Jim Joseph, the father of Wellington's Ranfurly Shield-winning coach Jamie Joseph, died overnight.
Jim Joseph, battling the final stages of lung cancer, played for Marlborough in 1973 when the province famously upset Canterbury to take the shield.
A former Marlborough and Maori All Blacks prop, Jim Joseph was determined to see his son's Wellington team take the Ranfurly Shield from Auckland at Eden Park on Saturday.
Jamie Joseph, who endured four failed bids in the 1990s for the Shield with Otago in the 1990s, obliged in guiding Wellington to a 27-0 win.
The funeral will be held on at 1.30pm on Wednesday at Blenheim's Wairau Marae.
