NOW that he’s beginning to make Peter Pan look like a grumpy old man, Jimmy Gopperth’s longevity requires further updating with the advent of another new year, in his case the 23rd.
His senior career has been running for so long that it goes all the way back to the year when England won the World Cup. Gopperth’s debut season for Wellington coincided with Christian Cullen’s last before the All Black great embarked for Munster and three years ravaged by injury. Cullen bowing out with two tries in a losing NPC final to Auckland coincided with Gopperth kicking ...