Atholstan Mahoney ‘Tonk’ Mahoney {All Black #370}
Always known by the nickname, “Tonk,” Athol Mahoney occupies a small but special place in New Zealand rugby history. He was the only player to have been an All Black from the tiny Bush union, which in 1970 became defunct when it amalgamated with neighbouring Wairarapa.
A friend from his Wellington childhood days of the great radio commentator Winston McCarthy, (they were also team-mates in the early 30s in Bush) Mahoney came from a farming background and was naturally tough. For the times he was a big man at 1.88m and more than 90kg.
In an era of sparse representative programmes he played 36 matches for Bush between 1927 and 1939, received early recognition with a match for the North Island minor unions in 1928 and also played against the touring British side in 1930 for a combined Wairarapa-Bush side.
A side row forward in the old 2-3-2 scrum formation, Mahoney first became an All Black on the 1929 tour of Australia. He made the side after appearing in the first of the seven All Black trials he would play up until the 1935 season. In 1933 he also played for the North Island and after being overlooked since 1929 was recalled for the 1934 tour of Australia.
By now with the 3-4-1 scrum formation in use he was specialising as either a flanker or in the back row as a No 8. He was, though, essentially, a tight forward highly esteemed for his industry and prowess in wet conditions.
He played in nine All Black matches on his two tours of Australia but never made a test selection.
However, his form in 1934 was good enough to clinch a test place on the 1935-36 tour of Britain. He suffered a leg injury in the tour opener against Devon and Cornwall and was not fit again until the 10th match against Glasgow and Edinburgh.
In Mahoney’s absence flaws occurred in the All Blacks’ scrummaging and these were not remedied until his return. Because of his ability to wheel the scrum as required and the added strength he brought he became a first choice usually in the No 8 position. He played in 17 of the tour matches including the four internationals against Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England.
After the tour Mahoney was seldom seen again at the top level. Because of an injury was unable to captain the combined Wairarapa-Bush side against the touring Wallabies in 1936 and after missing all of the 1937 and 1938 seasons he reappeared briefly for Bush in 1939. His first class career of 77 matches ended in the early 1940s with two war time matches for Army sides.
Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.
| FULL NAME | Atholstan Mahoney |
| BORN | Wednesday, 15 July 1908 in Woodville, New Zealand |
| DIED | Friday, 13 July 1979 in Pahiatua |
| PHYSICAL | 1.88m, 91kg |
| POSITION | Loose Forward |
| LAST SCHOOL | St Pat’s (Town) |
| RUGBY CLUB (First made All Blacks from) |
Konini |
| PROVINCE | Bush |
| NICKNAME | Tonk |
| ALL BLACK DEBUT | Wednesday, 3 July 1929 v Newcastle at Newcastle aged 20 years, 353 days |
| INTERNATIONAL DEBUT | Saturday, 23 November 1935 v Scotland at Edinburgh aged 27 years, 131 days |
| LAST TEST | Saturday, 4 January 1936 v England at London aged 27 years, 173 days |
| ALL BLACK TESTS | 4 4 |
| ALL BLACK GAMES | 22 22 |
| TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES | 26 26 |
| STARTING POSITIONS | Jersey Number 8 : 4 |
| ALL BLACK TEST POINTS | 0pts |
| ALL BLACK GAME POINTS | 6pts (2t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
| TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS | 6pts (2t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
| ALL BLACK NUMBER | 370 |
ALL BLACK GAMES THAT MAHONEY PLAYED(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced |
| Click on the date below to view the Match Card |
1929 |
| 3 Jul vs Newcastle at Newcastle 35-6 |
| 13 Jul vs An Australian XV at Melbourne 25-4 |
| 17 Jul vs N.S.W. Country at Armidale 27-8 |
| 24 Jul vs Queensland at Brisbane 27-0 |
| 31 Jul vs N.S.W. 2nd XV at Sydney 20-12 |
1934 |
| 1 Aug vs Western Districts at Orange 51-10 |
| 4 Aug vs N.S.W. at Sydney 18-16 (-) |
| 6 Aug vs N.S.W. at Sydney 16-13 |
| 22 Aug vs Newcastle at Newcastle 35-3 |
1935 |
| 14 Sep vs Devon and Cornwall at Devonport 35-6 |
| 16 Oct vs Glasgow and Edinburgh at Glasgow 9-8 |
| 19 Oct vs Combined Services at Aldershot 6-5 |
| 22 Oct vs Llanelli at Llanelli 16-8 |
| 26 Oct vs Cardiff at Cardiff 20-5 |
| 31 Oct vs Newport at Newport 17-5 |
| 2 Nov vs London Counties at London 11-0 |
| 6 Nov vs Oxford University at Oxford 10-9 |
| 14 Nov vs Cambridge University at Cambridge 25-5 |
| 16 Nov vs Leicestershire and East Midlands at Leicester 16-3 |
| 23 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 18-8 |
| 27 Nov vs North of Scotland at Aberdeen 12-6 |
| 7 Dec vs Ireland at Dublin 17-9 |
| 14 Dec vs Neath and Aberavon at Aberavon 13-3 |
| 21 Dec vs Wales at Cardiff 12-13 |
1936 |
| 4 Jan vs England at London 0-13 |
| 29 Jan vs Victoria (B.C.) at Victoria 27-3 |
POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS |
t | c | p | dg | pts |
| vs N.S.W., 6 Aug 1934 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
| vs Newcastle, 22 Aug 1934 | 1 | – | – | – | 3 |
| Totals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
 |
|||||
TEST RECORD BY NATION |
P | W | D | L | t | c | p | dg | pts |
| England | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Scotland | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wales | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
