| Ian Bishop | |
| Birth Name: | Ian Robert Bishop |
| Height: | 1800NaN0 |
| Weight: | 79.50NaN0 |
| School: | Napier Boys' High School |
| Occupation: | Engineering assistant |
| Ru Position: | Fullback |
| Ru Province: | Hawke's Bay |
| Ru Provinceyears: | 1963–1972 |
| Ru Provincecaps: | 95 |
| Ru Provincepoints: | (631) |
Ian Robert Bishop (born 1943) is a former New Zealand rugby union player.
Bishop grew up in Napier and attended Napier Boys' High School. He was a player in the school's first XV rugby team, including its record best 1961 season.[1]
In 1963, Bishop debuted for Hawke's Bay at first-class level. He was part of the team that won the Ranfurly Shield from in 1966. In the low-scoring match he kicked a penalty goal in the second second half, after Waikato were lured offside in an infamous ruse arranged by halfback Hepa Paewai.[2] By the time Hawke's Bay lost the shield in 1969 to, Bishop had become the all-time leading points scorer in Ranfurly Shield matches.[2] He was also the highest point scorer for Hawke's Bay, with 631 points, which was not surpassed until 1995 by Jarrod Cunningham.[3]
In later life, Bishop shifted from Hawke's Bay to Hāwera.[2] He became a successful race horse owner. Several horses he was a shareholder in won multiple races including Heineken Bay, Libra Bay, Beatle Bay and Sarah Little.[3]