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What makes a Saints Legend

SAINTS LEGENDS
 
Simon Robinson - December 2007 


Last week marked the 50th birthday of Wayne “Buck” Shelford, a player described by many as a Saints legend. But what makes a legend?

Whether playing in the black, green and gold, or the All Black, Buck was a superb player at number eight and flanker. He only lost once when playing for New Zealand - more of that game in a moment. When made captain he showed the All Blacks how the haka should be done, with passion, spirit and aggression.

The 1987 World Cup winner joined the Saints after their promotion to the top tier of the league. 66 games and 18 tries later, he returns to New Zealand with his name forever etched into the Saints history books.

Although he was out of favour with the All Black selectors, Buck headed home for a few months in 1991 to try and win a place in New Zealand’s World Cup squad. In doing so he missed out on Saints’ biggest ever match, the Pilkington Cup final against Harlequins. The game was level at full-time and Saints lost narrowly in extra time. Would Buck’s presence have made a difference? Possibly.

The “lost” game – against France in 1986 – was certainly a memorable one. As well as having four teeth knocked out in a ruck, he suffered an injury that makes men flinch and cross their legs. A quick scrotal stitch-up and he was back on. Only a concussion finally forced him off the pitch. A decade later, Wayne Smith said of Budge Pountney "He puts his head where I would not dare put my feet" – this must surely apply to Shelford as well. Budge is another one on my list of legends, fighting his turn more than once, but for the most part on the right side of the Laws.

Physical endurance is not the only way to achieve legend status though. I think it’s safe to say Ron Jacobs got there in his 470 caps, Teddy Cook in 219 tries and Paul Grayson in 2,786 points. Record breaking isn’t the be-all and end-all though. Edgar Mobbs played less than half the number of games that Jacobs clocked up, 234 in fact. His exploits during World War One are well documented, and any man that can rally 400 others to his country’s call, and die valiantly in battle, deserves to be a legend in my book.

Sheer persistence gets others on my list: Don White, player, coach and committee man for so many years; Gary Pearce, playing across three decades in the front row; David “Piggy” Powell, prop for Saints, England and Lions, as well as the best groundsman in the world…probably. Others achieve legend status through their “crowd favourite” role – step forward Allan Bateman, Frederico “Freddy” Mendez, Pat Lam, Garry Pagel, Jon Phillips and Harvey Thorneycroft.

What of the current crop – how many will make it? It’s only fair to give these people their time to see if they make legendary status, but I think some of the current crop have a good chance: Chris Ashton, Steven Myler, Bruce Reihana, Carlos Spencer, who knows what’s to come?

So what does make a Saints legend? That’s not an easy question. You can get there in a few games (neither Bateman nor Mendez got to 50 games) but even clocking up 300 doesn’t guarantee you the title of “legend”.

In the end, it’s a personal thing: one person’s legend is the next person’s journeyman.

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