Lawrence Gibb ‘Lawrie ‘ Knight

Like Andy Earl who followed later, Knight was capable of playing with competence and skill as a lock, blindside flanker or No 8. On his three tours to Australia and Fiji in 1974, Ireland, Wales and the Barbarians at Twickenham the same year and to South Africa in 1976 he wore the utility tag.

Indeed, over those three tours he appeared for the All Blacks in 24 matches without receiving a cap, though a couple of his matches may have been deemed tests today – against Fiji at Suva in 1974 and as a replacement against the Wales XV at Cardiff later in the same year.

Knight was actually chosen for Australia in 1974 as the backup lock to John Callesen and Peter Whiting. But he was, even for those years, on the small side for a lock at 1.91m and his pace and athleticism clearly marked him as more a backrow specialist.

But between 1974 and 1976, Andy Leslie, as captain, had first call on the No 8 spot and Ian Kirkpatrick was always going to be preferred ahead of Knight on the flank. The best Knight could achieve in those three years was a regular place in the reserves.

For the 1977 series against the British Isles, Leslie had retired and Knight gained overdue international honours as the logical choice at No 8. He played in all tests and achieved national hero status when he followed through on a kick ahead by Bill Osborne to recover a spilled pass and score the winning try in the fourth test at Eden Park.

Even though the Lions had largely outplayed the All Blacks for much of the series, particularly the fourth test, Knight’s try meant the All Blacks taking the rubber.

Knight made his fourth All Black tour to France in 1977, appearing in both tests, but with Gary Sear shifted to No 8 and with Kirkpatrick not in the touring party he was shifted to the blindside flank.

A trained medical doctor, Knight soon after moved to France to play for Paris University and further his studies. He subsequently moved to South Africa, where he lived and practised medicine in Johannesburg for many years, before returning to live in Auckland in the late 1990s.

Knight’s profession won him the nickname “Spock.” It also meant he carried an extra burden on all his All Black tours as an unofficial medical adviser, which was perhaps unfair. In those years a fulltime doctor did not travel with international sides.

Knight started his representative career with Auckland in 1970, after being a schoolboy star in the Auckland Grammar School’s 1st XV in 1966-67. After playing in the Auckland Ranfurly Shield-winning side of 1974 he moved to Gisborne because of his medical career and it was as a Poverty Bay representative, together with Kirkpatrick, that he played the bulk of his All Black career.

Knight had a strong family background in rugby. His father, who had also been christened Laurence, but with a spelling variation, played many games for Auckland as a forward in the 1920s and was an All Black in 1925. His brother and uncle of the younger Lawrie Knight, Arthur (better known as “Bubs”), was also an All Black and long-time Auckland representative in the 1920s and 30s.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

Jersey Number 8 : 4

ALL BLACK GAMES THAT KNIGHT PLAYED

(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

1974

1976

1977

POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS

TEST RECORD BY NATION