In our most recent ‘Where Are They Now?’ chat, Mark McCarron caught up with the doubly talented sportsman of days gone by, Brian McKechnie. 

Brian is one of the rare few who represented New Zealand in both cricket and rugby union. A double international who played for the Black Caps and the All Blacks (a double All Black). 

Funnily enough, with both teams, he found himself at the heart of each sport’s most controversial moments.

Whilst reflecting on his Southland beginnings in rugby, naturally, the conversation turns towards that 1978 All Blacks match in Cardiff when New Zealand beat Wales after Andy Haden’s ‘dive’. 

But as Brian reveals, “The penalty wasn’t anything to do with Andy jumping”, explaining to Mark how another incident in the lineout led to a penalty being awarded and ultimately Brian kicking the winning penalty kick. 

Of course, the kick was taken in true Brian fashion with his iconic ‘toe-kick’.

I just got up there and took it as quickly as I could without letting the crowd get to me.

Listen to Brian’s full chat with Magic Breakfast here:

It was three years later when controversy struck again. By this time, Brian had made his way onto the cricket pitch.

He recalls his transition to the sport, the lead-up, and then the aftermath of that fateful One Day International match against Australia on 1 February 1981, when he found himself the batsman facing Trevor Chappell and his infamous underarm bowl.

As Mark reminds him, a toss of the bat and a shake of the head could be seen from Brian after the incident. When asked how he felt in the moment: “I can’t say what I said to the umpire.”

Although we can imagine the words uttered by him were surely spoken by those who witnessed the bowl.

It was a good game of cricket until then, you know, it was a big crowd, really hot day. And then it goes down to that and ends that way.

He says he and Trevor Chappell are now on friendly terms, recognising that “Trevor was just doing what his older brother told him.”

After hanging up his boots and bat, he worked in accounting and transport management before retiring.

These days, life’s simple: “Bit of travel, bit of golf. I still follow the tests… I’m old school.”

And even though he’s living in Canterbury now, there’s no confusion about where his heart lies. “I’m still a Southlander and I always will be.”

Listen to the Where Are They Now? podcast HERE on rova, to catch up with more NZ stars of the past and see where they are now.