New Zealand’s rugby community is mourning the loss of former All Blacks Head Coach Eric Watson, who passed away on Saturday, aged 91.

He was was born on July 20th 1925, in Dunedin and was known to many in rugby circles as Bugle

Watson was appointed to the All Blacks Head Coach role in 1979 and started his tenure with a win over France, going on to be a driving force of the game in the 1980s.

A life member of Dunedin's Zingari-Richmond club, he was inducted to the Otago Rugby Hall of Fame in 2013.