New members in rugby Hall of fame

A dozen rugby luminaries added to the list of official legends

A dozen legends of rugby union spanning the last one hundred years of international competition will join the International Rugby Hall of Fame at the Fifth biennial Induction Dinner to be held in London on Wednesday November 16.

Ten of the twelve players and coaches announced today led their countries with distinction on the world stage.

They include the three most recent World Cup-winning captains, Francois Pienaar of South Africa (1995), Australias John Eales (1999) and Englands colossus Martin Johnson (2003).

There are representatives from each of the eight major countries and, appropriately on current form, New Zealand provides the most inductees on this occasion.

The 2005 Inductees will join an International Rugby Hall of Fame that currently comprises 43 of the greatest names in the history of the game.

The International Rugby Hall of Fame Trust was created as a charitable trust in New Zealand in 1995 and the first induction took place in 1997, where among the original Inductees were the likes of the All Black Colin Meads, Lions legends Gareth Edwards and Willie John McBride and the magical French full-back Serge Blanco.

The Hall of Fame Trust is independent of any rugby body and its nomination and voting processes are rigorous. The short-list for the biennial induction is compiled via nominations from 35 senior rugby journalists from all over the world, and the final Inductee list is decided by polling 12 Trustees of the International Rugby Hall of Fame, many of them current inductees.

Designed to honour players, coaches or personalities who have  made an outstanding contribution to the game of rugby union, players have to be retired from international test rugby for 12 months to qualify for the initial voting process.

As well as a host of natural leaders this years super twelve include several record-breakers. During their careers, Grant Fox, Naas Botha and Phil Bennett, as well as being outstanding fly-halves, set new individual points-scoring records for their countries.

Keith Wood still holds the Irish record as the most-capped hooker with 58 appearances plus five test matches for the British Isles. Martin Johnson (84 caps) and John Eales (86) are the most capped English and Australian lock forwards.

Andre Boniface joins other charismatic French Hall of Famers Blanco, Jean-Pierre Rives and Philippe Sella. The 19-year-old wing helped France beat New Zealand for the first time in 1954 and went on to win 48 caps and become one of the most creative centres of the post-war years.

Fred Allen captained the All Blacks on their tour of South Africa in 1949 and later became one of the most successful New Zealand coaches with an unbeaten record in 13 test matches in the late 1960s.

His achievements are mirrored by those of Ian McGeechan who earlier this month completed his sixth tour with the British & Irish Lions as a player and coach.

Gwyn Nicholls and Dave Gallaher are honoured in recognition of their roles in the historic Wales v New Zealand match of 1905. New Zealands defeat was the only one in a 35-match tour and the highly-respected New Zealand journalist Terry McLean labelled it the greatest match of all.

The Fifth Induction Dinner will be held in London on Wednesday November 16, 2005. Further information about attending the event and the International Rugby Hall of Fame can be found at www.RugbyHallofFame.com.

The complete list of 12 new Hall of Fame members is:
 
Fred Allen (New Zealand)
Phil Bennett (Wales & British Isles)
Andre Boniface (France)
Naas Botha (South Africa)
John Eales (Australia)
Grant Fox (New Zealand)
Dave Gallaher (New Zealand)
Martin Johnson (England & British Isles)
Ian McGeechan (Scotland & British Isles)
Gwyn Nicholls (Wales & British Isles)
Francois Pienaar (South Africa)
Keith Wood (Ireland & British Isles)