Alasdair Lindsay Robert "Sandy" McNicol (15 June 1944 – 20 April 2017) was a 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. A

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

, McNicol represented

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, 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 ...

Playing career

McNicol represented

at a provincial level, and played for the

in 1973, as a replacement on the 1972–73 tour of Britain, Ireland, France and North America. He played five games for the All Blacks during the latter part of that tour, but did not appear in any test matches. McNicol had a military background and later worked as a teacher. In 1973 he informed the

New Zealand Rugby Union New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to t ...

that he would be unavailable for selection to play against the touring South African side, owing to his objecting to

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. This resulted in his receiving death threats. He later moved to France and played for Stadoceste Tarbais, who were French champions in 1973. He spent three years in

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...

Later years

McNicol had dementia. He took his own life on 20 April 2017.

References

1944 births 2017 suicides 2017 deaths Rugby union players from Lower Hutt New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Wanganui rugby union players Rugby union props New Zealand military personnel People educated at Whangarei Boys' High School Tarbes Pyrénées Rugby players Suicides in Queensland {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1940s-stub