Born: 8 June, 1947 Test record: 1 Test (1969) – 0 points Tours: 1968 World Cup, 1972 tour of Australia
Mount Albert stalwart Ray Wilson played one Test for New Zealand on home soil in 1969 and was twice summoned to Australia as injury cover for the Kiwis without playing a game.
The Auckland and New Zealand under-23s rep had been flown to Australia during the 1968 World Cup as an injury replacement but did not make an appearance. The following season, legendary centre Roger Bailey’s injury withdrawal saw Wilson drafted into a green backline for the series opener against Australia at Carlaw.
Wilson and fellow debutant faced the formidable centre pairing of Graeme Langlands and John McDonald in the 20-10 loss. But Wilson failed a fitness test on the morning of the second Test and was a non-playing reserve for the third.
He was again a replacement during the ’72 Kiwis’ short tour of Australia after missing the initial squad but was not required to take the field.