Norman Hadley (2 December 1964 – 26 March 2016) was a Canadian

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

player. "Stormin' Norman" was a massive ,

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

. He played professionally first for London Wasps and then

Bedford Blues Bedford Blues are a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The Blues are a semi-pr ...

in the 1990s. In Canada he played for James Bay and UBCOB Ravens (

British Columbia Rugby Union The British Columbia Rugby Union (BCRU) is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in British Columbia, Canada. The BCRU consists of nine sub-unions and 65 clubs. It was originally organized in New Westminster in 1889 where Alfred St. G ...

). He earned an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

degree from

UBC The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top three ...

in 1991. He also played for Western Suburbs in Wellington, New Zealand. He earned 15 caps for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

between 1987 and 1994, and was part of the team that reached the quarter-final of the

1991 Rugby World Cup The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France: at the time, the five European countries who participated in the Five Nations Championship. This wa ...

Career

Hadley captained his national side five times in 1992–3, including on 17 October 1992 at

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, a 26–13 loss to England. On that day Hadley eclipsed his English counterparts

Wade Dooley Wade Dooley (born 2 October 1957) is a former England rugby union international who played lock forward. He played for his country 55 times and was known as the " Blackpool Tower", as a result of being 6 feet 8 inches tall and a police offi ...

and

Martin Bayfield Martin Christopher Bayfield (born 21 December 1966) is an English actor, broadcaster, and former rugby union, rugby union player who played Second Row (rugby union), lock forward for Northampton Saints, Bedford Blues and England national rugby ...

, and rallied an understrength Canadian side to a respectable outcome. Many however point to Canada's narrow quarter-final defeat to the

New Zealand All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

in the 1991 World Cup as Canada's finest hour, where Hadley and a big, tough forward pack clearly had the upper hand over New Zealand. That highly regarded 1991 Canadian team made a big impact defeating Fiji and Romania and giving both France and New Zealand difficult games. Always outspoken, a dispute with national team management saw him not play the 1995 World Cup, where his team desperately needed him in a tough pool that included South Africa and Australia. Following a dominant performance in the 1991 World Cup, he was named to the World Team (as selected by Rugby World magazine), and was subsequently chosen to play for the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

against the World Cup winners Australia at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borou ...

in 1992. His locking partner for the Barbarians that day was All Black Ian Jones. He went on to represent the Barbarians another four times. He was named Athlete of the Year in his hometown of

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. T ...

following the World Cup in 1991. While working in London and playing for Wasps, he gained perhaps his greatest notoriety for roughing up two hooligans on the

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, an act which not only earned him praiseworthy column inches in the British broadsheets and tabloids, but even gained him a mention in the House of Commons by then Prime Minister

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon, formerly Hunting ...

. Already a well-known pundit on

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

TV's

Rugby Special {{unreferenced, date=February 2021 ''Rugby Special'' was the main rugby union programme on the BBC in the UK. The show ran from 1966 and past presenters included David Vine, Keith Macklin, Cliff Morgan, Chris Rea, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Bill Beaumo ...

weekly program, offers for more TV appearances followed. Hadley has one daughter, Madison Elle Watson. He was the grandson of celebrated

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

-winning cinematographer

Osmond Borradaile Osmond Hudson Borradaile (17 July 1898 – 23 March 1999) was a Canadian cameraman, cinematographer, and veteran of World War I and World War II. Biography Born in 1898 in Winnipeg, Osmond Borradaile grew up in Alberta, moving often during h ...

. At the age of 51, after many years of battling depression, chronic pain and suspected

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse ov ...

(CTE), Hadley ended his life on 19 March 2016. The Tokyo Medical Examiner determined the cause to be an overdose of Pentobarbital. His death was announced on 27 March 2016

References

External links

Wasps Tribute to-Stormin' Norm HadleyWasps profileLondon Wasps Squad 1995/1996
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadley, Norman 1964 births 2016 deaths Barbarian F.C. players Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Japan Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England Canadian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand Canadian rugby union players Wasps RFC players Bedford Blues players Sportspeople from Winnipeg Canada international rugby union players German expatriate rugby union players Rugby union locks