Obituary - A toast to Billy Mutton

I’d played rugby in Auckland and in London. When I moved up north I thought the serious side of rugby was over for me. I decided though to check out the local club. To my surprise they were not a bunch of half arsed country bumpkins but rather a hardnosed, proficient, no-holds barred unit.

The Rugby during Auckland's halcyon years of the eighties was played clean, hard and fast. In Northland I found the game similar in two ways – it was hard and fast.

At the commencement of the 1990 season I was considered surplus to requirements and did not make the starting fifteen for the premiers. 

One bloke who did start though was second five Wiremu Taurua, known to me then simply as Billy Mutton. He was a smart player, a fine ball distributor with that sense of timing that made Joe Stanley such a great player but which often goes unnoticed by those whose understanding of rugby football is only superficial. Open side flankers love these players. It makes the effort of running support lines so much more rewarding. 

After one thing and another I eventually did become a regular starter for the prems. Some years and various championship honours later I can say that I received more and better good passes from Bill than any other second five I have played with in a long and varied rugby lifetime.

As a bloke Bill was a gentleman, as a rugby player he was a skilled technician, as a drinker he was an utter mess. The position of second five eighths is a tough one. A high contact position in both defence and attack, it places great demands on those who play there, injuries are common. So it was with Billy Mutt. Strangely though, he made it through most of the matches largely intact. 

His main source of injury were the rigours of the after match parties. One of the more sensible players in what was an extremely capable team, after 7 o'clock on a Saturday night you could get no sense whatever out of him. But sensible or not he was always a happy, humble and forever smiling mate. Generous and open hearted no reasonable person could fail to like and respect him. 

Bill Taurua’s game of life is over. He played it well and with honour and I hope he enjoys the aftermatch as much as he always did. And so without any further ado I’d like everyone to be upstanding and drink a bumper toast to Billy Mutt.

- Chris Sellars