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Story: Rugby union

Commentary by Winston McCarthy

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For those who couldn’t come to the game, radio and later television broadcasters were crucial to the fans. Thousands listened to the famous radio commentator, Winston McCarthy, whose trademark phrase ‘Listen, listen … it’s a goal’ became legendary, as this advertisement for the New Zealand Listener in 1958 suggests. This broadcast is from a match in 1953 in which Wellington defeated Otago 9–3 in their challenge for the Ranfurly Shield, the premier domestic rugby trophy at the time.

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Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Reference: 896

Image: Alexander Turnbull Library, Eph-C-RUGBY-1958-01

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How to cite this page

Ron Palenski, Rugby union – Club and provincial rugby, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/4143/commentary-by-winston-mccarthy (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Ron Palenski, published 15 January 2010, updated 1 September 2016.