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'Gravely unwell': Former All Blacks captain Andy Haden critically unwell
By Online Editors
All Blacks great Andy Haden is battling a cancer relapse and is "gravely ill".
The former lock, who played 117 matches and 41 tests for the All Blacks between 1972 and 1985, is considered one of the greats of the game. He also captained the All Blacks on eight occasions.
A spokesperson for the family told the Herald: "Andy is gravely ill and the family would appreciate that their privacy is respected at this difficult time".
In 2003 Haden, now 69, confirmed to the Herald on Sunday he had chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and was undergoing treatment.
Haden played a part in one the All Blacks' most controversial wins in the 1978 test against Wales in Cardiff when he dived out of the lineout and gained a penalty for Brian McKechnie to kick the winning goal.
Haden says the idea developed as a remedy for the repeated obstruction the All Black jumpers faced throughout the tour and when he dived, referee Roger Quittendon told him he had penalised his marker, Alan Martin, for the foul.
After his rugby career he ran a celebrity management service, with clients including Kiwi supermodel Rachel Hunter.
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Latest Comments
There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.
Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.
Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.
They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.
Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.
Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen
Go to commentsWas it? I just brought it up in some of my posts to rub it in that the AB last year nearly put 100 on a top 6N side lol
I agree to be honest. The biggest key to me that they might be jadded was none of them had mom performances, or even as good as their last three games.
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