Retiring from rugby on golden note - Wilson's cricket bombshell

That's it . . . The Highlanders' Jeff Wilson celebrates the final try of his rugby career, scored in the Super 12 semifinal loss to the Canterbury Crusaders, at Jade Stadium on Saturday night. Below: Wilson announces his retirement from all levels of rugby.

By Brent Edwards
All Black great Jeff Wilson, who yesterday retired from all rugby to pursue again a career in cricket, was described by Laurie Mains as a once-in-a-decade player.Wilson (28), the All Blacks' record test try-scorer (44 in 60 tests), surprised New Zealand sports fans yesterday when he announced he would be swapping boots for flannels.

Wilson, an all-rounder, will play for the Appleby club in Invercargill, and hopes to represent Southland in the Hawke Cup and Otago in the State one and four-day competitions. He played four one-day internationals for New Zealand in 1993 and the most recent of his first-class appearances was for Otago in 1997.

Mains was coach when Wilson scored three tries in his All Black test debut against Scotland in Edinburgh in 1993 and again when he signed off with a try for the Highlanders against the Crusaders on Saturday night. "There won't be another Jeff," Mains said. "The really class players are one of a kind and he's one of a kind. There'll never be someone who produces the same sort of spectacular play the way he has. "There'll be other players come along who are just as good, but they won't be quite like him. "He has those silky skills you only see in a player once in a decade. At his peak, he was without peer as a winger. We kept our statistics all year and it was hard to find Jeff appear on any of them with a mistake."

Mains said he was confident Wilson would have regained his place in the All Blacks next week had he not retired. "His form certainly justified it. Test rugby's about not making mistakes and, in any of the back three positions, he was outstanding." Mains said Wilson had had "a superb year" for the Highlanders in the Super 12 and it was difficult to assess his loss to Otago and New Zealand rugby. "He wanted to make sure he went out at the top of his form, and he did."

Wilson's retirement had remained a secret to all but his closest friends, although he revealed yesterday it had been his intention since early in the Super 12. "I thought maybe if he had a big Super 12 he would have changed his mind but it was the reverse really," Mains said. "If he makes it in cricket now, after so long out of the game, it will be a phenomenal achievement but, if anyone can, Jeff can. I won't be at all surprised."

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden described the announcement of Wilson's return to the code as "quite a nice little Sunday morning wake-up, really". "I'm delighted about this, although I haven't spoken to him directly. It's great news for Otago and New Zealand cricket. "He's got a big job ahead ofhim but he's the sort of person who will take up that challenge and do it properly. "New Zealand and Otago cricket have to work together to get him into the swing of it again as soon as possible." Snedden said he would be talking to his colleagues at NZC and then to Wilson, about how to manage his return to the game. "He's done it at the elite level. Cricket aside, he has a huge amount to offer to the guys he trains and works with. It's also what he does for the other cricketers around him."

Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive John Hornbrook described Wilson as "the type of player who comes along once in a lifetime". "He's helped a lot of younger players who are coming through now, and I think he'll leave a legacy." Hornbrook said Wilson's exuberance and skill had been great for the game. "It's sad to lose someone of that calibre but it's hard to think of anyone who has given Otago as much, on and off the field, as he has.

"Good on him - and thanks for the memories."