Alex Wyllie

Who is Alex Wyllie?

Alex "Grizz" Wyllie, MBE, is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and coach.

Wyllie began his first-class career with Canterbury in 1964 and played 210 matches for the province until 1979, serving as captain on over one hundred occasions. During this time, he was an integral part of such exploits for the province as the lifting of the Ranfurly Shield in 1969 from Hawke's Bay and then in 1972 from Auckland as well as captaining the province to wins over international touring sides such as England in 1973, Scotland in 1975 and Ireland in 1976.

Wyllie finally became an All Black in 1970 when he was selected to tour South Africa where he played in the second and third Tests. In the next three years, he played forty matches for the All Blacks, including eleven Tests, and was captain on three occasions. Although he was discarded as an All Black after 1973, Wyllie remained a prominent player for Canterbury until 1979.

In 1982, Wyllie became coach of Canterbury and immediately enjoyed success when Canterbury won the Ranfurly Shield from Wellington and went on to hold this trophy for a record-equalling three years.