Jim Joseph, the father of Wellington’s Ranfurly Shield-winning coach Jamie Joseph, passed away overnight.
Jim Joseph, battling the final stages of lung cancer, played for Marlborough in 1973 when the province famously upset Canterbury to take the shield.
A former Marlborough and Maori All Blacks prop, Jim Joseph was determined to see his son’s Wellington team take the Ranfurly Shield from Auckland at Eden Park on Saturday.
Jamie Joseph, who endured four failed bids in the 1990s for the Shield with Otago in the 1990s, obliged in guiding Wellington to a 27-0 win.
The funeral will be held at 1.30pm on Wednesday at Blenheim’s Wairau Marae.
A Wellington Rugby Union spokesman said chief executive Greg Peters and captain Piri Weepu will be among a number of union representatives who are expected to attend the funeral.
Jamie Joseph will not be at Tuesday’s Ranfurly Shield parade but is expected to rejoin the team from Blenheim at some stage this week.
Assistant coach Andre Bell will run training this week and Joseph’s absence through bereavement is not seen as particularly disruptive, the spokesman added.
Wellington will defend the Ranfurly Shield when they play Tasman this weekend at home.
NZPA
