Mike McCool had been battling away in provincial rugby for seven or eight seasons, impressing as no more than an admirable and honest workhorse, when he was suddenly called into the All Blacks in 1979.

Having had an excellent All Black trial, his only one, McCool became the replacement lock to partner Andy Haden when Frank Oliver was struck by injury during the two tests of 1979 against France. McCool took over from Oliver for two games in Australia, against Queensland B and the one-off Bledisloe Cup international against the Wallabies in Sydney.

That match was lost and McCool was to be among the casualties. He never played for the All Blacks again and was overlooked for the tour later in the year of Scotland and England.

Oliver was also unavailable for that tour but to accompany Haden John Fleming and Vance Stewart were preferred to McCool.

A product of rural southern Hawke’s Bay, McCool played 77 matches for the Bay between 1972 and 1978. He was in the side which beat the touring Wallabies in 1972 and also played against the Lions in 1977. In 1974 he played five games for the New Zealand Juniors on an internal tour. That was to be his only national recognition until his surprise elevation in 1979.

By that season McCool had moved his farming interests a little further south. Between 1979 and 1983 he played 50 games for Wairarapa-Bush, including meeting the touring Lions in 1983.

McCool played in one of Wairarapa-Bush’s more notable eras and at the end of the 1981 season under the coaching of Brian Lochore the small union won promotion to the NPC first division. In his period with Wairarapa-Bush McCool and the later All Black, Andy Earl then only in his teens, often locked together.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

ALL BLACK GAMES THAT MCCOOL PLAYED

(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

1979