North Habour

Former All Blacks selector and inaugural North Harbour coach passes away

Thorburn was the inaugural coach of North Harbour when the union formed in 1985 as a breakaway from Auckland. He also led the New Zealand Sevens team before Gordon Tietjens took over in 1994.

He had two stints as an All Black selector, first in the early 1990s and then between 2000 and 2001.

Thorburn also coached the United States at the 2007 World Cup and Bristol in the English Premiership between 2002 and 2003, and was renowned for his insatiable appetite for watching rugby.

North Harbour Rugby confirmed his death in a social media post.