MAURICE Trapp is one of the more intriguing characters on this Lions tour. This is not just because he is has been given the honour of being elected as the NZRU President in a Lions year.
Nor is it because of his unrivalled winning record as a New Zealand provincial coach, or his reputation as a bruising Auckland lock/blindside. It is because Trapp is one of us – as well as one of them.
Trapp, who holds joint NZ and UK citizenship, is English-born. He was part of the same Loughborough Colleges team as England's Fran Cotton and Steve Smith before joining Harlequins, where his physicality and speed soon saw him established in the first team.
However, after heading off in his mid-20s on a round the world road trip he found work digging a tunnel in Melbourne until the rugby grapevine led to the Ponsonby club in Auckland –who he had played against for Harlequins – inviting him over to New Zealand. Three days later he was a member of the Ponsonby side touring South Africa, alongside the likes of All Black lock Andy Haden and wing Bryan Williams.
Trapp went on to play 38 games for Auckland, and coached the Ponsonby seniors. Then, from 1987-1991, he established himself as the most successful selector-coach (assisted by Bryan Williams) in Auckland's 117-year history. In those five years Auckland played 93 games for 89 wins, one draw and three losses – two of the losses when Auckland's large All Black contingent was not available.
It is an extraordinary record, and one that has not come close to being overhauled. During that time Trapp's side won all their 38 Ranfurly Shield defences before he handed over to Graham Henry. It formed the major part of Auckland's extraordinary 61 successful defences between 1985 and 1993.
In the interim Trapp set up his own thriving financial services business in Auckland, while also serving on the Auckland board and as chairman of the NZ Rugby Foundation, a charity which raises funds to support catastrophically injured players.
The esteem with which Trapp is held in the New Zealand Rugby community could not be reflected more clearly than his elevation to the figurehead role of President — and a cracking Lions series was the icing on the cake.
