Ian Archibald Hurst (born 27 August 1951 in Oamaru) is a former New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player who played for the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

in the early 1970s. He also played provincial rugby for

North Otago North Otago in New Zealand covers the area of Otago between Shag Point and the Waitaki River, and extends inland to the west as far as the village of Omarama (which has experienced rapid growth as a developing centre for astronomy and for glid ...

and

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Early career

In 1970 Hurst was picked to play for North Otago while he was attending

Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...

. The next year while attending Lincoln College he earned an appearance for Canterbury. Hurst was chosen for the New Zealand Universities in 1972, playing against the Californian Grizzlies, he then forced his way into the Canterbury A team midway through 1972 playing as a centre. In his sixth appearance he was involved in the team which lifted the Ranfurly Shield from Auckland, winning him a place in the trials for the All Black side to tour Britain. With a strong performance in the trial Hurst was selected to play against New York Metropolitan in the second match of the 1972/73, where he also scored his first all black try.

Higher honours

Hurst played in 16 matches in the 1972/73 tour, including the test matches against Ireland and France. After another strong season for Canterbury Hurst was re-selected for the internal tour and the test match against England in 1973. Hurst scored a try against England to help the All Blacks to a 10–6 halftime lead, but England fought back and won 16–10. 1974 saw Hurst picked for the tour of Australia and Fiji, playing six matches and the first two test matches against Australia. Although picked for the 1974 tour of Ireland, Wales and England, Hurst's All Black career was coming to an end. He played in four of the eight matches on the tour and finished his career with a 13 all draw against the Barbarians.

After internationals

After being dropped from the All Blacks in 1974 Hurst went back to play for North Otago. At the time North Otago was one of the country's weakest unions, but he was a good value for the province, playing for them until 1980. In 1979 he played so well he was given another All Black trial. Hurst has now moved from farming to become a successful businessman.

Family

Hurst's son, Ben, also had a solid rugby career, playing for the New Zealand Colts, Canterbury, the Crusaders and the Highlanders.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Ian New Zealand rugby union players Rugby union players from Oamaru 1951 births Living people New Zealand international rugby union players North Otago rugby union players People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School Rugby union centres Canterbury rugby union players