- Ralph Caulton has died at the age of 87.
- Caulton played 50 games for the All Blacks.
- Praise poured in for the winger.
All Blacks rugby legend Ralph Caulton has died aged 87, it was confirmed on Tuesday.
The winger made 50 caps for New Zealand between 1959 and 1964, becoming the 600th player to represent his country in the process.
NZ Rugby confirmed the sad news in a message posted on the All Blacks’ X page.
‘Our thoughts are with the family of All Black #600 Ralph Colton,’ the statement said.
‘Ralph has given so much to the game after playing 50 games in the black jersey. He then worked as a coach at his own club Pōneke and also as a manager for Wellington RFU and NZRFU.
‘Rest in peace, Ralph.’
Ralph Caulton has died aged 87, New Zealand Rugby has confirmed.
Caulton played 16 Tests and 34 matches for New Zealand, scoring eight tries in Tests.
He was described as a well-balanced and fast runner, and his ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities made him a vital cog in the team’s offense.
Caulton was also considered a talented musician and was one of the better pianists in the post-war All Blacks team.
In a 2020 interview, Caulton said he was grateful for teammate Terry Lineen’s help in starting his All Blacks career.
The pair played together in three of the four Tests against the British and Irish Lions in 1959 and two Tests against South Africa the following year.
Lineen’s bold attacking scheme saw Caulton enjoy a brilliant debut with the All Blacks, and the former halfback is keen to remind him of that every time they meet.
“Every time I saw him he would say ‘I made you’ and I would say ‘you’re right’,” Caulton told Stuff.
‘In those days the marking was very severe as the defensive line would line up behind the lineout.
The winger represented his country on 50 occasions between 1959 and 1964.
‘So it was very difficult to get the ball into the center as well as the wings. There was no show due to lack of time.
‘He (Linen) said, ‘You go out wide on the wing and all I have to do is hit the ball towards the line for a corner.’
‘As you can imagine there was a lot of planning going on. And sure enough, he passed one.
‘I thought the ball was going to go out, but wouldn’t you know it, it exploded and stopped and bounced, and I caught it and scored.’
Caulton scored his second try of the game a few minutes later and also scored a brace in the third test against the Lions in Christchurch.
