Mark Donaldson (rugby player)
Mark William Donaldson ( born November 6, 1955 in Palmerston North, New Zealand ) is a former New Zealand rugby union player at the position of scrum Halbs and a rugby coach. His main job was only the owner of a sporting goods store and later became co-owner of a hotel.
Donaldson went on the College Street School and from 1969 to 1973 at the New Plymouth Boys' High School for School, where he played during the last two years in the first rugby team in high school. After leaving school in 1974 he joined the rugby club Palmerston North Hsob RFC in and completed in the same year games for the U -21 team in the Manawatu RU and for the first team from Manawatu. After a season for Celtic RFC in Hastings and the Hawke's Bay RU in 1975, he returned to Palmerston North and the Manawatu Hsob RFC RU.
In 1976 he won with Manawatu against the Auckland Ranfurly Shield the RFU, they successfully defended 13 times until 1978.
The following year he was appointed in October for the first time in the New Zealand national team ( All Blacks ), after he had previously run in the same year for the U-21 national team. He toured with the All Blacks in France, where he played in the two internationals against the French national team.
In 1978 he defended the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand successfully against the Australian national team ( Wallabies ). He was also able for the first time in the history of the All Blacks on their European Tour win a Grand Slam with the national team in the same year. He missed due to injury only the game against the Welsh national team. The following year, he lost to the All Blacks Bledisloe Cup against the Wallabies.
In 1980 he became a captain with Manawatu by winning the National Provincial Championship ( NPC) New Zealand Rugby champions. He also won in 1981 with the All Blacks, the international game series against the touring New Zealand in the South African national team ( Springboks ) after New Zealand chose two of the three matches for itself. However, it Donaldson played only in the third and final, decisive international game when he came off the bench one minute before closing in for the injured David Loveridge at the score of 22:22. Shortly before the end of the game he pulled out the decisive penalty kick, the Allan Hewson then kicked to the 25:22 draw. This in the New Zealand public very highly controversial tour, due to the prevailing apartheid in South Africa, the first visit of the Springboks since 1965 and until 1994 was her turn last time being.
In 1983 he joined back early from active rugby, but then returned after a short break even in the same playing time back to help out Manawatu. He joined in 1984 by the Palmerston North HSOBs the club Te Kawau RC, in which he was injured early in the season and therefore missed a vocation for the Manawatu RU. However, a year later, he again led both teams as captain, before he was injured again and ended his career for good.
From 1990 to 1992 he was head coach of the 1988 in the Second Division descended Manawatu RU.