John Rutherford "Jock" Butterfield (18 January 1932 – 14 February 2004) was a New Zealand

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He was named amongst the finest that New Zealand produced during the 20th century. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played his club football in various places in New Zealand,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. Butterfield held the record for most test caps for the New Zealand national team until overtaken by Gary Freeman. In 2007 he was named at in New Zealand's rugby league team of the century.

New Zealand

Born in Taylorville, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, Butterfield played at the nearby township of

Brunner Brunner may refer to: Places * Brunner, New Zealand * Lake Brunner, New Zealand * Brunner Mine, New Zealand * Brunner, Houston, United States * Brunner (crater), lunar crater Other uses * Brunner (surname) * Brunner the Bounty Hunter, a character ...

's rugby league club and also represented the West Coast. Butterfield then moved to

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, playing for the

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...

club in the

Canterbury Rugby League Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby lea ...

from 1953 and also representing

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. ...

. At this time he was first selected to represent

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

's Wingham Park, scoring a try in the 20-14 second test win over Great Britain. He went on to play for the Kiwis in the first Rugby League World Cup in 1954 as a second-row forward. Touring Great Britain and France with the Kiwis in the winter of 1955-56, Butterfield switched to hooker and also toured Australia in 1956. He appeared at the next World Cup in 1957 as well. Butterfield returned to the West Coast in 1958 to work in the coal mines. Rejoining Brunner Rugby League Club, he captain-coached the side to the

Thacker Shield The Thacker Shield is a rugby league football trophy awarded on an annual basis to the winner of a match between the champion clubs of the Canterbury Rugby League and West Coast Rugby League. History The shield was donated by Dr Henry Thacker in ...

championship that year. The following year he again toured Australia with the Kiwis. In 1960 he played for New Zealand in another

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

. He led Brunner to another championship in 1963 and also toured Australia. He'd been trying to join Australian club

Manly-Warringah The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

but the move was blocked by the

NZRL The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood ''T ...

. Butterfield played his final test for the Kiwis that year. He had played in 99 games, including 36 tests, for New Zealand, a record that still stands.

Australia

After being cleared to do so by the NZRL, in 1964 Butterfield signed with

NSWRFL Premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sou ...

side

and moved to Australia at the age of 32. After one season with the Sydney club he moved to the country, where he captain-coached Leeton in the Reverina competition. In 1965, Butterfield, along with the rest of the

, visited the

USA Rugby League The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the official governing body for rugby league, a code of rugby football, in the United States. The organization also runs the national amateur competition for club teams in the US. The league consists of six te ...

for an exhibition match against the

St. Louis Bombers Rugby Football Club The St. Louis Bombers Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based out of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The Bombers are former members of the SuperLeague, the premier league in the United States. History 1960s–1990s The St. Louis Bomb ...

. Butterfield ended up playing in the

Foley Shield The Foley Shield is a rugby league competition in North Queensland administered by the Queensland Rugby League. Prior to 1948 an inter-town competition known as the Carlton Cup was contested in North Queensland. This was revamped, and renamed in ...

competition for

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, bas ...

and

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as ...

in Queensland's outback until his retirement in the early 1970s. Butterfield remained in Queensland and in 2001 was inducted as one of the NZRL's ''Legends of League''. He died in Brisbane on 14 February 2004 aged 72. A regional Queensland youth rugby league tournament was named after him.

References

External links

One of Jock Butterfield's investments became fruitful after his passing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butterfield, Jock People from the West Coast, New Zealand New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand national rugby league team players Canterbury rugby league team players West Coast rugby league team players Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players 2004 deaths Sydenham Swans players New Zealand rugby league coaches Rugby league hookers Rugby league second-rows Rugby league props South Island rugby league team players Brunner players 1932 births