Northern rugby great passes

Northland Rugby paid tribute to former North Auckland player and coach Lindsay Townsend, who died this month.

In 1957, Townsend was part of the Otago side that took the Ranfurly Shield off Wellington.

He then moved to Kamo and played for the North Auckland side on 45 occasions before retiring in 1964.

He went on to coach North Auckland between 1976 and 1979 and was in charge during an upset win in 1978, when his side won the ‘Log of Wood’ after beating Manawatu.

“He was an outstanding halfback, and it is generally acknowledged he played his finest rugby for North Auckland and deserved more than just a couple of All Black trials in his first two seasons in the north,” Northland Rugby says.

The North Auckland Rugby Union covered the area from Whangarei to Puhoi and included clubs in Warkworth, Omaha, Kaipara Flats, Otamatea, Tomarata, Port Albert, Wellsford and Paparoa.