Fred Allen had a distinguished career as a rugby player, including being All Black captain, but it was as a coach that he gained an unmatched status.

Allen was a slick and thoughtful first five-eighth for the 2NZEF team, the Kiwis, and made his test and captaincy debut against Australia in 1947, continuing to lead New Zealand on the tour of South Africa in 1949.

Allen coached Auckland during a 26-match Ranfurly Shield tenure until 1963 and then coached the All Blacks through an unbeaten 14-test period from 1966 until 1968.

Though he gained a reputation as something of a martinet and was called “The Needle”, Allen was a perceptive student of the game and had that rare ability only the best coaches possess of being able to mould disparate individuals into a collective force.