 Born in Dunedin and educated at Lawrence District High School, Oliver made his provincial rugby debut for Southland in 1969.He later also played for Otago and Manawatu, playing a total of 213 first-class games.Oliver played in the forwards as a lock and appeared in 43 matches for the All Blacks — 17 of them full test appearances — between 1976 and 1981, captaining the team in four matches.