Robbie McLean had one of the more unusual All Black careers of modern times. His two matches were on the 1987 tour of Japan, against Japan B and the Asian Barbarians.

As the selection for that touring team was heavily qualified, and certain players ruled ineligible, it might even been wondered whether this particular side was entitled to be called the All Blacks.

Indeed, one of the players who missed selection, together with Joe Stanley, Warwick Taylor and Murray Pierce, was the ranking tighthead prop of that landmark season which had included winning the World Cup, John Drake.

Even more remarkable about McLean’s surprise selection was that at 27 years of age he was in his debut season of first class rugby, having had 14 matches for Wairarapa-Bush side that year.

In the 1987-89 seasons McLean played 32 matches for Wairarapa-Bush, sharing the front row duties with two other sturdy players who also earned minor national recognition in Chris Kapene and Bryan Styles. With some injury problems he never quite recaptured the impressive form of his debut season.

McLean quickly dropped out of the All Black reckoning after his two games, one on the tighthead and the other on the loosehead, in Japan.

Drake, somewhat prematurely, had retired in 1988 but by then Ron Williams and Kevin Boroevich had gone ahead of McLean and were picked for that year’s tour of Australia as backups to Steve McDowell and Richard Loe.

McLean disappeared from the national scene as quickly as he had entered it. But he was in the Central zone side for a match in each of the 1988-89 seasons for the George Nepia Trophy and in 1988 played in five matches for the Divisional XV on a tour of the Pacific islands. Two further games for this side early in 1990 and 25 matches for Manawatu in the 1990 and 1992 seasons completed his 68-match first class record.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

ALL BLACK GAMES THAT MCLEAN PLAYED

(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

1987