” he said.

“In my opinion the All Blacks side we beat was superior to the side that Llanelli beat – though I’m not taking anything away from them as they could only beat what was in front of them.”

Stuart Watkins, capped 26 times and also a British Lion, was another key member of the Newport team that day.

“It still lives very long in the memory and it won’t disappear from it,” he said. “It stands right up there with all the internationals, at club level that was it.”

“We often talk about how the game has changed between then and now, though not the amount of rain which fell that day.

“We often meet up with Earl Kirton and a few of their boys when they come over, and it was really special the way Wilson Whineray came in to our dressing room and said ‘well done.’ “The Newport pack took them on and gave as good as they got. Ian Ford was a colossus that day and he was never given due credit for it.

“We’re still all good friends,” he added after meeting up with Price and others last week for the annual golf match between Newport and Bristol former players at St Pierre.