The golden boy of Highlanders and Otago rugby, whose exploits in a free-flowing era of the sport so thrilled his legion of fans. ‘‘In 50 years, people will talk about Jeff Wilson in the same breath as Bert Cooke and George Nepia,’’ Palenski said in 2002. The lad with the golden touch certainly had the complete game. Wilson played 60 tests, scoring a then-record 44 tries, and finished with 151 tries in 230 first-class games. Rugby, of course, is only half of the Jeff Wilson story.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 08, 2026 06:02 UTC