An old Martinborough rugby teammate of Sir Wilson Whineray said yesterday it was obvious from the day the future All Black captain arrived in Wairarapa as an 18-year-old that he would wear the black jersey.
Rugby legend Sir Wilson died this week, aged 77.
Bob Boyne, 88, said the young prop impressed his fellow Martinborough senior players from the first night he turned up at training not only as a player but also as a bloke.
"Wilson was an open-side prop and he was good, he was damned good," Mr Boyne said.
Boyne hooked the Martinborough scrum so can lay claim to having had his arm around Whineray on more occasions than any other Wairarapa player.
Whineray went straight into the Wairarapa rep team but was in the district for only a short time, representing the district only in 1953.
Sir Wilson's All Blacks future was predicted at the outset by his Wairarapa employer, Herbert Caselberg.
Mr Caselberg was in charge of Stoney Creek Station, near Tuturumuri, and manager of the New Zealand Rural Field Cadet programme being undertaken by the young Wilson Whineray.
"Caselberg told the Martinborough team manager, in my hearing, that it looked as though Martinborough needed a good young footballer and he was sending us one," said Boyne.
"He said Whineray was an outstanding prospect and he considered it a certainty that he would become an All Black.
"Well, he certainly got that right."
On leaving Wairarapa, Sir Wilson played for Mid Canterbury, Manawatu, Canterbury, Waikato and Auckland, becoming an All Black in 1957 and writing his name into legend with his outstanding captaincy.
He played 77 matches for the All Blacks, all but 10 of them as captain and at the conclusion of his rugby career went on to become a leading businessman.
Boyne said the two had remained lifelong friends and only last year Sir Wilson's son had arrived in South Wairarapa with his family to walk the Tora Walk.
"Before he came here his dad told him to make sure he came to see me and he did."
Boyne said Sir Wilson was a thorough gentleman. "He was not only a great rugby player, he was a very nice chap."
Another link to Wairarapa was forged through Sir Brian Lochore, who played alongside Whineray in the national team and was himself to become All Blacks captain.
Sir Brian has publicly paid tribute to Sir Wilson but was not available for comment yesterday as he was in Christchurch attending the funeral of the father of All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
Sir Brian's wife Pam said he was planning to attend Sir Wilson's funeral in Auckland.