Gary
Whetton

Gary Whetton is a former All Blacks captain who also played for Auckland and Castres.

Gary Whetton Bio

Gary Whetton is a former All Blacks captain who also represented Auckland and Castres. Throughout his distinguished career, he captured the National Provincial Championship, the French Championship and the Rugby World Cup.

Born 15 December 1959, Gary Whetton was a powerful lock who excelled at every level of the game. His rugby-playing career began in 1980, when he represented Auckland for the first time. Following this, he represented Auckland for almost the entirety of his career. Between 1980 and 1992, he made 180 appearances for the side, and captured the National Provincial Championship seven times.

Due to his incredible performances for Auckland, Gary Whetton was called up to represent the All Blacks for the first time in 1981. Between then and 1991, he was capped 58 times by the All Blacks, with 15 of those appearances coming as captain. During this time, he also won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.

Although he spent almost the entirety of his career with Auckland, Gary Whetton moved to France and joined Castres for a season before he retired. With the French side, he captured the French Championship under controversial circumstances. After opponents Grenoble were denied a try, Gary Whetton himself scored. However, the defender had actually touched the ball down first, with the referee admitting the error 13 years later.

Following his retirement from rugby in 1993, Gary Whetton moved into governance. He’s since served on the board of the Auckland Blues, where he also enjoyed a stint as the club’s chairman.