Salutes flow for Mac McCallion
Mac McCallion, renowned as a tough, passionate rugby coach who had great success with Counties and the Blues, has died.
Warrick McCallion passed away overnight on Tuesday last week after a battle with cancer. He was 67.
McCallion was named New Zealand coach of the year in 1996 and 1997 for his work with the Counties NPC team.
He was Graham Henry’s assistant at the Auckland Blues during a four-year spell that saw them reach three consecutive Super 12 finals, lifting the trophy in 1996 and 1997 before losing to Canterbury in the 1998 final. He was appointed Fiji’s national coaching director in March 2002 and took the Fiji rugby team to the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
McCallion had a string of his Counties rugby family visit him during his illness. There have already been tributes paid.
Former Counties captain Errol Brain said: ‘‘Mac gave all of us, as individuals, a strong sense of self belief to be able to compete with the bigger unions.
‘‘Mac was a hard man, I have never trained so hard and because of that he created a team culture that was tight.
‘‘I have a lot of memories of the games and also very special ones of him as I was fortunate to be his captain.
‘‘Under Mac, we knew we could be competitive against teams with plenty of All Blacks and win those games which we were fortunate enough to do during round robins.
‘‘He took us to two finals in 1996 and 1997 and that was a great period in Counties history.’’
Another one of McCallion’s players, Tony Marsh, echoed Brain’s comments.
‘‘The environment Mac created was uncompromising, hard-nosed but fun, which translated well on the field. We were part of the pre-pro era but we never trained so hard and that built confidence.
‘‘He was a top man, who we all respected, and we will miss him greatly.’’
There was also a tribute from Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union chairman Craig Carter. ‘‘It’s a sad day for Counties Manukau as one our favourite sons has passed away.
‘‘They don’t make them like Mac anymore and he will be missed by all within the rugby community.’’
New Zealand Rugby general manager Neil Sorensen said he would be missed.
‘‘On behalf of the wider rugby family, I send our condolences to Mac’s family and friends.
‘‘He was a true provincial rugby man, with a militaryprecise work ethic and passion for the game.
‘‘We know our friends at Counties Manukau will be mourning the loss of a true rugby man.’’ Abbott,has owned the Beaver Road Pet Hotel with his wife Janice for 19 years. They’ve had the same 50mm wire mesh fence in place since they first opened the business.
‘‘We have been operating for a very long time, and we have never had this problem,’’ he said.
‘‘It was awful, just physically awful - it was a nightmare, I couldn’t believe it.’’
But he too believes that cattery and kennel regulations need to be put in place. ‘‘There is no doubt about it, the industry, just like any other industry, would benefit from some kind of regulation.’’
He has promised to re-cover two enclosures with a smaller 25mm galvanised chain-link fence after the Easter long weekend and has promised not to house any kittens, or smaller cat breeds until the alterations are complete.
‘‘This then greatly increases safety and security when [we are] faced with boarding both younger or smaller cats, eliminating any chance of a repeat of ... accidental death.’’
Abbott has also promised to compensate Vance for her loss and has offered to finically help Vance find a replacement for Lula. ‘‘We just hope that over time, Helen can come to terms with it, and hopefully she can find a nice replacement, although we understand it will never be the same.’’