Keith Murdoch (All Black)

Keith Murdoch (born Dunedin, September 9, 1943) is a former rugby union footballer from New Zealand.

Murdoch, a prop, played for Otago from 1964 to 1972, except for one season each for Hawke's Bay (1965) and Auckland (1966). He represented New Zealand from 1970-1972, playing in 27 matches for the All Blacks, including three test matches. He toured with the All Blacks to South Africa in 1970 and to Great Britain and Ireland in 1972, and also played against the British & Irish Lions in 1971, but was troubled by injury throughout all three series.

Murdoch's career ended controversially and mysteriously. He scored the All Blacks' only try in their 1972 win against Wales in Cardiff, but later the same night was involved in a fracas and was sent home from the tour by All Black management, reputedly after pressure was brought to bear by the home rugby unions. Rather than returning to rugby in New Zealand, Murdoch virtually went into hiding, quitting his home and his sport and moving to the Australian outback where he has lived ever since.

A play "Finding Murdoch" by Margot McRae, which premiered at Downstage Theatre, Wellington in June 2007, is about McRae's tracking down of Murdoch. She says of the media frenzy when he punched a security guard that "If there's a baddie it would be the media."

External links

* [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/location/story.cfm?l_id=138&ObjectID=10348988 New Zealand Herald article]
*All Blacks|641|Keith Murdoch
* [http://www.downstage.co.nz/ Downstage Theatre, "Finding Murdoch"]