20 Year-Old Jeff Wilson's Superb All Black Debut

20 Year-Old Jeff Wilson's Superb All Black Debut

As the cocktail of emotions stirred in the mind and heart of young Jeff Wilson in the Murrayfield changing room on 23 November 1993, he surely could not have known what an eventful and successful All Black debut he was about to have.

The fresh-faced, blond-haired 20 year-old boy from Invercargill would have been largely unknown to the big Scottish crowd before kick-off. After the final whistle, however, his name was probably the one most spoken as the All Blacks crushed their opponents 51-15.

It was truly a dream start for Wilson who was visibly fuelled by the confidence of youth while exhibiting the prodigious skill which stayed with him throughout his celebrated career.

His pace was on show, his decision-making on point, he tackled effectively and aggressively and, most notably, he came away from the game with a hat-trick under the belt.

Wilson grew to be one of the greatest All Black wingers of all time, winning 60 caps between 1993 and his retirement in 2001. A most noteworthy all-round sportsman, he also represented New Zealand at cricket.


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