Andy Dalton

Rugger| name = Andy Dalton


caption =
birthname = Andrew Grant Dalton
birthyear= 1951
birthmonth= 11
birthday=16
placeofbirth = Dunedin, New Zealand
nickname =
death_place =
height = convert|1.78|m|ftin|abbr=on
weight = convert|93|kg|stlb|abbr=on
ru_position = Hooker
ru_nationalteam = New Zealand
ru_nationalcaps= 35
ru_nationalpoints = (12)
ru_nationalyears = 1977-1985
ru_ntupdate = 1 November 2006
allblackid=205
allblackno=777
ru_coachupdate= 1 November 2006
ru_provinceupdate= 1 November 2006
ru_currentclub= Retired
ru_province = Unknown North Island XV Counties Manukau
ru_provincepoints= (?) (?) (?)
ru_provinceyears = 1982-1987 1976-1982 1975-1985
ru_provincecaps = (?) (?) (?)
ru_coachyears= 1989-1991
ru_coachclubs= Counties Manukau
other = yes
occupation = Company manager and director CEO Auckland Rugby
school= Selwyn College, Auckland
relatives= Ray Dalton

Andrew Grant Dalton (born 16 November 1951 in Dunedin, New Zealand) is an ex-All Blacks rugby union player who captained the side 17 times in tests. He is a second-generation All Black; his father Ray [http://stats.allblacks.com/Profile.asp?ABID=207 played in two All Blacks tests] in the late 1940s.

Early years

Although born in Dunedin, he was schooled at Selwyn College in Auckland (not to be confused with Selwyn College at the University of Otago), playing for the school's first team in 1968 and 1969 as a prop. He then returned to the South Island, enrolling at Lincoln College (then a part of the University of Canterbury) to study for a Bachelor of Agricultural Science. While there, he converted to hooker, and represented Canterbury at under-20 and senior reserve level.

After graduating, he returned to Auckland, playing for the senior B side at the Eastern club. In 1975, he moved to Pukekohe to start a career as a farm adviser, and won representative selection for the first time at Counties Manukau. The following year, which was the first of the National Provincial Championship (the predecessor to today's Air New Zealand Cup), he was named captain at Counties.

All Blacks

Dalton earned his first All Blacks cap during their 1977 tour of France. He also played all four tests on their successful Grand Slam tour of Great Britain and Ireland in 1978, scoring the only try in their encounter with nrut|Ireland.

By 1981, he had become the regular All Blacks hooker, and captained the side for the first time when Graham Mourie was unavailable for the series against nrut|South Africa. Dalton became the full-time captain upon Mourie's 1982 retirement, most notably leading the All Blacks against the Lions during their 1983 tour. He was chosen as captain for their aborted 1985 tour of South Africa, and went on to captain the unofficial Cavaliers tour of South Africa in 1986. He suffered a broken jaw In the second match of the tour and played no more rugby that season. Dalton was one of the most successful All Blacks captains in history, victorious in 15 of his 17 tests as captain.

He was named captain of the side that would go on to win the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup, but suffered an injury in a practice session that ruled him out of the tournament, leaving the honour of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup to David Kirk. [cite web|url=http://allblacks.com/index.cfm?layout=showHistory&newsArticle=298 |title=All Blacks At The World Cup |publisher="AllBlacks.com" |date=2003-11-26 |accessdate=2007-01-25]

After rugby

After his retirement from rugby immediately after the 1987 World Cup, he continued his career in agriculture for a time, but later became a corporate manager. He coached Counties from 1989 to 1991, and was president of the New Zealand Rugby Union from 1999 to 2000. He is now the CEO of the Auckland Rugby Football Union, and operates a farm in the Bombay Hills south of Auckland.

References

External links

*All Blacks|id=205|name=Andy Dalton