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​Aaron Mauger
All Black and Coach

​Aaron Mauger had been marked for higher honours from an early age. After playing for the national secondary schools’ side in 1998, Aaron was immediately promoted into the Canterbury side for the 1999 national championship even though he was only 18. In that season, with Andrew Mehrtens away at the World Cup of that season, Aaron was usually at first five eighths and was chosen by the Rugby Almanack as one of their Five Promising Players of the Year.
But after acting as Mehrtens understudy for the Crusaders in the 2000 Super 12, then captaining the New Zealand Colts to their international under 21 success in 2000, Aaron in subsequent years began to concentrate more on playing at second five-eighths. Whether outside Mehrtens or later Daniel Carter, he seemed tailor-made for the position. Aaron was a regular selection in the Crusaders and played in the winning Super sides of 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006. Injuries and All Black commitments reduced his chances to play for Canterbury and he finished well short of 50 NPC appearances. But he did play in the Canterbury side which won the NPC titles in 2001 and 2004 and in the side which lifted the Ranfurly Shield in 2004. He made the All Blacks for the first time in 2001 for that seasons end-of-year tour and was a regulation selection from then on, usually as a second five. However, he did occasionally return to his schoolboy position at first five. He played a test there against Fiji in 2002, when he scored a try and contributed 13 points with his boot. He was also at first five, and captain, in the 2004 match against the UK Barbarians and in the second spell of a test against Fiji in 2005, when he again took over the goal-kicking duties. Aaron came from a notable rugby family. His brother Nathan, also a midfield back, was a team-mate in the 2001 All Black touring team, though Nathans two appearances came only in non-cap midweek fixtures.
The two brothers were nephews of Graeme Bachop, an All Black halfback in 1987-95, and Stephen Bachop, an All Black first five eighths in 1992-94. Aaron's mother thus had the rare distinction of being a mother of two All Blacks and the sister of two All Blacks.
Extract from Lindsay Knight for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.
Friday 14th March 2025
Show Gate Lounge
Riccarton Park RSVP by 28 February 2025
Note: Ensure your guests are aware of the dress code "tie and jacket'
A $15.00 additional payment will apply for luncheon payments not received within 2 days of the date of each luncheon.
Our last Event

​Shot putter Tom Walsh has had a stellar career, two Olympic bronze medals, two Commonwealth games gold medals (and a silver), plus a pair of indoor world champion titles.​ The some-time builder from Timaru has been both a New Zealand and a World champion and he once held the number one ranking in his sport.​​​
Tom Walsh, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at seven-years-old, didn’t always find school easy. He worked extra hard to keep up his academics, which often meant doing extra work before and after school. ​​ Gavin Miller, Timaru Boys High school’s sports co-ordinator and one of Walsh’s coaches during his teens says,​​
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Tom became an increasingly able as an athlete. The interesting thing was that Jacko Gill was such a phenomenon at school, even though he was younger than Tom, the focus was on Jacko. But Tom kept working quietly at it and kept improving and bridging that gap.​​ Miller said Walsh remains “really connected” with his community, whether that meant helping out at school or sending in videos for students learning about physics or sports. ​
“As somebody with his commitments, that’s impressive,” Miller said. ​​
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Tom’s hopes for his third straight Shot Put medal at consecutive Olympics came to an end after a groin injury at the 2024 Paris Olympics.​