Sid Going Walks Away from the All Blacks to Serve a Mission — and Trusts God with the Outcome

At 19 years old, Sidney “Sid” Going was on the verge of a dream. The rising New Zealand rugby star was expected to have a shot at playing for the legendary All Blacks.

But Sid walked away from rugby to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Some called him crazy. Others called him foolish. Sid didn't know if the opportunity would ever come again, but he trusted God enough to put Him first.

After his mission, Sid did make the All Blacks, becoming one of New Zealand's greatest halfbacks. Nicknamed “Super Sid,” he played 86 matches for the team and refused to play on Sundays. But Sid's life of discipleship extended far beyond rugby. He and his wife, Colleen, later served together as missionaries and as president and matron of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple.

Sid's story reminds us that faith isn't following Jesus Christ because we know how everything will turn out. It is trusting Him enough to follow when we don't.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in Love and Service, New Era, May 2011):

To be selected for the All Blacks in New Zealand would be comparable to playing for a football Super Bowl team or a World Cup soccer team. In 1961, at age 18 and holding the Aaronic Priesthood, Sidney Going was becoming a star in New Zealand rugby. Because of his remarkable abilities, many thought he would be chosen the very next year for the national All Blacks rugby team. At age 19, in this critical moment of his ascending rugby career, Sid declared that he would forgo rugby to serve a mission. Some called him crazy. Others called him foolish. They protested that his opportunity in rugby might never come again. For Sid it was not what he was leaving behind—it was the opportunity and responsibility ahead. He had a priesthood duty to offer two years of his life to declare the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. Nothing—not even a chance to play on the national team, with all the acclaim it would bring—would deter him from that duty. He was called by a prophet of God to serve in the Western Canadian Mission.