Neville Thornton was an industrious loose forward, usually at No 8, who had a fine record both with the Kiwi Army team of 1945-46 and then with the All Blacks on the two tours immediately after the end of World War II, to Australia in 1947 and to South Africa in 1949.

His most celebrated individual feat came in the second test against the Wallabies at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the 1947 tour. Late in the second spell when the All Blacks were being hard pressed he removed them from danger when he landed a penalty goal attempt from halfway.

In those years it was rare for a goal to be taken from so far out, let alone by a forward. But though that was in very much a pinch hitter's role, for Bob Scott was then the All Blacks' main kicker, Thornton was far from a novice.

In a match for King Country in 1940 against Waikato he kicked 17 of the side's points in a 20-15 win. In 1948 he also drop kicked a goal for Auckland in a 16-14 win over Waikato.

A product of Otahuhu in south Auckland, Thornton entered first class rugby as teenager with the Auckland colts in 1938. He played for an Auckland XV in 1939 and had three matches for King Country in 1940 while based in Otorohanga.

His careers as a schoolteacher and his rugby were both interrupted by World War II. But he emerged from that as one of the Kiwi side which toured Britain and France, excelling as a loose forward with a penchant for scoring tries. In his 18 matches for the Kiwis he scored nine tries and finished his first class career of 59 matches with 21, a strike rate which compares favourably with later loose forward stars such as Kel Tremain and Ian Kirkpatrick.

Like these fine players Thornton had considerable pace and ball skills to go with a good physique of about 1.86m and around 93kgs.

In 1947-48 Thornton played 11 matches for Auckland and his good form in five All Black trials in each of those seasons won him places on the 1947 and 1949 tours. He played in both tests against the Wallabies in 1947 and in the first test against the Springboks in 1949. He played 19 games in all for the All Blacks.

After his retirement Thornton coached the Grammar club seniors in Auckland in the early 1950s and then was involved in the administration of secondary school rugby. Between 1960 and 1977 Thornton served as a principal of firstly Rotorua Boys High School and then Papakura High School. He was known by the nickname, "Nutcracker."

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Neville Henry Thornton

BORN

Thursday, 12 December 1918 in Otahuhu, New Zealand

DIED

Saturday, 12 September 1998 in Auckland

PHYSICAL

1.86m, 93kg

POSITION

Number 8

LAST SCHOOL

Otahuhu College

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Grammar

PROVINCE

Auckland

NICKNAME

Nutcracker

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Wednesday, 4 June 1947
v A.C.T. at Canberra
aged 28 years, 174 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 14 June 1947
v Australia at Brisbane
aged 28 years, 184 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 16 July 1949
v South Africa at Cape Town
aged 30 years, 216 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

3 3

ALL BLACK GAMES

16 16

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

19 19

STARTING POSITIONS

Jersey Number 8 : 3

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

3pts (0t, 0c, 1p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

18pts (6t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

21pts (6t, 0c, 1p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

476

ALL BLACK GAMES THAT THORNTON PLAYED

(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date below to view the Match Card

1947

4 Jun vs A.C.T. at Canberra 58-11  

10 Jun vs A N.S.W. XV at Sydney 26-17  

14 Jun vs Australia at Brisbane 13-5  

16 Jun vs Queensland at Brisbane 23-14  

18 Jun vs Queensland at Toowoomba 25-9  

21 Jun vs N.S.W. at Sydney 36-3  

25 Jun vs Combined Northern Districts at Newcastle 43-14  

28 Jun vs Australia at Sydney 27-14  

2 Jul vs Auckland at Auckland 3-14  

1949

31 May vs Western Province Universities at Cape Town 11-9  

15 Jun vs Border at East London 0-9  

22 Jun vs Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom 19-3  

29 Jun vs Orange Free State at Kroonstad 9-9  

9 Jul vs Western Province at Cape Town 6-3  

16 Jul vs South Africa at Cape Town 11-15  

27 Jul vs Rhodesia at Bulawayo 8-10  

6 Aug vs Northern Transvaal at Pretoria 6-3  

17 Aug vs Northern Universities at Pretoria 17-3  

20 Aug vs Griqualand West at Kimberley 8-6  

POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Queensland, 18 Jun 1947

1

-

-

-

3

vs N.S.W., 21 Jun 1947

2

-

-

-

6

vs Combined Northern Districts, 25 Jun 1947

1

-

-

-

3

vs Australia, 28 Jun 1947

-

-

1

-

3

vs Western Province Universities, 31 May 1949

1

-

-

-

3

vs Western Province, 9 Jul 1949

1

-

-

-

3

Totals

6

0

1

0

21

TEST RECORD BY NATION

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Australia

2

2

-

-

-

-

1

-

3

South Africa

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Totals

3

2

0

1

0

0

1

0

3