All Blacks ace Whineray dies aged 77

All Blacks legend Wilson Whineray died peacefully in Auckland Hospital yesterday.

He was aged 77.

Whineray was 21 when he made his All Blacks test debut in May 1957 against Australia in Sydney.

He was quickly elevated to the All Blacks captaincy for the 1958 Series against Australia.

He was just 23 and, for a long time, he was the youngest All Blacks captain. He played 77 times for the All Blacks, including 32 tests, and he captained the side 67 times — a massive number of appearances considering the All Blacks played only two or three test matches a year.

He received his knighthood in 1998 when he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to sport and business.

In the early 1990s he was appointed the Colonel-Commandant of the New Zealand SAS Regiment.