Don Strachan has accomplished a feat that only a handful of Wallabies still living have achieved — defeating the All Blacks at Eden Park.
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handful → accomplish → Park
In his second test match in 1955, the then-26-year-old prop started in Australia's 8–3 defeat of New Zealand at the iconic ground in Auckland.
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prop → start → Auckland
The Wallabies have only tasted success against the All Blacks there on three other occasions, the last 40 years ago.
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Wallabies → taste → occasions
"We were determined to win that [1955] game," Strachan said.
"It was something that everyone on that team was proud of …
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everyone → win → team
An excerpt from a local newspaper following the game detailed the win as "one of the finest" the Wallabies had produced.
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Wallabies → follow → finest
"The Australians gave a magnificent exhibition to outplay the All Blacks," the article said.
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article → give → Blacks
Despite the victory, New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup following wins in the first and second test matches in Wellington and Dunedin.
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Zealand → retain → Wellington
The series loss still haunts Strachan all these years later.
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loss → haunt → Strachan
He was disallowed a try in his debut game at Carisbrook on the South Island, which the All Blacks won 8–0.
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Blacks → disallow → 8–0
"We were cheated," Strachan said.
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Strachan → cheat → ?
Lucky to be alive
Hailing from Orange in the New South Wales Central West, the 97-year-old is the oldest living Australian rugby union player.
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old → hail → West
"I'm Wallaby number 413, and that means there are 412 of them who are no longer here anymore," he said.
"I wouldn't have wished for anything else.
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I → mean → anything
I've had a great time."
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I → have → time
His international rugby career almost ended before it began following a motorbike crash in the Blue Mountains while returning from a game in Sydney.
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it → end → Sydney
"I had a terrific motor accident.
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I → have → accident
A truck came over the hill on the wrong side of the road," Strachan said.
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Strachan → come → road
"[It] hit me head-on.
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It → hit → me
"
After suffering a compound fracture to his leg, Strachan narrowly avoided having it amputated and spent several months in hospital.
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it → suffer → hospital
"Their advice was that I would never be able to play rugby again because I could lose my leg,"he said.
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I → play → leg,"he
Returning to rugby
Back on his dad's potato farm near Orange, Strachan began building his strength to return to the footy field.
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Strachan → return → field
"I used to lift 1,000 bags of potatoes a day," he said.
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he → use → potatoes
"I had a very strong back, legs and shoulders …
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I → have → back
That stood me in good stead because I had the muscles to support everything else."
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I → stand → everything
As a front rower, Strachan "loved the game" and the physicality that came with it.
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that → love → it
"I never got pushed out of a scrum in my life …
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I → push → life
If they played fair, I played fair," he said.
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he → play → ?
"If they wanted to do something else, I'd accommodate them.
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I → want → them
I accommodated a few of them."
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I → accommodate → them
That love of rugby ultimately saw Strachan captain the Combined NSW Country side for five years, represent the NSW Waratahs and play twice for Australia.
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Strachan → see → Australia
It could have been more after being selected for a seven-month tour of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States in 1955, but with a baby on the way with wife Wendy and a farm to help run, he declined the opportunity.
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he → select → opportunity
Orange Emus founded
In 1947, the Orange Rugby Club had been travelling to Sydney most winter weekends to take on lifesaving clubs and agricultural schools.
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Club → found → clubs
From that team spawned the idea to create a four-team local competition in Orange that would become the Central West Rugby Union tournament in 1956.
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that → spawn → 1956
Given that macropods had been adopted by many clubs across the country, Strachan and his friends turned to the other side of the Australian coat of arms for inspiration.
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Strachan → give → inspiration
And thus, the Orange Emus Rugby Club was born.
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Club → bear → ?
"We had a collection of some of the nicest people you could ever meet," he said.
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he → have → people
To fund the construction of an oval and grandstand, the club had to get creative.
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club → fund → oval
"We used to do these rabbit drives," Strachan said.
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Strachan → use → drives
"We were catching 1,200 rabbits at a time and taking them into the abattoirs and selling them.
"
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We → catch → them
The whole club got together and worked and made this money … eventually we were able to put it together."
The Orange Emus became one of the most successful clubs in the Central West Rugby Union competition, winning 17 first-grade titles.
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Emus → get → titles
The Wallabies will play NZ on Saturday afternoon.
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Wallabies → play → afternoon
The Aporia