When local real estate agent Adrian Bo produced his Coogee Market Update a few days ago, referring to the Wednesday evening in 1988 when the Coogee Oval became the centre of the world, we thought that night needed more reflection.
With hindsight, it was an extraordinary event. The touring All Blacks playing Randwick at the Coogee Oval. Eddie Jones at Hooker, Michael Cheika at number 8, Garry Ella, David Campese, Simon Poidevin, Ewan McKenzie… Grant Fox, Wayne Shelford, J J Kirwan, Sean Fitzpatrick, Michael Jones. Two teams packed with superstars producing a thriller, the All Blacks getting up 25-9 in the end before a crowd of 9,246 people crammed into the Oval to watch on Wednesday, June 22, 1988.
“The All Blacks will never again expose themselves to a club side like Randwick, at their home ground.”
Wayne Shelford, All Blacks captain
Here’s a quick summary of the 16 players that got on the field that day for Randwick:
Eddie Jones – Started his sporting career at Matraville Sports High School and played as a hooker for Randwick and New South Wales, and made three appearances for Leicester during the 1991/92 season in England before he pursued a career as coach.
Michael Cheika – Before he became coach of the Wallabies from 2014 to 2019 and winning World Rugby Coach of the Year in 2015, Cheika made his mark as No. 8 for Randwick, playing more than 300 matches and winning the Shute Shield seven times at a time when the Galloping Greens were the dominant team in Sydney.
Gary Ella – A proud Yuin and Bidjigal man, Gary Ella had a successful career in Rugby Union before he ventured into Aboriginal Affairs and the Randwick Council. Educated at Matraville High School, Gary was a member of the undefeated 1977/78 ‘Invincibles’ Australian Schools side. Gary and his brothers joined Randwick where they ran riot week in, week out in the Shute Shield competition until Gary was hurt. He played for the Wallabies 6 times between 1982 and 1988
David Ian Campese – A household name in world rugby, David, also known as “Campo,” had 101 appearances for the Wallabies and was a member of the 1986 team that beat the All Blacks 2-1. He is considered one of the greatest and most entertaining players in the world of rugby and the first man to achieve a world record 64 tries.
Simon Poidevin – The 1988 Randwick v All Blacks game was probably the most important game for Poidevin. The match happened shortly following Poidevin’s retirement from international rugby after he was stripped of the Australian captaincy. The final score (25-9) did not represent how competitive the match was. During the game, Poidevin constantly gave the All Blacks a hard time, up to a point that All Black captain Buck Shelford got frustrated, grabbed Poidevin in a headlock, and threw punches into his face. This game rejuvenated Poidevin who came out of international retirement right after.
Ewan McKenzie – Before becoming one of the most respected coaches in Australia, McKenzie had a successful career as a player, winning 51 Test caps during his seven years as part of the Wallabies. He was part of the national team when they won the 1991 Rugby World Cup beating England 12-6.
Tim Kava – Educated at Waverley College, Kava’s representative career started with selection in the Australian Schoolboys’ Team of 1981/82 where he played alongside David Knox, Matthew and Brad Burke. They would all play together with Randwick, winning seven Premierships.
David Knox – An exceptional left-footed player, Knox was regularly appointed as goal kicker. He retired as the highest point scorer of all time in Australian club rugby.
Acura Niuqila – Born in Fiji, Niuqlia is known for his speed and elusiveness. Prior to becoming a Wallaby, he represented his homeland, playing 15 Tests. He later moved to Australia in 1985 and joined Randwick.
Gavin Boneham – After playing for Randwick, Boneham pursued a career in optometry. Now known as Dr Boneham, he is Practice Owner at Boneham Optometrist-Sydney CBD. His passion for sports remains strong, coaching his daughters’ basketball team and still waiting in hope for some victory for the Wallabies. Former Wallaby flanker and captain Mark Loane also works with eyes, as an Opthalmic surgeon in Brisbane
Lloyd Walker – Walker joined the Randwick club and played in ten grand finals from 1981-94. He was known to be a footballing genius with creative abilities, a deceptive dummy pass and a unique sense of timing.
Mick Murray – “Mick” won the Brother Henry Trophy twice as best forward in 1979 and 1980. He was a loose head prop forward who gave Randwick great service in his 202 club games from 1982 until 1993, missing the 1992 season, and scoring 19 tries [78 points]. His highly-creditable 172 games in first grade produced 15 tries [60 points]. He played in eight consecutive first grade grand finals [from 1984 to 1991], of which Randwick lost only two [1985 and 1986]. His shared the first-grade captaincy with Brad Burke in 1990 and 1991. He also played in the 1983 losing reserve grade grand final side.”
Brad Burke (Captain) – Burke was said to have been Randwick’s best scrum half since the great Ken Catchpole. He made his debut for NSW in 1986 and played three games against New Zealand in 1988, the Coogee Oval being one of those games. Because of his impressive 1988 efforts, he was selected to join the Wallaby end-of-season tour to the UK and Italy.
Gary Logan – Logan played 356 senior club games for the Galloping Greens. including beating Waringah in the NSW Grand Final 3 months after the game against the All Blacks. He also organised a highway patrol car for team mate Gavin Boneham from the hospital after the birth of his son to make sure he made it onto the field just in time to play Waringah. [A different time and a different world!]
Richard Carmont – Carmont is current Club Board member and landlord to club imports. After his rugby career, he has held several executive roles with ADCO Group for over 28 years, including 15 years as MD. Carmont is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
* M Clift also came on as a substitute on that day to replace Simon Poidevin.
