WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Alex (Grizz) Wyllie, revered for his toughness on the rugby field and as a former All Blacks coach who led the team to an impressive record of 25 wins in 29 tests, has passed away at the age of 80. His passing was confirmed on Saturday by the Canterbury Rugby Union, which expressed profound sorrow upon announcing his peaceful passing after a battle with cancer.
Known for his rugged play style and distinct mustache, Wyllie was a quintessential representation of the archetypical hard man in rugby. His career included 11 tests and 40 matches representing the All Blacks, as well as 210 matches for Canterbury province. During his vigorous athletic years, he contributed to Canterbury’s success in clinching the Ranfurly Shield trophy on two occasions and secured victories against formidable teams, including England, Scotland, and Ireland.
In particular, he was a part of the Canterbury squad during the notably intense 1971 match against the British and Irish Lions, an encounter that earned a reputation for its strenuous nature as reported by visiting media. Despite the infamy, Wyllie downplayed suggestions of excessive violence, recalling an incident in a latter-day interview where a scuffle evolved into a personal injury, attributing it to a collision rather than conflict. Notably, the All Blacks then-coach Ivan Vodanovich had made a hyperbolic comparison to the Battle of Passchendaele.
Transitioning from player to coach, Wyllie initially supported head coach Brian Lochore as an assistant when the All Blacks clinched the 1987 World Cup. Post-1987, he transitioned into the head coach position from 1988 to 1991, achieving an outstanding 91 percent success rate with 58 victories out of 64 matches. However, the 1991 World Cup brought challenges as he shared the coaching responsibilities with John Hart, a corporate executive with differing approaches and philosophies, a union that notably did not yield success.
Wyllie’s tenure also witnessed a controversial decision in 1990, where he removed Wayne “Buck” Shelford from his captaincy, a choice that sparked uproar and embedded itself into New Zealand’s rugby lore. The legacy of that decision endures, with “Bring Back Buck” signs that still sporadically appear at various All Black games, testament to his impact—and that of Shelford’s—on the sport.