• Grant Fox and Gary Whetton given life membership to the Auckland Rugby Union at the 137th Annual General Meeting.
• 369 Auckland Rugby appearances between Fox and Whetton.

Auckland Rugby have welcomed two new Life Members to the Union at the 137^th Annual General Meeting on Monday 14, December.

Gary Whetton and Grant Fox were awarded Life Memberships of the Auckland Rugby Union.

Both inductees have a rich history with Auckland Rugby through playing and acts of service for the union.

Grant Fox’s service to Auckland Rugby spans over decades. He began his love for rugby early and went to Auckland Grammar School where he won 3 1A titles with his First XV. At his preferred position of first five-eighth, Grant went on to win 2 Gallaher Shields with University Rugby Club before making his debut for the Blue and White Hoops in 1982.

Grant played 189 games for Auckland (second most in Auckland’s history) scoring 2,746 points (union record) and winning 8 NPC titles. He was also instrumental during Auckland’s record tenure of Ranfurly Shield defences from 1985-1993.

Grant debuted for the All Blacks in 1984, playing 78 games (including 46 tests) and scoring 1,067 points (second in New Zealand history). He was a Rugby World Cup winner in 1987 and has successive Bledisloe Cup wins between 1987-1991.

Although Grant retired from first class rugby in 1995, his time in rugby was not done. He became Assistant Coach for Auckland in 1999 winning three NPC titles, Assistant Coach for The Blues in 2002 and has been an All Black selector since 2012. Grant received an MBE for his services to rugby in 2015.

Gary Whetton has not only represented the Auckland Rugby Union on the field but was a prominent member of the Auckland Rugby Board for many years.

A proud Grammar TEC club member and Auckland Grammar old boy, Gary represented Auckland in 180 games and captained the team for six seasons. He was also a strong influence (along with Grant Fox) in the record era of Auckland’s defence of the Ranfurly Shield between 1985-1993.

Gary was a superb all-round lock who had a surprising turn of pace when needed. He played 101 games for the All Blacks including 58 tests and captained the national team 15 times.

Beyond his playing years for Auckland, Gary continued to serve the Auckland Rugby Union through his governance and direction as member of the Auckland Rugby Board. Gary was elected Director in 2003 and retired in 2015 serving the Board for 12 years.

We wish the best for Grant and Gary’s future endeavours and thank them for their leadership and hard work throughout our union’s history.