Eric Alexander Watson (20 July 1925 – 25 March 2017) was a New Zealand rugby union coach and sportsman.
[1][2][3] A "talented" artist, he was unable to take up an art scholarship at the University of Otago due to financial pressures.
[4] A rugby second five-eighth, he played for the Zingari-Richmond club in Dunedin and represented Otago in 1946 before breaking his collarbone.
[4][10] He was a selector for the New Zealand national side from 1974, having first been nominated for the position in 1972,[9][11] and in 1979 was appointed as the coach of the All Blacks in April 1979.
A 2–1 loss touring Australia again in 1980 put his position in some doubt, and Watson considered stepping down as coach[16] before announcing that he was available to lead the team on a tour of North America and Wales later in the year, saying that he had been persuaded by the players to remain in the position.