Men of the Silver Fern - Trouble in the Engine Room (1925 - 1956)

A lot of the chaps I played with had very little, a lot of the chaps I toured with had very little. These were sad years, and at the same time the friendship and comradeship and also the incentive was still there: it was still a great game, and it was still a great honour to be picked for club, your province or your country … irrespective of the depression.

– Sir Harcourt Caughey on playing rugby during the depression

You could play with them [servicemen] one week and perhaps a week or a month later they wouldn’t be there in the team. One had it [war] brought home to oneself very very vividly by the fact you might be wearing their boots.

– Sir David Beattie on the effects of war, while playing in the NZ Services side

We tried to play it open, we tried to play it decent.

– Kiwis coach Charlie Saxton

New Zealand was in a state of mania in 1956 … the public was urged to hate the Springboks.

– Terry McLean

You were either going to be chucked into the scrap heap, or you were going to become a famous All Black.

– Peter Jones on what was at stake playing South Africa at home in 1956