:|All Black great Sir Fred Allen has passed away. He was both an All Black player and a coach. As coach he was known as 'Fred the needle'...

New Zealand national rugby union team
New Zealand national rugby union team (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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With Richie McCaw, AB's skipper
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"Capped"
Sir Fred, who at age 92 was the oldest living All Black, had been battling ill health for some time and was in full-time care on the Whangaparoa Peninsula.
He passed away at 3.30am on Saturday morning.
Despite illness, Sir Fred tried to remain as active as ever in recent times.
Earlier this week he unveiled a bridge on Sir Fred All Walk of Honour at Auckland Memorial Park, Silverdale.
Both his late wife, Norma, and son, Murray, are buried at Auckland Memorial Park.
Sir Fred, who was born in Oamaru in 1920, was one of the great servants of New Zealand rugby.
He is among the rare group of players to have both played in and coached the All Blacks.
The star first-five played 21 matches for the All Blacks, including six tests, between 1946-49.
He signalled his retirement from test rugby by throwing his rugby boots into the sea while on the All Blacks' return from their disappointing 1949 tour to South Africa.
He would have debuted for the All Blacks earlier in life had it not been for the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
Prior to making the All Blacks, he was one of the star players of the legendary New Zealand Defence Force's Kiwis rugby team which toured Europe in the months following the end of WWII.
The side also included his great mate and fellow future All Black sensation, Bob Scott.
Read more: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/6823098/All-Black-legend-Sir-Fred-Allen-dies-aged-92