POSITION DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE: NZRL Secondary School Girls Trainer
HOURS OF WORK: This is a voluntary role that requires a commitment of some weekend work and a camp for the campaign.
APPOINTMENT TERM: One (1) year plus an additional one (1) year pending campaign review.
REPORT TO: National Coaching & Development Manager and Head Coach, Head of Womens Rugby League and LeagueSmart Manager.
New Zealand Rugby League:
Rugby league has played a significant part in New Zealand sport for over 100 years. Formed in 1910, New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in New Zealand. With a commitment to growing the female game, providing positive experiences and opportunities for youth female players to participate in rugby league. The NZRL Rest of Aotearoa 16’s Girls representative teams contribute to the female pathway, which leads to and includes the NRLW and NZRL Kiwi Ferns.
The successful candidate will be appointed in the role of NZRL Secondary School Girls team trainer.
New Zealand Rugby League goals:
Through our “More Than A Game” philosophy, NZRL aspires to transform lives and community wellbeing through Rugby League.
Underpinning this philosophy is The Kiwi Way.
We are diverse, we call New Zealand home, and therefore we are all Kiwis.
We are inclusive, respectful and humble
We are responsible
We are innovative and courageous
16 September 2022
as seen on NRL.com
The three-hour trips along the winding, at times snow-flanked, roads carved through New Zealand’s Southern Alps tended to begin with Elvis Presley playing gently in the background, and gradually evolved to more obscure music from the late 1950s.
While West Coast Rugby League development officer Paddy Byrne’s taste in music wasn’t popular with most of the teenage rugby league players onboard, who quickly had their rap music banned, Griffin Neame didn’t mind one bit.
“Griff sort of came into favour with me because he supported my taste of music. I thought straight away, ‘well, there’s a touch of class there’,” Byrne told NRL.com.
“Funnily enough, his favourite song was where do you go to my lovely by Peter Sarstedt. Griff could open up his lungs when we got into a bit of old stuff.”
Light-hearted as they were at the time, those moments were early evidence of Neame’s strong character and a sign that he wasn’t afraid to stray away from the pack.
He needed those values in the years which followed, as he went on to make it to the NRL out of a region which has, in recent times, had only a handful of its juniors make it to the big stage.
The West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island was once a rugby league stronghold, with mining the predominant employer and league the most popular sport among the area’s tough, working-class people.
Over the years the region provided large numbers of representatives to the national team, including New Zealand Team of the Century members George Menzies and Jock Butterfield.
But that’s no longer the case, with the region struggling for playing numbers in comparison to its glory years, and with most of the Kiwi talent in the NRL now coming out of Auckland.
For a brief period when Neame was a teenager, the West Coast even struggled to get players into the South Island Scorpions representative sides.
Had Southern Zone Rugby League not pushed for academies to be set up on the West Coast, and if not for the tireless work of people like Byrne, there is every chance Neame wouldn’t have made rep sides as a youngster, let alone been in a position to attract the attention of scouts at the national tournament where he was picked up by the Cowboys.
“It was sort of crazy, it all came out of nowhere. I made the U-15 Scorpions and I was just surprised to be on team and excited to play,” Neame said.
“Suddenly I had four or five clubs come up to my parents on the sideline.“
“It was something I didn’t take for granted… my parents got a few free dinners out of it as well, so they were happy!”
You wouldn’t know it by looking at his 106kg, 193cm frame these days, but Neame’s body was initially something good judges thought would hold him back from making it to the higher levels of the game.
While it wasn’t such an issue at home on the West Coast, his lack of bulk often left him exposed when he’d travel to bigger cities for tournaments.
“He was tall but there wasn’t much meat on the bones. I didn’t look at him and say ‘NRL’,” Byrne said.
“Within 12 months we probably saw him develop physically. I never had any doubt about the rest of the requirements.”
But those same physical shortcomings also meant he developed a different style to others in New Zealand.
While they could rely on going through opponents, Neame had to work out ways to get around them.
“He doesn’t buy into ‘I’ll just try and run over everyone’, he’s got a lovely bit of footwork at the line,” Byrne said.
“He has a natural ability to find space in the defensive line. He’s intelligent enough to run to the space and he has the athleticism to do that.”
At some point in the future, Griffin Neame knows the sun-kissed hills of New Zealand’s famed winegrowing regions will call his name.
Once the rough and tumble of being a forward in the NRL is over, that’s the dream, living in the serenity and pursuing his passion for all things wine.
“My mum and dad love their wine and my grandparents love their wine. I drink it from time to time, especially when at home,” said Neame, whose wine of choice is a Shiraz.
“I wouldn’t mind owning a vineyard, it’d be pretty fun. Mum and dad could come and work there and I’ll pay them in wine, they’d be happy as!
“When I finish footy and get a bit older I can see myself moving back home and relaxing out there.”
For now though there is a dream to try and fulfill on the footy field, with the Cowboys one win away from a Grand Final appearance, with a home preliminary final against either the Eels or Raiders awaiting them.
Neame has also been named in New Zealand’s extended squad for the World Cup, having earlier this year been in the wider group selected to take on Tonga in June.
While he got just seven minutes on the field in his side’s 93-minute thriller against the Sharks in Finals Week 1, Neame said he is soaking up every moment of the experience.
“To be part of it is pretty crazy and the feeling now with a home prelim in Townsville, and we are only one win away from the Grand Final,” he said.
“Growing up in Greymouth I have a lot of people there who message me after games. It’s a cool feeling knowing most of the town is watching.
“If I was a young kid, thinking I was going to be close to a GF at 21? I just wouldn’t have believed it.”
Auckland, New Zealand, September 14, 2022 – New Zealand Rugby League selectors have added 10 players to the Kiwis’ mid-year Test line-up in a 34-man wider squad to prepare for the Rugby League World Cup in the United Kingdom starting next month.
Among the additions are experienced Kiwis Shaun Johnson, Kodi Nikorima and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves along with Corey Harawira-Naera, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who all made their New Zealand Test debuts in 2019.
Also included are Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs hooker Jeremy Marshall-King and Parramatta Eels winger Bailey Simonsson, both selected in the Kiwis’ squad for the 2019 World Nines in Sydney.
The only two new faces are in-form Canberra centres Sebastian Kris (23) and Matthew Timoko (22) who have been instrumental in the Raiders’ surge into week two of the NRL finals after eliminating Melbourne Storm 28-20 on Saturday night.
Of the 25 players named in the extended squad for the 26-6 win over Mate Ma’a Tonga in June only Gold Coast hooker Erin Clark isn’t included after being ruled out following knee surgery.
Seven of the players are yet to make their Test debuts for the Kiwis – Kris, Timoko, Marshall-King, Simonsson, Griffin Neame, Jordan Riki and Scott Sorensen – but Neame, Riki and Sorensen were in camp for the Tonga Test.
“We wanted to name a wider squad so we have all options covered while the NRL finals are playing out,” said Kiwis head coach Michael Maguire.
“We’re excited about the depth of players available and the form they’re in. The vast majority of them are in sides that made it into the finals which is a real positive as we look ahead to the tournament.”
The Kiwis are due to assemble in Sydney on September 27 where they’ll train for two days before flying to England on September 30. Players selected from the two teams in the grand final will travel separately the following week.
The New Zealanders will warm up for their World Cup campaign with a match against the Leeds Rhinos at Headingley on October 8 when 2008 World Cup winner Thomas Leuluai will be guest captain in the final match of his decorated career before retiring.
The Kiwis will then move to their RLWC base in York. Their opening Pool C match is against Lebanon in Warrington on October 16 followed by Jamaica in Hull on October 22 and Ireland in Leeds on October 28.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for November 4,5 and 6, the semifinals on November 11 and 12 and the final at Old Trafford in Manchester on November 19.
12 September 2022
as seen as warriors.kiwi
Queen Elizabeth II’s passing this week has brought back memories of the 2007 All Golds – including several Vodafone Warriors legends – visiting Buckingham Palace and becoming the first and only sporting team to perform the haka inside the hallowed walls.
The trip to the United Kingdom had been arranged to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the original All Golds’ tour in 1907 which gave birth to international rugby league.
The audience with the Queen had been made possible through the efforts of Jonathan Hunt, New Zealand’s High Commissioner in London working with All Golds manager the late Malcolm Boyle.
Legendary Wayne Bennett, appointed to coach the All Golds, was joined by a number of New Zealand greats including Vodafone Warriors present and past in All Golds captain Ruben Wiki, Stacey Jones, Ali Lauitiiti, Nigel Vagana, Clinton Toopi and Awen Guttenbeil. Also present was then Vodafone Warriors captain Steve Price who had been chosen as the modern-day equivalent of Dally Messenger, the 1907 team’s Australian guest player.
After disembarking from the team bus inside the gates of Buckingham Palace, All Golds management, players and staff were ushered to the Bow Room for afternoon tea with the Queen and Prince Philip.
The occasion was a rare opportunity in the royal spotlight for New Zealand rugby league, a visit not to be forgotten – but it didn’t end there.
Before departing the players removed their jackets and assembled in the Quadrangle downstairs where Wiki led a spirited haka to honour Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
With the haka reverberating around the walls, palace staff gathered in force on stairways on either side of the Quadrangle to behold the sights and sounds of history being made.
When it was over the Queen led rapturous applause for the performance which had climaxed a lifetime experience unlikely to be repeated for those in attendance.
Being there in the Bow Room, meeting and chatting with the Queen, patting the Corgis and then witnessing the haka was in equal measure exhilarating, emotional and inspiring.
It was clear Her Majesty was suitably amused.
as seen on stuff.co.nz
Canberra captain Elliott Whitehead has hailed teammate Joe Tapine as the world’s best prop after the New Zealand international’s starring role in the NRL elimination final triumph over Melbourne.
Tapine was at his best in helping Canberra record their fifth straight win at AAMI Park, ousting the Storm from the finals with a 28-20 victory.
The 28-year-old’s contribution didn’t surprise Whitehead.
“He deserves every bit of credit he’s getting at the moment.”
Tapine appreciated the recognition coming his way recently, especially given he’s not eligible to share in the game’s State of Origin spotlight.
“I’ve been working hard all year and starting to see some good compliments and results out of it,” he said.
“I think everyone wants to be the best player in their position. I probably don’t get put in those conversations much, so I just work hard to try and get my name up there.
“It’s a bit tough when you’re not playing Origin, that’s pretty much the gold standard in rugby league, if you’re playing Origin, you get a bit more exposure.
“I’ve just got to work a bit harder to get that recognition.”
Tapine will lead Canberra’s forward pack into battle in a semi-final showdown with Parramatta – and former teammate Junior Paulo.
“During the game, you do all you can to try and hit them hard and they try to hit you hard,” Tapine said of the clash with Paulo.
“After the game, you’re still mates, so it’s easy.”
The only sour note from another successful trip to Melbourne was Tapine being placed on report after crashing into Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes.
But Hughes returned to the ground after the knock and Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is confident Tapine will have nothing to worry about.
shattered Craig Bellamy said his departing players, including skipper Jesse Bromwich, deserved a better send-off than the disappointing NRL finals defeat against Canberra.
The Storm’s season was ended abruptly on Saturday night by the Raiders who chalked up their fifth successive win at AAMI Park with a 28-20 victory.
The coach lamented their defensive lapses that allowed the Raiders to score a number of soft tries.
“We’ve been a bit patchy everywhere, our defence and with our attack as well,” Bellamy said.
“Some of it has come a little bit with some of the injuries in key positions and working out what fits best but other clubs have injuries too.
“I was pretty proud of them to even have a chance of top four with our last game but the last three weeks we’ve been really inconsistent.
“To score 20 points it should be enough to win a final but to let 28 in, you’re going to lose every time.
“It looked like they wanted it a bit more than we did.”
It was the last game for Bromwich and his younger brother Kenny as well as Felise Kaufusi, with the veteran trio all shifting to new NRL entry the Dolphins.
Hooker Brandon Smith is also on the move after signing with the Sydney Roosters.
With his voice wavering, Bellamy said it wasn’t the way he wanted to see his players go out, with the club making its earliest exit since 2014.
Jesse has played 295 games since making his Storm debut in 2010.
“They’ve all been tremendous for us,” Bellamy said.
“Jesse and Kenny have been here since 2008 – that’s a long time and they’ve done a lot for our club.
“I’m so disappointed for them, I think they deserve to go out on a better note than that.
“Fuse (Kaufusi) has turned into a State of Origin and Australian player and the other three have all played for New Zealand so they’ve done a lot of great things for our club and some great things for themselves since they’ve been here so it’s disappointing to be sending them out on this note.”
Bellamy said it probably wouldn’t sink in until the pre-season that his senior players had gone, while Bromwich also felt emotional about his departure.
“The game summed up our season – pretty inconsistent out there,” the Kiwi prop said.
“It was really tough – I’m sure when I’m cleaning out locker it will sink in but this place has done a lot for me and my family and I’m really going to miss it.”
11 September 2022
Christchurch’s Nga Puna Wai hosted the season openers for both the Canterbury Bulls and Waikato Mana.
Both teams got into the wrestle early before a Waikato error led to an attacking scrum for the Bulls. Off the scrum veteran halfback Daniel Hartley was able to slice through to take the lead.
Waikato hit back through hooker Mahinga Rangi as he beat multiple defenders to score and level up the game. Moments later Rangi made it a double as Canterbury left no dummy-half at the play the ball and the Waikato hooker scooped it up and took it 40 metres to take the lead.
With five to go in the first half, Canterbury were able to crack the Waikato defense once again as Hartley put Reuben Te Amo through a gaping hole to score untouched. Both teams going into the break at 12 points a piece.
In a tight fixture, the Bulls were the first to score in the second forty as utility Devaun Thompson burrowed his way over from dummy half to open the second half account. Joshua Afamasaga doubled the South Island’s sides advantage as he bulldozed his way under the post making it 24-12. With under ten minutes remaining, the Canterbury side went on a tear with Hornby Panther Eti Collins, Samuelu-Latu and Daniel Hartley all scoring as they ran away 42-12 winners.
CANTERBURY 42
Tries – Hartley x2, Te Amo, Thompson, Afamasaga, Collins, Samuelu-Latu
Conversions – Hartley 7/7
WAIKATO MANA 12
Tries – Mahinga Rangi x2
Conversions – McLean 2/2
10 September 2022
Old foes Akarana Falcons and the Counties Manukau Stingrays took the field for the first round of the NZRL National Premiership at Mount Smart Stadium.
Akarana started the game in fantastic form with Ollie Tuimavave, weaving his way through the defence with excellent footwork to put the first points on the board for the Falcons within the first 5 minutes.
Ill-discipline and costly errors from Counties Manukau in their own half resulted in the Falcons dotting down twice, with tries coming from halfback Eiden Ackland and lock Brody Tamarua. With 20 minutes gone, the Stingrays found themselves with their backs against the wall early. The game entered into an arm-wrestle with both sides able to complete their sets; however, due to Akarana giving away three penalties within their own half, a spirited Stingrays side were able to put their first points on the board with winger Mavae Manukia scoring in the corner.
A successful regather off a short kick-off saw Akarana attacking again in the Stingray’s half. Silky play from halfback Eiden Ackland gave ball-wrecking centre Chaz Brown enough space to bust through a two-man tackle and crash over the line to score his first try for the game.
Facing an uphill climb, Counties responded with their own try, with second rower Sione Fe’ao hitting a nice hole on his opposites inside shoulder to close out the first half.
The dominance continued for the Falcons in the second half as Akarana showcased their technical skill on the edge, putting Nicholas Halalilo over. Determined to mount a comeback, the Stingrays responded with a short kick-off, successfully regathered by Manukia, who made a spirited run to the 10-metre line of the Falcon’s half. Dominant runs from the Counties middles resulted in a beautiful back door play to put winger Alan Niulevu in for his first try of the game.
Strong runs out of the backfield from Akarana’s wingers Lewis Soosemea and Esom Ioka lead to the Counties’ defence scrambling. Falcon’s playmaker Kadiyae Ioka saw this as an opportunity to expose the defence, shifting the ball to the edge to centre Chaz Brown, who would go on to break the line and run 50-metres to grab his second try of the afternoon.
With eight minutes to go, Counties continued to demonstrate outstanding resilience despite the score. They were rewarded with another try to Mavae Manukia, which would close out the game, with the final score being 32-20 to Akarana Falcons.
7 September 2022
Niue Rugby League and The Dragons representative team are set to face each other for the first time in five years, playing a curtain raiser for the NZRL Men’s Premiership. Their rematch takes place at Mt Smart on Saturday the 10th, kicking off at 11:00am.
Founded in 2013 by Counties Manukau Rugby League (CMRL), the Dragons are an Asian representative team that consists of players from the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japanese and Indian descent. As mentioned, the team hasn’t played in five years, last playing against Niue in the Cabramatta International Rugby League 9’s Tournament in Australia of which Niue prevailed.
Head Coach, Tony Hsiung commented saying, “the boys are excited to be given this opportunity and know it won’t be easy, but everyone is preparing well and we think it will be a good contest.”
Ethnic Rugby League (ERL) was designed to provide an opportunity for the growing Asian population living in Auckland a chance to play rugby league. It offers a welcoming and controlled pathway for player development and participation in the code with the goal of increasing grassroots membership.
Counties Manukau Rugby League General Manager Casey King says, “We just want a platform for all cultures to enjoy rugby league and that is our focus with our ERL and especially this clash. It’s a great opportunity to create inclusivity within our rugby league community.”
Niue Rugby League will be looking to develop some local and young talent with a team of talented Fox premiership players as well as a few from Australia. The team includes ARL team of the year member Daetyn Tanuvasa, Magpies five eight Raven Togiafofoa, Akarana 20s half Doux Kauhiva and Richmond captain Casey Lafele.
Both sides will be looking to get the better of the other in this clash of cultures.
DRAGONS VS NIUE – 11:00AM KICKOFF MT SMART FIELD #2
as seen on newshub.co.nz
NZ Kiwis hooker Brandon Smith has revealed the most emotional moment of his league career and paid tribute to his parents for their support through some troublesome years.
A tearful Smith describes his international debut for New Zealand in their 26-24 upset win over Australia as a moment he won’t ever forget.
“My debut was a very, very emotional game,” Smith told Fox League. “I just never thought that was possible.
“I’d played like 46 minutes of hooker that year and then I got named as the starting dummy half for the Kiwis team.
“It doesn’t sound real, like Madge’s belief in the New Zealand team. He wanted winners in his team and we were winners obviously.
“Then I went and played in front of my family and friends – it was very special.
“We got the win over Australia, which was absolutely crazy. Like I said, that was a full dream and I didn’t believe it for a long time after the game.”
Smith, 26, moved from Waiheke Island to Townsville as a teen, playing for North Queensland Cowboys in the youth grades for two seasons.
After he was arrested for his involvement in a fight at a party, he had his contract torn up, before being re-signed just six months later, after his performances in the Mal Meninga Cup.
But his move to the Storm catapulted his career, as he earned his Kiwis debut in 2018.
Smith reveals the heartwarming moment he shared with his parents after the game.”Yes, it was very special, I guess, from my old man in particular,” he said.
“My mum and my dad worked really hard when I was younger to get me in that position, and I’ve seen my dad after the game. I think we had a 10-minute hug.
“I’m just glad I’ve been able to give back to them those sort of memories that they can cherish. I guess they’re definitely my No.1 supporters.
“It’s sometimes annoying that I have to get like 20 tickets every time we play in Brissy [Brisbane], I’m just glad I get to live out my dream that they wanted me to.”
Join us on October 2 for live updates of the NRL Grand Final
6 September 2022
As the finals loom around the corner, plenty of Kiwi talent headline the knockout rounds in their respective teams.
The Melbourne Storm boast five Kiwis test regulars, brothers Jesse and Kenneath Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Jahrome Hughes and Brandon Smith for their sudden-death clash with the Raiders on Saturday.
Parramatta will field four New Zealanders against the champion Panthers.
Ricky Stuart’s Canberra Raiders also have five Kiwis
The Roosters are likely to lose boom Kiwis back Joseph Manu to a calf injury for their elimination game against the Rabbitohs, but the club is confident teak-tough prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will shrug off a hamstring problem.
With 24 potential Kiwis spread across the finals squads, national coach Michael Maguire could be forgiven for watching behind splayed fingers this week as he seeks to firm up his squad for the Rugby League World Cup in England in October and November.
NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE NRL PLAYOFFS
(List includes those potentially under New Zealand consideration for the 2022 Rugby League World Cup)
PANTHERS v EELS
Friday September 9
First Qualifying Final at BlueBet Stadium, Penrith, 9.50pm (NZT)
PENRITH (seeded first)
James Fisher-Harris: The hardman from the Hokianga made his 150th NRL appearance this season and is still 26. The 2021 Team of the Year selection’s go-forward is critical for the champions through the middle.
Moses Leota: The 27-year-old prop made his Kiwis bow in June, but has also represented Samoa. Highly valued by Ivan Cleary, he was rested last week to keep him fresh for the finals.
Scott Sorensen: His uncles Dane and Kurt were star Kiwis forwards in the 70s and 80s and, at 29, he’s been a handy utility forward in 20 games this term.
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EELS (fourth)
Dylan Brown: Red-hot favourite for the Kiwis’ standoff berth at the Rugby League World Cup. Has 11 tries in 24 games and forged a fine halves pairing with Mitchell Moses.
Isaiah Papali’i: A revelation at Parramatta since leaving the Warriors and a second rower of the year in 2021. Ten tries in 24 games in 2022 ahead of a planned move to Wests Tigers.
Bailey Simonsson: The former All Black sevens rep has chalked up three tries in 18 games at the Eels but hasn’t played since round 19.
Marata Niukore: The Warriors-bound second rower who made his Kiwis debut in June, has played 14 games and been a regular since July.
Saturday September 10
STORM V RAIDERS
First Elimination Final at AAMI Park, Melbourne, 7.40pm.
STORM (fifth)
Nelson Asofa-Solomona: The six-test 2m tall middle forward from Wellington has built a reputation as a NRL enforcer – just ask Kiwi teammate Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
Jesse Bromwich: The Storm co-captain is closing in on 300 games for Melbourne ahead of a Queensland move to the Dolphins. 2016 NRL prop of the year.
Kenneath Bromwich: Much-respected left edge forward will also be keen to go out a winner at the Storm before he also heads to play for Wayne Bennett.
Jahrome Hughes: Likely to be the Kiwis’ World Cup playmaker. Twelve tries in 20 games this year but has had a recent shoulder injury.
Brandon Smith: The Kiwis’ best hooker since Issac Luke. Injuries and suspension for referee abuse aside, the Waiheke Islander has still managed 19 valuable appearances at hooker or off the interchange bench.
RAIDERS (eighth)
Corey Harawira-Naera: A versatile forward who has thrived under Ricky Stuart. Played six of the last seven games off the bench, but had a full 80 minutes in the second row last week.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad: Last Canberra chance for Charnze? Equally adept at centre or fullback, he’s heading home to the Warriors in 2023.
Jordan Rapana: The 11-test veteran winger is still scoring NRL tries at 33, and is a part-time goalkicker too. Dally M winger of the year in 2018.
Joseph Tapine: The Māori All Stars skipper is one of the first names on the Kiwis team sheet and was hailed by Raiders teammate Tom Starling as the best forward in the NRL.
Matthew Timoko: The former Auckland Grammar School 1st XV star impressed with his powerful running and cemented his spot as a starting centre, after making his NRL debut in 2020.
SHARKS V COWBOYS
Second Qualifying Final at PointsBet Stadium, Cronulla, 9.50pm.
SHARKS (second)
Braden Hamlin-Uele: A big finals series could put the Cronulla frontrower in contention for the Kiwis after a sole test in 2019.
Ronaldo Mulitalo: Electric wing who made his Kiwis debut against Tonga is sixth on the 2022 top try scorers charts with 15 in 22 games.
Briton Nikora: Earned a test recall in 2022 and is now a first-choice in the Sharks’ second row under ex-Kangaroos forward Craig Fitzgibbon.
COWBOYS (third)
Peta Hiku: Yet another who has blossomed after leaving the Warriors. Has added experience and guile to the Cowboys centres with Valentine Holmes and seems set for the World Cup.
Griffin Neame: The West Coast’s first NRL regular since current Warriors coaching assistant Slade Griffin has impressed in Todd Payten’s pack and earned a new two-year deal.
Sunday September 11
ROOSTERS V RABBITOHS
Second Elimination Final, at Allianz Stadium, Sydney, 4.05pm
ROOSTERS (sixth)
Joseph Manu: Starred for the Kiwis at fullback against Tonga and one of the best backs in the NRL, but unlikely to play again this season after a calf injury last weekend.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves: A three-time NRL champion who remains one of game’s most combative props. Fighting to be over a hamstring injury in time to battle Souths.
RABBITOHS (seventh)
Kodi Nikorima: One of only two 2022 Warriors to make the playoffs (Roosters prop Matt Lodge is the other). His mid-season move has led to an interchange berth at Souths. Headed for the Dolphins.
The NZRL National Men’s Premiership returns after a year hiatus. Due to covid implications, the Men’s Premiership in 2021 was cancelled, and the NZRL National Competition was formed, with Upper Central Zone defeating Canterbury in the final. In 2022, with all teams available to compete, the NZRL Men’s Premiership will resume its place, with old rivals Akarana and Counties Manukau kicking off the competition.
After being unable to participate in 2021, Akarana will seek to reclaim their premiership title as they face their arch-rivals, the Stingrays.
Saturday’s action kicks off at 11:00 am at Mt Smart as the Asian Dragons face Niue Rugby League in a curtain raiser for the Men’s Premiership. The Asian Dragons are a part of Counties Manukau Rugby League’s (CMRL) Ethnic Rugby League (ERL), which will be a big test against a solid Niuean outfit.
Competition giants Counties Manukau and Akarana follow as they take the field at 01:05 pm to get their tournaments underway.
Sunday sees Canterbury play host to Waikato Mana at Christchurch’s Nga Puna Wai. In a contest between two of the competition underdogs, both teams will look to start strong and create momentum heading into the later stages of the competition. Kick-off is at 01:05 pm.
Watch all the action live on Sky Sport!
Saturday 10th September
Asian Dragons vs Niue Rugby League – 11:00am Mt Smart Field 2, Auckland.
Akarana vs Counties Manukau – 01:05pm Mt Smart Field 2, Auckland.
Sunday 11th September
Canterbury vs Waikato Mana – 12:05pm Nga Puna Wai, Christchurch.
The NZRL Secondary Schools finals saw South Auckland’s De La Salle College crowned as Aotearoa’s champions, convincingly defeating Rotorua Boys 42-6. De La Salle raced to an early lead through left centre Kaylise Fatialofa, who scored two quick tries in the opening minutes. After finding success on the left edge, La Salle kept up the pressure which resulted in Rodney Tuipulotu-Vea scoring a double for himself as La Salle started to pile on the points. In the second stanza, the right edge of Rotorua Boys led to points as MJ Sa’olele Tavae, and Haami Herbert-Loza found success down that channel. A late consolation try for Rotorua Boys saw them on the score sheet as De La Salle scored 42-6 winners.
DE LA SALLE 42
TRIES: Haami HERBERT-LOZA, MJ SA’OLELE TAVAE x2, Kaylise FATIALOFA x2, Rodney TUIPULOTU-VEA x2, Jeshua MAA-NELSON
GOALS: Phranklyn MANO LEMAMEA
ROTORUA BOYS 6
TRIES: Darryl WALKER
GOALS: Maraki AUMUA
MVP – Kaylise FATIALOFA
In the Girls Championship, Auckland Girls Grammar and Manurewa played out a nail-biter, with the South Auckland school holding on to win 8-4. Tries from competition MVP Sharnyze Pihema and Team of the Tournament second rower June Westerland allowed Manurewa to get out to an 8-0 lead that they never relinquished. Seriah Palepale scored for Auckland Girls to make it a game in the second half, but the Manurewa outfit held on to secure the Championship Title.
MANUREWA HIGH SCHOOL 8
TRIES: Sharnyze PIHEMA, June WESTERLAND
GOALS:
AUCKLAND GIRLS GRAMMAR 4
TRIES: Seriah PALEPALE
MVP – June WESTERLAND
The Boys Championship saw a rematch of yesterday’s fixture as Manurewa high school took on Te Whanau a Noa. The Composite side started quickly out of the blocks but their inability to turn pressure into points returned to haunt them. Two quick tries from the South Auckland school saw them go up 10-0 towards the mid-point of the first half. The second half saw much of the same as Manurewa were first to score and never let up their advantage, taking out the competition 18 points to four.
MANUREWA HIGH SCHOOL 18
TRIES: Colwyn KAUMAVAE, Frankie PAYNE, Padilla LEMOE, Tiu LEILUA TAMALEAOA
GOALS: Leon RICHARD x1
TE WHANAU A NOA 4
TRIES: Callum WARD
MVP – Christian AUVAA
3 September 2022
Rotorua Boys Waisake Salabiau and Manurewa’s Sharnyze Pihema spear head the secondary school team of the tournaments for 2022.
A standout in each game for the Rotorua side, Salabiau has been instrumental in his side’s journey to the Premiership final. Tall and quick with nimble feet, the Fijian winger has been a handful for any side he has come up against.
Manurewa half Sharnyze Pihema has taken the competition by storm throughout the week. The running five-eight is tall and robust with deft footwork, which she uses to damage defensive lines. Pihema is not only a wicked talent but is a leader for a Manurewa side looking to capture the Girls Championship title.
Waisake Salabiau is joined by an extremely talented pool of players, including his opposite wing Malakai Cama, St Pauls fullback Sio Kali, St Thomas and South Island 20s half Oliver Lawry, second-rower Rodney Tuipuloto-Vea from De La Salle and Southern Cross’ Elijah Salesa Leaumoana.
The Girls Championship side in 2022 has been dominated by finalists Manurewa High and Auckland Girl’s Grammar. AGGS fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee is joined by the emerging talent award winner and teammate Giovanni Suani, while Southern Cross’ Shanthie Lui enters the side as the only player not from AGGS or Manurewa.
Congratulations to the following selected for the 2022 NZRL Secondary Schools Tournament Teams.
*Additional inclusions for NZ Schools V NZ Clubs fixture
As seen on Stuff.co.nz
World Cup winner Thomas Leuluai will represent the Kiwis one more time before ending a glittering 20-year first grade rugby league career.
The 37-year-old Wigan Warriors captain confirmed on Wednesday (Thursday NZ time) that he will retire at the end of the year to join the Super League club’s coaching staff.
But Leuluai – New Zealand’s starting hooker in their one and only Rugby League World Cup grand final win in 2008 – will lead the Kiwis out one final time in a World Cup warmup game against the Leeds Rhinos on October 8.
The son of 1980s Kiwis star James Leuluai believes it is time to end a career that began in 2003 with the New Zealand Warriors.
“When players and teammates around me retired, I often wondered how they knew it was the right time to do so, but I can honestly say I feel so content with my own decision and it’s true what they say, you know when it’s time,’’ Leuluai wrote in a letter to fans on Wigan’s website.
“It’s been an incredible journey, back in 2003 when I made my debut for the New Zealand Warriors, I never thought I’d be writing this 20 years later.
Leuluai has chalked up 448 first grade games in the NRL and Super League and also played 40 tests for the Kiwis between the 2003 and 2017.
He was the youngest player to represent the New Zealand Warriors when he made his debut at 18 in 2003, and became the Kiwis’ second youngest test player that same year.
Leuluai became the last of the World Cup winning Kiwis to play for a top-tier club after Benji Marshall retired at the end of 2001.
Noted for his silky skills, strategic brain and tough tackling, Leuluai had 85 games during two stints in Auckland with the Warriors, from 2003 to 2004 and again from 2013 to 2016 and represented the Kiwis at three World Cups.
As well as his World Cup winner’s medal, Leuluai won two Super League titles with Wigan, two Challenge Cup crowns and three League Leaders Shields as minor premiers.
He first played in Super League in 2005 with the London Broncos and, after a short stint with Harlequins moved to Wigan, his wife Natalie’s hometown.
Leuluai became a crowd favourite at the famous English club from 2007 to 2012 and again from 2017 after returning from New Zealand.
He won the Harry Sunderland Medal as player of the match when Wigan won the 2010 Super League grand final.
Long regarded as a potential coach, Leuluai will become an assistant-coach to Wigan head coach Matt Peet in 2023, working alongside his former teammate Sean O’Loughlin.
The Kiwi has been dogged by injury this season, but came back to play a telling role in Wigan’s Challenge Cup victory in May.
He said he felt “incredibly grateful for everything that Rugby League has given me’’.
“There have been wonderful times on the field, and amazing times off it. I’ve loved them all but without a doubt the best thing Rugby League has given me is the friendships I have made. “
He thanked “all the coaches, trainers, physios, doctors and office staff that have helped me along my journey’’, and also his family, including dad James and mum Lenore, his siblings, wife Natalie and their three daughters Wynter-Rose, Storm and Romi, plus his agent, former Kiwis prop Peter Brown.
“I have to give special mention to the Wigan fans that have taken me in like one of their own, you are what make this Club such a special team to play for, it has been a privilege to represent your team and your town,’’ Leuluai wrote.
“To all my teammates I can’t thank you enough – I’ve loved going to battle alongside you all. I’ve also loved all the great times we have had off the field, there are so many great memories that I will forever cherish.”
(Subject to change)
*LS – Livestreamed on nzrl.co.nz
DAY 1: TUESDAY 30 AUGUST 2022
DAY 2: WEDNESDAY 31 AUGUST 2022
DAY 3: THURSDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2022
DAY 4: FRIDAY 2 SEPTMEBER 2022
DAY 5: SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2022
5th – 6th
1st – 2nd
1:00pm
5
3 Sep
1st
vs
2nd
1
3rd – 4th
27 August 2022 By James Perry
Physical Disability Rugby League New Zealand has changed its name to Whutupōro Rīki Whaikaha o Aotearoa as a way to encapsulate what it represents.
Whutupōro Rīki Whaikaha Aotearoa founder and chairperson Sandra Hickey says the idea to adopt a Māori name wasn’t taken lightly, and enlisted the help of Keri Opai and, subsequently, Kahurangi Tibble.
“We’ve really been focusing within our New Zealand squad camps on many of the concepts such as manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, all of these concepts we’ve brought in to produce those values in our squad and as an organisation.
“In the English language, and I’m not steeped in this in any way but the words are just black and white. They don’t encapsulate a lot, whereas the Māori language and Pasifika languages, those words say a lot and that’s really what I was looking for.
“I managed to track Keri online and he was so lovely and so receptive and really understood where we were coming from, that we didn’t just want to make something up to tick a box. It really needed to mean a lot, it needed to have some history to it and some really good deep meaning to it.”
Head coach Raymond Greaves (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Tara) says the name change was kept under wraps until now, with the players only finding out at this weekend’s training camp in Auckland, as they build up to the Physical Disability World Cup in the UK later this year.
“As Sandra alluded to, I’ve been focusing a lot on whakawhanaungatanga, manaakitanga and kotahitanga. And I feel that the progress that we’ve made over these last few months, that’s really starting to show within the squad. Personally, I feel really proud of what has been achieved. Unveiling this new name that encapsulates that is amazing.”
One of the immediate changes they both hope to gather from the change in name from “physical disability” to “whaikaha” is a positive starting point of the new name, not only for the players and their whānau, but the wider community. Hickey, whose daughter has a disability, is well aware of the negative connotations that come with that word.
“Whaikaha comes from such a strength-based perspective. I’m very well entrenched in that negative medical kind of model of disability as we get to experience it. So to be able to give a whole new name and introduce it into people’s mindsets is going to be amazing. It’s such an empowering word.”
Whaikaha means to have strength, ability and to be enabled.
Greaves, who has been involved with PDRL for the past five years says from the moment Opai and Tibble explained the meaning of whaikaha it has felt right.
“It just added so much impetus for Physical Disability Rugby League. To be able to have a new kupu for it just made it so much more worthwhile.”
He says as an able-bodied person he came into the PDRL whānau at a “tumultuous time” in his own life, and is looking forward to giving back to his players as much as he has got from them.
“It’s going to be hard to keep my emotions in check. The past four years has been heading in the right direction. I say to our team every week at this stage in the short career of playing physical disability rugby league, ‘We’re trailblazing, we’re setting the tone for the young whaikaha coming through. What we do today is going to establish tomorrow what they experience.’
“It took me maybe two months or so [of coaching] before I actually realised that the one person there who had a disability was me because my mind couldn’t work out how to work with this group of people, who had physical disabilities. And at the end of the day I worked it out that they just wanted to be treated like ‘normal’ people and loved like a ‘normal’ person. As soon as that clicked in my mind, I realised that I have no right to judge any book by its cover. Who are we to say that you can’t do this?
“I don’t see a disability. All I see is as a person.”
A squad of 23 will head over to England at the end of October to play in the PDRL World Cup with matches against Australia, England and Wales, and more than half of the players will be Māori. Greaves has boldly predicted his team has a 99% chance of becoming the first ever to lift the Physical Disability Rugby League World Cup.
To donate to their first-ever World Cup campaign, please click here.
Day 1 to 3
PLEASE NOTE: POOLS AND DRAWS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
10:00am
August 22, 2022
New Zealand’s biggest grassroots tournament is only a week away. The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) Secondary Schools Competition’s three-year hiatus ends next Tuesday as schools from across the motu converge on Rotorua’s Puketawhero Park. Teams have anticipated the tournament’s return and will be excited to test themselves against the best rugby league talent nationwide.
With the last competition in 2018, 2022 brings new schools, new teams, a new host and a fresh look for several tournament regulars.
The competition hosts, Western Heights HS, will be competing for the first time in 2022 and will be looking to impact the tournament. Many of the school’s players are not new to the game, currently representing rugby league clubs in Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty region.
Composite teams are competing for the first time as Taikura, and Te Ōraka Kairangi enter the fray this September.
Taikura is comprised of kaupapa from Wharekura, in the Waikato region. Wharekura comes under the korowai of Nga Kura a Iwi which is a National Body for Wharekura and Kura Kaupapa. Taikura 2022 involves Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga, Te Wharekura o Nga Taiatea and Te Wharekura o Kirikiriroa and will have three teams competing over the week.
Te Ōraka Kairangi is a composite team made up of Canterbury-based schools; Kaiapoi HS, Avonside Girls, and Rangiora HS. This team will compete in the first-ever Girl’s Championship as the first female side repping the South Island.
2022 will be a historic year for St. Bernards College, located in Lower Hutt, as they enter their inaugural competition. The Wellington-based school has produced talents such as Issac Luke and Ben Matulino and will now look to stamp its mark on the 2022 NZRL secondary schools.
Tauranga Boys are also new to the tournament, joining Western Heights and St Bernards as the competition newcomers. Tauranga Boys was home to Bodene Thompson, who played 197 games in the NRL, including 107 for the Vodafone Warriors.
Auckland’s De La Salle College enter the tournament’s premier division after only assembling a first XIII team last year. In 18 months, the South Auckland college went from a newly created division two team to Auckland runners-up in the premier division. The NZRL Secondary Schools competition will be an opportunity for De La Salle to avenge their finals defeat.
Two games a day will be live-streamed on nzrl.co.nz, NZRL to release schedule in due course.
Stay with us for more NZRL Secondary Schools news and stories and watch the finals on September 3rd live on Sky Sport 4!
*Draws to be released by NZRL tomorrow*
For any media or interview requests, please contact:
Nooroa Takairangi– NZRL Communications Executive M: 0272537981
E: Nooroa.Takairangi@nzrl.co.nz
Or
Sophie Wills – GM Communications
M: 021889362
E: sophie.wills@nzrl.co.nz
August 19, 2022
When the Parramatta Eels and Sydney Roosters open the NRLW season this Saturday, experienced referee Rochelle Tamarua will fulfil a lifelong dream as she takes the touchline. Auckland-born and raised – Tamarua has been one of the game’s elite officials in New Zealand for the past decade, and she intends to use this opportunity as a stepping stone to further her career.
The Cook Island native first picked up the whistle at age ten, refereeing local touch games and competitions. In 2012 whilst attending Auckland Girls Grammar, she took up rugby league and fell in love with the game finding herself adjudicating Holden Cup touchlines only three years later.
Her rise through the refereeing ranks saw her officiate at the NRL 9’s in 2015 and International Test matches between the Kiwi Ferns and Jillaroos (2015 – 2017) while also being the first female to referee in the Fox Premiership.
“I was finding my feet and gaining momentum.” Rochelle added, “The early years shaped and prepared me for this moment. It was such an experience being on the team in the 20s and International Test windows, but I always had the NRL and NRLW on my mind.”
During this window, Tamarua found herself in a position where she had to give up the whistle for a year.
“I had a lot of momentum going into 2017, but the pressures of life forced me to make a decision. I owned a restaurant and was courier driving throughout the week, coupled with the frequent refereeing appointments in Sydney and weekend games. Unfortunately, I had to put the whistle down for some time.”
“When I picked up refereeing again in 2018, the landscape I had known shifted. I had to start again, from touchlines to refereeing junior grades, but I knew what I wanted and kept pushing towards that.”
Rochelle was dedicated to positioning herself firmly in the NRLW scene and worked her way back up to the top level. Returning to the Fox premiership after her hiatus, it wasn’t until this year that her career took off exponentially.
Starting the 2022 calendar year refereeing the NZRL Women’s Premiership and National 20’s Competition. NZRL then flew her to Australia to officiate the NRL National Women’s Championship in Australia, which ran from the 9th to the 12th of June, of which she refereed the final. The following month she returned to Australia, this time in Queensland, as she officiated in the National Schoolboy Championship and the 15As finale.
At the conclusion of the Schoolboy Championship, the NRLW came knocking and for Rochelle, it was the culmination of all the hard work she had put in to get back to this point.
“It was a hard road to get back here, but when I saw the squad list for the NRLW officials, I felt it was all worth it. I told myself I would make it to this point, and after seven years of challenges and disappointments, it feels like a full circle moment.”
Rochelle added, “I wouldn’t be here if it were not for the support systems around me. Organisations like Auckland Rugby League (ARL), New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL), Auckland Rugby League Referees Association (ARLRA) and the many family and friends I had allowed me to achieve my dream.
“I hope this inspires young Māori and Pasifika girls to chase their sporting dreams – whether it is playing or adjudicating.”
NZRL Referees Manager Alan Caddy said, “New Zealand Rugby League are extremely proud of Rochelle’s inclusion into this year’s NRLW Match Official Squad.
“Rochelle has dedicated herself to years of hard work and persistence with help from organisations such as the ARLRA, NRL, NSWRL and NZRL.
“Rochelle will no doubt look to make the best of this opportunity, and her recent success shows there is a pathway for future referees in New Zealand.”
CEO of ARL Rebecca Russell also added, “ARL are extremely proud of Rochelle’s continued achievements in rugby league. Her efforts and continual hard work have been well rewarded with this opportunity. As she steps into this next challenge, we look forward to seeing Rochelle continue her journey as a pathfinder for female and New Zealand referees.”
Catch Rochelle, and all the NRLW action live on Sky Sport 4!
18 August 2022
Kiwis coach Michael Maguire wants more New Zealanders involved in the national team setup and has identified incoming Wests Tigers assistant Benji Marshall as one of his top targets moving forward.
Marshall, who was handed an international lifeline by Maguire in 2019 after almost seven years of being overlooked by the Kiwis, will begin his coaching career as an assistant to Tim Sheens next year, ironically as part of the full-time coaching group who will take over at the Wests Tigers after Maguire and the club parted ways earlier this year.
Maguire, who first spoke of Marshall’s potential as a coach while he was still playing back in 2019, told NRL.com that he was holding off having discussions with the 37-year-old about a role with the Kiwis until he had found his feet at club level.
“Benji has been busy with his media stuff and only just committed [to coaching], so I think he will be fairly busy getting his thoughts around his role and how he wants to do his coaching when he gets into club land,” Maguire said.
“I don’t think it’s got a timeline on it, I think it’s just for him to be comfortable with what he’s doing.
“Everyone progresses at a different speed. Players that played at his level, there’s a lot of knowledge in place already and you tend, as a senior player, to do a fair bit of coaching as you get to the back end of your career.
“So all that sort of knowledge will play a part in the progression.”
Interim Warriors coach Stacey Jones and kicking guru Daryl Halligan are the New Zealanders confirmed to be on Maguire’s coaching staff for the end-of-year World Cup, while Cronulla assistant Steve Price and Wests Tigers assistant Ben Gardiner will also be part of the group.
Other Kiwis currently working in prominent roles with NRL clubs include Nathan Cayless and Slade Griffin, who serve as assistants at the Wests Tigers and Warriors respectively, while former Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney is with the Storm.
Maguire also pointed to recently retired Kiwis forward Adam Blair and UK-based playmaker Thomas Leuluai as potential high-level coaches in the future.
“I see ‘Blairy’ as a real potential moving forward. He is on the selection panel for the Kiwis and he is doing a lot of coaching on the ground in New Zealand, so I think he will find himself as a coach at an organisation in the future,” Maguire said.
“Someone like a Blairy and Nathan Cayless, they’ve led their country, and they have got a lot of knowledge.
“They have got so much knowledge and have been some of the best players in the world, and them going into coaching is what is going to be part of growing the game in New Zealand.”
Maguire is the first non-New Zealander to coach the Kiwis since Daniel Anderson in the early 2000s and in his 10 Tests in charge so far has won 60 percent of the time.
August 11, 2022
In collaboration with Auckland Rugby League (ARL), New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) will present representative games for boys and girls in the 16s and 18s age groups.
The 16s age group will feature an inaugural ‘Auckland’ versus ‘Rest of New Zealand’ contest whilst the ‘Clubs vs Schools’ match-up returns for their 18s counterparts. These games will be played in Auckland over labour weekend, the 23rd and 24th of October and will consist of the best young talent across the motu.
The 16s Auckland teams will consist of players from the ARL competition, Region of Origin development programme and representative teams that include; Akarana, Counties-Manukau and Auckland. The ‘Rest of New Zealand’ squads will be selected from Zonal teams that consist of Northland, Upper Central, Mid Central, Wellington and South Island.
ARL’s Football Development and Programmes Manager Viggo Rasmussen had this to say, “Auckland Rugby League is extremely excited to test ourselves against the best rangatahi talent in our county. The 16s age grade is a significant area for us, as we focus on building pathways and attractive development pathways for our juniors.”
The 18’s representative clash sees the ‘Clubs vs Schools’ return after a year hiatus and will include the debut of a girl’s match. NZRL will select the Schools team from their performances at the NZRL National Secondary Schools Tournament, which runs from the 30th of August to the 3nd of September. Clubs squads will be selected from the 16s and 18s NZRL National Youth Tournaments that will take place from the 4th to the 12th of October.
NZRL General Manager of Football and High Performance Motu Tony added, “NZRL has focused on developing the female game, and presenting a girls 18’s Clubs vs. Schools match is another step towards enhancing the wāhine space. This event offers our young women an opportunity not seen before, creating more pathways for females to develop their game.”
“As for the boys, the Clubs vs Schools match-up was a huge success in 2020, and we are looking to build off that this year. A plethora of young talent have found homes in NRL clubs from the previous contest, showing a genuine pathway rangtahi can take towards the professional game.”
Fixtures:
Auckland U16 Boys vs. Rest of New Zealand U16 Boys
Auckland U16 Girls vs. Rest of New Zealand U16 Girls
New Zealand Schools Girls vs. New Zealand Clubs Girls
New Zealand Schools Boys vs. New Zealand Clubs Boys
August 10 2022
As seen on Sunlive.co.nz
The Papamoa Bulldogs Rugby League & Sports Club has overcome incredible odds this season.
From being on the brink of disappearing with a lack of team players, the team has fully turned things around and made it into tomorrow’s grand final of the Waiariki Rugby League Competition.
Earlier this year in March, the team was battling to recruit players to keep the game and club alive.
To fundraise and create awareness for the club’s survival, Papamoa Bulldog players carried tetraplegic Bryce Dinneen up the Papamoa Hills.
Engaging the community and league supporters with the event, this was the start of the team’s revival.
“On the Tuesday training following the event we had 26 players turn up for training…that was the start of our journey,” says co-caption Teia Dunster.
“We’ve just hung in there and managed to get a team and we’ve actually gone through the season with only losing two games in the whole season.”
Support and success
The Papamoa Bulldog boys have been overwhelmed with the support they’ve received from the community, says Teia.
Teia gave special to co-captain Daryl Thomas and coach Johnny Kelly for being key players in the team’s underdog journey.
“He’s [Johnny] been the rock of the team who just stayed strong.”
Tomorrow’s grand final, on August 6, will see the Papamoa Bulldogs take on Tauhara Te Maunga Rugby League & Sports club at Puketewhero Park, Rotorua, with kick-off 1pm.
“The jobs not finished yet,” says Teia. “The boys are still wanting to keep working hard until we can hopefully come away with a win.”
The Papamoa Bulldogs invites everyone to go along and support them, with the team far from losing their bark or bite, continuing their team chant: “Doggies are you ready, ready!”
“Six boys from last year’s team that played the full season with the Papamoa Bulldogs never won a game. They went through a pretty tough season and for them to have this feeling right now, it’s a pretty amazing.”
August 8, 2022
2022 sees the return of the prestigious Pirtek Volunteer of the Month award, where our rugby league community gets a chance to see their hard mahi recognised across the motu. This award is gifted to a volunteer who displays the core values of NZRL’s Kiwi Way: being family first, innovative, inclusive, respectful, respectful and humble. We are excited to announce that the first winner in 2022 and the month of July is Narrisa Fraser.
For many years, Narrisa has supported the Wainuiomata Lions in every way she can. Fraser splits her time supporting the Lions junior teams, organising fundraisers and end-of-year prizegivings.
Fraser’s mahi goes on and off the rugby league field, from setting up junior fields to managing sausage sizzles and club raffles. Everything she does outside of her everyday club commitments is to ensure tamariki thrive in the area.
A lot of Narrisa’s efforts go unnoticed around the club but are essential in keeping the foundation of the Wainuiomata Lions strong.
Pirtek CEO Chris Bourke commented on Narrisa’s win, “longevity and completing the small tasks are key qualities of our rugby league volunteers, to ensure as many people as possible can participate and enjoy our amazing game.”
“The Wainuiomata Lions are very privileged to have Narrisa on board to go the extra mile, supporting all activities within their club.”
As with most volunteers, Narrisa takes on these crucial roles for her club along with her own family commitments. Narrisa is another very worthy recipient of the Pirtek Volunteer of the Month.”
Congratulations Narrisa!
3rd August, 2022
as seen on Otago Daily Times.
A big nervous smile envelops Anya Clark’s face when she thinks about running out at Mt Smart Stadium tonight.
The year 12 St Hilda’s Collegiate School pupil will take the field for the South Island Scorpions 16s in the curtain-raiser for the Warriors match against the Melbourne Storm.
They will play Auckland 16s.
“It is pretty nerve-racking,” she beamed.
“I find it so exciting. I’ve never really seen the country up there before and going on a plane is so exciting.”
Yep, you read that right. The thought of a big crowd of curious onlookers rated second to the adventure of flying to Auckland.
It will be just her second trip to the city. The first was for the New Zealand Rugby League nines under-16 tournament.
The 16-year-old fullback shone and was named in the tournament team.
She impressed again during the Otago 16s tournament and made the longlist and eventually the squad for the South Island Scorpions.
She is also a gun motocross rider, although she swatted away praise for her effort in winning the South Island women’s cross-country motocross championship in mud and snow.
“Oh, motocross is just a hobby.”
Her real passion is for tackling. She is an evasive runner but it is bringing opponents crashing down that gives her the most joy.
She has been doing jiu jitsu since she was 7 and loves the close-quarter contact.
Anya enjoys rugby as well and plays second five for the school first XV.
“I like rugby league better, I think. It is more exciting and there are less stoppages in the game. But don’t get me wrong, I love rugby.”
Anya might have to learn to love rugby even more, though.
“Next year I won’t be eligible for under-16s. They are trying to get an under-18s team [up and running], but there is nothing and it is really sad because I don’t know what I’ll be doing next year.”
New Zealand Rugby League is mourning the passing of Kiwi #393 and Legend of League Don Hammond.
Hammond originally played for the Mount Albert Lions in the Auckland Rugby League competition, playing for Western United when the Lion’s senior side was merged as part of the ARL’s district scheme. As a Mount Albert junior, Hammond quickly attracted the attention of selectors when moved into the forwards. The 1959 tour to Australia groomed many outstanding future test players, Hammond among them, as they travelled around the country centres of Queensland and New South Wales. Described as an “old-fashioned style of footballer who believes in tackling low” teammates said that he developed a method of driving himself off the ground in a tackle so that he hits twice as hard as any other tackler in their country.
Hammond represented and captained Auckland and first played for the New Zealand Kiwis team in 1961. Whilst making his debut in 1961, Hammond developed a lethal combination alongside, Ron Ackland and Mel Cooke. Together they blended speed and ball-playing ability with strength, tackling tenacity and courage needed to prosper in the rugged forward battles. From there forward, Hammond went on to play in twenty test matches, including six as captain (1961-65). In 1964 Hammond won the Rothville Trophy as the Auckland Rugby League player of the year. That year he also won the New Zealand Rugby League’s player of the year award as he was a stand-out performer when the Kiwis whitewashed France in a three-test home series.
Hammond continued to give back to the game long after retirement where he coached Te Atatu and spent several terms as coach of the Auckland representative team. In his term, there were victories over Australia and a New Zealand XIII in 1969 and national provincial success in the late 1970s. A stalwart of the Kiwis Association, Hammond was prominent in establishing and becoming curator of, the excellent NZRL museum. Hammond was inducted as an NZRL life member in 2006 followed by an induction into the Legends of League in 2010. He went on to be elected President of the Kiwis Association.
Hammond will be dearly missed by members of the Kiwis Association and the local rugby league community. NZRL extends its sincere condolences to his family and friends.
25th July 2022 – By Will Evans
Died-in-the-wool Cantabrian Reon Edwards received the highest of honours at last weekend’s New Zealand Rugby League AGM, becoming just the seventh person in the past seven years to receive an NZRL life membership.
Edwards joined recent Canterbury stalwarts such as John Coffey (2018) and Frank Endacott (2020) in having the honour bestowed upon them from the national body.
“It’s a huge privilege, having been involved in the game for 42 years now,” Edwards says.
“You don’t set out to be recognised for a life membership, you just follow your passion and I’ve been fortunate to find myself in some senior roles where I’ve been able to influence – hopefully in a positive way – the game. It’s been a great journey so far.”
Edwards first pulled on a pair of boots for Marist-Western Suburbs as a five-year-old, later played for Eastern Suburbs, won a CRL premiership with Halswell in 2003 and represented Canterbury Māori .
After calling time on his playing career, Edwards’ path in sports administration began with a place on the Marist-Western Suburbs committee. From there, he served on the Southern Zone board from 2009-13 and the CRL board from 2012-15 – the latter during a vital and transformative period for the organisation.
“Where I was with my professional career, and I had some governance roles outside of rugby league as well, I enjoyed the administration but also the governance roles in business,” he explains.
“And I enjoy the business of sport – not necessarily just rugby league, it really interests me. We all have similar challenges, whether it’s rugby league, netball or union.
“Helping Canterbury Rugby League with the 100-year celebrations (in 2012), that was a big event. It was a transitional period, because we moved from being run like a committee, to my role being to create some more governance within the structure of Canterbury Rugby League.
“We then embarked on a three-year strategic plan, and that was the first time a strategic plan had been implemented in the game here in Canterbury. From there we worked on building some good capability around the board table and it’s continued to grow from there. We’ve had some good people come in after me, quality directors, which is really good to see.”
First day on the job for new NZRL board directors Reon Edwards & Tawera Nikau … good luck, fellas #leadership pic.twitter.com/ejB7eiH8Wj — NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) July 29, 2015
First day on the job for new NZRL board directors Reon Edwards & Tawera Nikau … good luck, fellas #leadership pic.twitter.com/ejB7eiH8Wj
— NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) July 29, 2015
Edwards accepted a position on the New Zealand Rugby League board in 2015. At the time, the Kiwis were Four Nations champions before carving out a drought-breaking Anzac Test triumph and the Kiwi Ferns – only recently coming under the NZRL umbrella – were receiving unprecedented, well overdue exposure ahead of the 2017 men’s and women’s World Cups, of which New Zealand was installed as a co-host.
Edwards took over as chair of the NZRL board in September 2017 – just prior to the World Cup. While the Kiwi Ferns performed superbly in reaching the final, the Kiwis’ jarring quarter-final exit ensured a demanding period for the national administration.
Reon Edwards has been confirmed as the chairman of the NZRL Board. Director Hugh Martyn has been named vice-chair. https://t.co/Bb6D6SpV4c pic.twitter.com/CRVhpVcefx — NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) August 31, 2017
Reon Edwards has been confirmed as the chairman of the NZRL Board. Director Hugh Martyn has been named vice-chair. https://t.co/Bb6D6SpV4c pic.twitter.com/CRVhpVcefx
— NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) August 31, 2017
“The game was in a bit of a state of crisis following the World Cup,” Edwards recalls.
“It was a stressful, challenging time for the game. Coming into the role as the new chair, it was a massive challenge – but hugely rewarding as well.
“I’m proud of the fact that we got the organisation through that tough time, we reset the organisation with the review, reset the management and coaching staff, and now NZRL have got some excellent leadership in place.
“It was probably what the game needed at the time and we were able to take advantage of that opportunity to turn things around. Now we’re in a great position financially and have set a platform for a stronger game. Not just at high-performance Kiwi and Kiwi Ferns level, but we’ve got the bones of a really strong structure for the game moving forward.
“We’ve still got challenges at a grassroots level, but I think we’ve got the right people and the right foundations to build on.”
At a media conference in Auckland today NZRL Board Chair Reon Edwards, together with Deputy Chair and Acting CEO Hugh Martyn, welcomed the Review Panel findings, describing the process as having been robust and enlightening – https://t.co/81pQNHieyW — NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) March 16, 2018
At a media conference in Auckland today NZRL Board Chair Reon Edwards, together with Deputy Chair and Acting CEO Hugh Martyn, welcomed the Review Panel findings, describing the process as having been robust and enlightening – https://t.co/81pQNHieyW
— NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) March 16, 2018
Edwards became a director on the International Rugby League board in 2018 – and he remains New Zealand’s representative on that board after stepping down from his NZRL posts last year.
With international rugby league essentially put on ice for two seasons and the England-hosted 2021 RLWC controversially postponed by 12 months by COVID-19, Edwards again finds himself in a key administrative role at a crucial juncture.
According to Edwards, the years ahead are about making up for lost time – both for the game’s historical inaction and the circumstances forced upon the code by the global pandemic more recently. He has not illusions about the scope of the job ahead but is positive about the direction world rugby league is headed.
“International Rugby League is reliant on one source of income: the Rugby League World Cup. We need to see the game generate new revenue streams and channels,” he stresses.
“It’s about trying to build a good four-year program so we can go and promote that international content to sponsors, so then it can become a sustainable business with multiple revenue streams. We can put that back into the game and the international body becomes a solid support mechanism for the emerging nations.
“The first Rugby League World Cup was in 1954 and the first rugby union World Cup was in 1987, so we’ve missed a whole lot of opportunities during that time. And in the last World Cup in 2017 we made a profit of $7 million – the rugby union World Cup (in 2019) made over $300 million.
There are just 100 days until RLWC2021 kicks off! 🏉 The countdown until the world's best stars battle it out at the biggest, best and most inclusive Rugby League World Cup is on! Secure the best seats in the house now. ⤵️#RLWC2021 | #100DTG — Rugby League World Cup 2021 (@RLWC2021) July 7, 2022
There are just 100 days until RLWC2021 kicks off! 🏉
The countdown until the world's best stars battle it out at the biggest, best and most inclusive Rugby League World Cup is on!
Secure the best seats in the house now. ⤵️#RLWC2021 | #100DTG
— Rugby League World Cup 2021 (@RLWC2021) July 7, 2022
“Unfortunately, our game has had some opportunities over the years that we haven’t taken advantage of. That’s not to say we can’t grow the international game, but we’re very much at a ground zero level at the moment and there’s a lot of work to do in that space.
“In terms of my role on the international board, it’s just been assisting the audit and risk committee and making sure first and foremost getting through the COVID period, keeping the international body afloat and getting us through tot the next World Cup. Then we’ve got some certainty for revenue and income for the next four years and we can start to build an international calendar and commercialise that.”
While Edwards is a heartbeat away from the important decisions being made at rugby league’s highest levels, the mark of the humble 47-year-old’s passion and unwavering diligence for the game he loves can be summed up by his ongoing commitment to grassroots footy.
Retiring as NZRL chair has freed up some time – which Edwards has put into lending Papanui Tigers a hand.
“When I came off the (NZRL) board last year I said to (former CRL CEO) Duane (Fyfe), ‘tell me who’s in need of some help there because I want to jump in and help one of the clubs – not necessarily one I’ve had an involvement with previously – but I think I’ve got a bit to offer’.
“So Duane suggested I reached out to Papanui – I went to Papanui High School, I’ve got a bit of a connection there growing up on that side of town – and it’s been a lot of fun engaging with the committee at the club, and help guide them along on a new journey.
“Just resetting their governance practices, creating a bit more structure around policies and procedures. We’ve set a three-year plan and they’re on a good journey. It’s their centenary year too, which is exciting.
Canterbury Rugby League CEO Malcolm Humm paid tribute to Edwards in the wake of his life membership recognition.
“Reon’s contribution to the sport over many years, at club, regional, national and international level has been enormous,” Humm says.
“And even now, as he sits on the International Rugby League board, he’s in the trenches with a local club. He’s really helping the Tigers out as far as showing them what success could look like over the next few years, working with them on how they can implement a plan.
“He’s been bloody great for our sport and still is. I congratulate him for the work he’s done over many years – but he is still doing that work. He’s just so passionate about the sport and just wants to help.”
July 20, 2022
Congratulations to the following who received Distinguished Service Awards at the 2022 NZRL AGM.
Jenny Nahu
Coaster Jenny Nahu started her rugby league journey at the famous Cobden club in rugby league heartland, Greymouth. Cobden was a family affair for Nahu, serving alongside her parents and brother to grow the club, whether building the clubrooms or working tirelessly with her mother to raise funds for the various teams.
Jenny’s journey took her to Ngongotaha Rugby League Club in Rotorua after she met her future husband, Nick Nahu. Both played integral roles in allowing the club to flourish. Similarly to her time at Cobden, she and Nick were vital to the Ngongotaha clubrooms being built as they had used their own house as the temporary meeting place. Since 1967, Nahu has consistently applied her efforts to fundraising and supporting the club and has been awarded the Life Membership award for Ngongotaha Rugby League Club.
Jenny’s service to Bay of Plenty Rugby League (BOPRL) is what she is most widely recognised for in the game. Jenny had heavy influence in allocating dedicated rugby league grounds in the area and setting up the BOPRL headquarters at Rotorua’s Puketawhero Park.
Nahu has been awarded the NRL Volunteer of the year (2010), The Female Volunteer Recognition Award (2010), was on the BOPRL Board for over 35 years and is a Ngongotaha RLC life member.
Very few individuals dedicate over 60 years of their life serving the rugby league community, and Jenny continues to at the age of 77.
Nick Nahu
Alongside his wife, Jenny, Nick has been instrumental in the growth of BOPRL. A Huntly south junior, Nahu was a New Zealand U15s schoolboy and West Coast representative before narrowing his focus on the Ngongotahu Rugby League club.
A Bay of Plenty (BoP) representative throughout his junior years, Nahu was a stalwart for the region until he hung up the boots in 1976. The following year he transitioned from player to selector for BoP and joined the BoP Schoolboy board. From 1977 to 1995, Nick coached touring teams to Australia, was awarded a Life Membership award for Ngongotahu and became president of both the BoP Senior board and the Ngongotahu Rugby League Club.
Since 1996, Nahu has helped around the club under various hats, including coaching, managing and stapping. He and Jenny are constantly giving their time and effort towards the needs of the rugby league club, whether organising fundraisers, cleaning, maintaining or preparing aftermatch festivities. The Nahu family are the lifeblood of Ngongotahu and integral to the foundation of BoP Rugby League.
Nick and Jenny Nahu receiving their awards
Paddy Byrne
Paddy Byrne is a stalwart of the rugby league community in New Zealand. A proud Greymouth coaster, Paddy, has invested many years of his life into the game of rugby league.
A loyal member of the Greymouth Marist Club, Byrne wore many hats throughout his time there. Starting as a junior, Paddy eventually became a player-coach for the Premier side in 1980. The Marist junior took over full-time coaching duties in 1998, guiding the club to a premiership win in their 75th Jubilee.
In 1984, Paddy took up refereeing, where he would go on to call the whistle on eight out of nine premier grand finals. From there, Paddy enjoyed success refereeing and running the touchline for numerous International level games.
A veteran of rugby league, Byrne’s resume also includes; serving on the Marist Committee from 1973 to 2000, being a development officer for West Coast Rugby League and nurturing the West Coast rugby league academy, of which the likes of Cowboys forward Griffin Neame have come through.
He has been instrumental in keeping the game alive and well in the small town, bringinghim a lifetime of valuable experience.
Greymouth’s Paddy Byrne receiving his Distinguished Service award
George Lajpold
George is a lifelong steward of rugby league, having started his journey at the Randwick Rugby League club in 1979. Making his premier debut at 14, Lajpold remained at his boyhood club till 1992, also representing Wellington and Central Districts.
During his playing career, the Wellington native became an international representative, playing six games for the Cook Islands in 1986. The following year Lajpold became Kiwi #601 when he was selected to be a part of the 1987 New Zealand Kiwis squad to tour Australia.
Although having spent time working for the Southern Zone, The Randwick clubman has always been passionate about his city. George has spent countless hours helping rugby league and the wider Wellington community.
The former Kiwi currently runs coaching clinics in Wellington and constantly volunteers where he can, whether managing games or setting up post-pads.
Reon Edwards – LIFE MEMBERSHIP
Reon Edwards has been involved in rugby league from grassroots to the High-Performance level. Reon has been a significant Canterbury rugby league community member, a journey that started as a junior for the Eastern Eagles.
Boasting 25 years of playing experience for the Eagles, Halswell Hornets and Eastern Suburbs Marist, Edwards later moved into administration and governance roles after he finished playing the game.
In a time of uncertainty, Edwards became the Chair of Canterbury Rugby League, stabilising the organisation and rebuilding it after many administrators had moved on. Reon became a foundational board member for the Southern Zone in 2009, where his experience and leadership were extremely valuable. In 2015, Reon moved into a director role for the NZRL Board, becoming the vice chair in 2016 and Chair from 2017 to 2021, helping to aid NZRL through complex challenges that included the Covid-19 restrictions.
Edwards currently contributes to the game as a board member of the Rugby League International Federation. Reon also serves as the IRL Audit and Risk Committee Chair while also assisting the Papanui Tigers in their centenary year.
Reon has committed 37 years to the game of rugby league and continues contributing to see the sport grow.
Howie Tamati presenting Reon Edwards his award
July 18 2022
In just two years, the Tokoroa-based Halo Charitable Trust has distributed almost 400,000kgs of food, equating to around 1.2 million meals, to whānau in need of help in the South Waikato.
Recently, the trust had a helping hand in the form of rugby league star Joseph Manu, who is also an ambassador for the trust, and was born and raised in the South Waikato’s timber town.
Halo Charitable Trust manager Marina Hagevoort said Halo works with around 30 South Waikato community organisations and runs a food distribution hub in Tokoroa that supplies food to local foodbanks and other organisations in the region.
Halo is part of the Food Rescue Programme run by Progressive Enterprises which operates the Woolworths, Countdown and Foodtown supermarkets in New Zealand.
Hagevoort said they would not be able to do their work without help from Trinity Lands, a Putāruru-based agricultural trust that supports a range of community organisations in the South Waikato and New Zealand.
“We work with community organisations from Tīrau through to Tokoroa, our kaupapa is food distribution, so we supply all those groups who do the work at the coalface,” she said.
“They do amazing work and there’s no doubt that demand has got a lot higher, particularly in the last three months.”
She said since Trinity Lands helped Halo set up its distribution hub two years ago the trust had distributed about 390,000kgs of food and supplies to local organisations, which works out to be around 1.2 million meals.
‘We were very busy during the first lockdown and this has just continued.
“Our organisations are telling us that people who are working are now accessing this service due to the cost of living.
“By the time they pay power, rent, school uniforms and fuel, food is often the one that is on the bottom of the list, and it runs out in no time,” she said.
Brett Fleming is general manager for sustainability at Trinity Lands, which owns and operates about 20 farms in the South Waikato giving back around 55% of its profits to charities.
“In Halo’s case we finance things like infrastructure – we pay for the lease for their Tokoroa hub – and bought them a refrigerated vehicle, along with freezers and shelving – the nuts and bolts that underpin the operation.
“We just want to help the community, and often we see people with really good ideas and we want to help them with the sorts of things that allow them to do their good work.
“Some of the different organisations we work with are now working with each other, and we are pleased to be able to help build those networks and help them work together more efficiently and productively.”
Manu, 26, plays for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition and for New Zealand. He was part of the Roosters’ 2018 and ‘19 grand final winning teams and made his debut for the Kiwis in their famous 2018 win over Australia at Mount Smart Stadium.
Hagevoort said Manu was stoked to be able to give a bit back to his home town and she was proud to say he was the trust’s ambassador.
“He’s a great role model for our kids and it’s great to watch peoples’ faces when he arrives.
“He loves what we do and said he really enjoys helping us out when he’s back in town.
“He’s been in the van out there delivering food, and delivering food to his own people is very humbling for him.”
July 18, 2022
In a momentous constitutional meeting following New Zealand Rugby League’s (NZRL) AGM, overdue constitutional changes have been passed to elevate Aotearoa NZ Māori Rugby League (ANZMRL) to full voting member status.
Furthermore, the Chair of ANZMRL now has a permanent and dedicated seat on NZRL’s Board.
These historic constitutional changes result from ongoing efforts to deepen and better honour the partnership between NZRL and ANZMRL.
Previously, ANZMRL has been an Associate Member of NZRL. As such, did not have a vote or any other governance status within NZRL other than attending the AGM. NZRL’s Constitution also made no mention of Te Tiriti or tikanga Māori.
This in no way honoured ANZMRL’s long-standing history and influence on the game or embraced the partnership that should have existed between the two entities for some time now.
ANZMRL has a long and proud history dating back to the start of rugby league in New Zealand. The first national Māori team was assembled in 1908, and in October 1934, the original New Zealand Māori Rugby League Control Board formed in Huntly.
ANZMRL has continued to grow and flourish over the past 19 years, developing into a leading Māori community sport entity in Aotearoa. The kaupapa of celebrating being Māori, as Māori, for Māori, by Māori using Māori Rugby League as the vehicle, is widely acknowledged.
NZRL’s Constitution will now be amended to uphold the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the principles of Partnership, Protection and Participation and to promote, support and foster te iwi Māori mo ona tikanga.
“Better honouring bi-cultural governance, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the role and influence Māori rugby league has on our game is long overdue,” says NZRL CEO Greg Peters.
“It is a great feeling to be able to formally recognise the incontrovertible role ANZMRL plays in our game and make meaningful constitutional changes to honour and respect that role.
“Personally, I have found this process one of the most rewarding outcomes of my sports administration career. Working with JD and his team to fully understand the significant contribution ANZMRL make to our game both historically and in recent years has been invaluable.”
“Ki te kotahi te kakaho ka whati, ki te kapuia e kore e whati – Alone we can be broken, standing together we are invincible,” says Chairman of ANZMRL John Devonshire.
“A tremendous initiative that some may say is well overdue,” he adds.
“Nevertheless, it is happening today, and for that, we as a Māori rugby league whanau are grateful and acknowledge the current NZRL officials that have been brave enough and sincere about recognising the part Māori play in the game.
“It is in times like this you reflect on those tupuna (ancestors) who set the kaupapa on its haerenga (journey) many years ago, all those whānau that have contributed to our Māori rugby league kaupapa, over the past 114 years.
“It is right that our tamariki mokopuna have an environment to aspire to and that they feel appreciated and valued for the next 114 years. For this historic occasion, we simply say thank you.”
16 July 2022
New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) held its annual general meeting on Saturday, where women’s rugby league great Honey Hireme-Smiler MNZM was welcomed as an Appointed Director to the NZRL Board.
Hireme-Smiler, a dual international, has been an exceptional flag bearer for New Zealand women’s rugby league.
The former Kiwi Fern’s captain boasts an impressive 18-year professional playing career which includes 32 Tests for the Kiwi Ferns, two World Cup victories, and a place in the NRL women’s team of the decade (2010s).
The Kiwi Fern legend is well steeped in the community game, playing for Hamilton City Tigers and representing Wai-Coa-Bay at the 2019 NZRL National Women’s Tournament. She then led the Kiwi Ferns to World Cup Nines glory before retiring at the end of the 2019 season.
The three-time Kiwi Fern Player of the Year was awarded the inaugural Veronica White Medal for her outstanding contribution to the community through rugby league and was later appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to the code.
The Putaruru-born star has previous governance experience as an emerging Director for Waikato Rugby and continues to give back via coaching, mentoring, and her numerous ambassador roles, including as a senior disability sport advisor with the Halberg Foundation.
She was recently selected as one of 16 women’s coaches around the country enrolled in the High-Performance Sport New Zealand’s (HPSNZ) Te Hāpaitanga programme and, in her spare time, works as a dual-code presenter and commentator for Sky Sport.
“Honey is an exceptional addition to the NZRL Board,” says NZRL Chairman Hugh Martyn.
“She is a voice for many who play our game, and she is well respected in the New Zealand sporting community. Her passion for the women’s and disability space and her experience at a high-performance and grassroots level will see her bring valuable insight and direction to the organisation.”
Hireme-Smiler’s election also maintains NZRL’s 40% self-identifying female board composition.
Incumbent Director Grant Stapleton has been reappointed for a further four-year term.
Martyn said, “Grant has been on the NZRL board since 2019 and has been a key member of this team. We are extremely privileged to have him for another four years.”
THE NZRL BOARD IS Hugh Martyn (Chair), Howie Tamati (President), Natasha Tere (Deputy Chair), Justin Leydesdorff, Tawera Nikau, Jeni Pearce, Grant Stapleton and Honey Hireme-Smiler.
Rugby League Northland, Whangārei, July 12, 2022
A new rugby league competition is boosting participation rates in Te Tai Tokerau, with more kotiro and wāhine wanting to play the sport.
The inaugural 2022 Peters Sisters Competition acknowledges the achievements of Hilda, Rona and Kahurangi Peters of Te Aupōuri, who have all played in the NRL Women’s Premiership, the Māori All Stars, and made history being the first trio of sisters to represent New Zealand on the world stage.
The tournament also serves as a springboard for selection to play for the Northern Swords women’s team.
The best of Northland’s talent will be on display this weekend with six highly contested 16s and women’s teams from Te Aupōuri Kuaka, Tūhoronuku Mid North and Whangārei Hauāwhiowhio, playing over three consecutive weekends in Whangārei, Te Kao and Te Pū o te Wheke.
Player coach of Whangārei’s Hauāwhiowhio women’s team, Sergeant Arihi Reihana of Ngāpuhi, believes the competition is a unique way to grow the sport.
“There’s something special about a competition like this where it’s not just about winning for your team, it’s about playing alongside your sisters, with your whānau and for your iwi,” she says.
“There’s so much talent amongst our younger girls, but there’s just no competition in the women’s grade for them to carry onto, so I’m excited about the opportunities this brings for the region.”
She says the new tournament will lift competitiveness in Northland, developing and encouraging players to reach for top honors.
“We’ve never had a competition leading into the Northern Swords selection, it’s just always been an open training session and then you get selected, but this keeps the region competitive, and this means that we actually have to fight for a spot on the team instead of just being on it.”
The 38-year-old is a senior regional recruiter for the New Zealand Defence Force in Northland.
She says the competition is also an opportunity to open doors for wāhine both on and off the field.
“We know that in these spaces it’s not just about rugby league. It’s about how we can uplift, encourage, and provide opportunities for our girls and women across the board,” she says.
“So, while I’m here as a coach and a player, I’m also here to do a recruitment drive for females in rugby league and the defence force and saying ‘hey, we see you’re doing amazing things on the field, you can also do this in the defence force and travel the world as well.’”
For 18-year-old Fiona and 14-year-old Athanasious Kohu of Ngāpuhi, the competition is a chance to show that talent runs in the blood, with the pair following in the footsteps of their older sister and aunty, Kiwi Fern Kararaina Kohu.
While they’re usually playing alongside each other, this time they’ll play in different grades for Hauāwhiowhio.
Athanasious says she’s just excited to have another chance at playing the game she loves.
“I love league. I love the contact and how hearty it is, so I’m happy there’s another chance for us to have another jam on the field,” she says.
“We’d rather play together, but it’s still cool that we get to be there for each other and to represent where we come from.”
Fiona says the competition highlights the success of Māori women in the game, paving the way for other girls and wāhine wanting to give it a crack.
“It’s cool because we don’t usually have league competitions up here, and I think it’s awesome to see our women [Hilda, Rona and Kahurangi Peters] get recognition for their talents.”
“It’s an opportunity for us to keep playing, to stay active and to play somewhere a little closer to home.”
Board member of Rugby League Northland, Kath Wharton, says the competition has already proven to be successful, with more kotiro and wāhine lacing up their boots for the inaugural competition.
“For me success is creating the conditions for our ladies and our girls to participate, and we’ve done that,” she says.
“All our rohe have taken a different approach to developing and growing the game here. It’s not your traditional camps or trainings, it’s grounded in Te Ao Māori, it’s grounded in Northland, the approach is very Te Tai Tokerau and that’s due to the people sitting in those spaces.”
The former Kiwi Fern and Warriors player says it’s more than just a game.
“We’ve come together to learn about rugby league, but more importantly, it’s about whanaungatanga, understanding the history of the game and having a place for everyone to come and hang out.”
“I think the competition has been designed in a way that suits our people, it reflects who we are as whānau, as Māori and I’m really excited about the girls who are going to show up and play.”
“There’s a ground swell that’s happening where our wāhine and kotiro want to play for Northland Swords and they want to represent Te Tai Tokerau down at Nationals.”
Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) is delighted to officially confirm the four nations who will line-up to compete at the Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) World Cup showcase event which will take place from 23 – 30 October in Warrington.
PDRL is an adapted version of rugby league for players with physical disabilities and home supporters will have another chance to cheer on their nation as England are set to take on Wales, New Zealand and Australia at Victoria Park in Warrington. The final will take place at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington following the Samoa vs France men’s game on 30October, with ticket holders for this match welcome to stay and watch what promises to be an exciting and intense PDRL World Cup final.
Jon Dutton, Chief Executive of RLWC2021, said: “RLWC2021 is committed to being the biggest, best and most inclusive Rugby League World Cup in history, and hosting a PDRL World Cup showcase event alongside the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair tournaments is just one of the ways we are bringing that commitment to life.
“We are proud to be provide the platform for a PDRL World Cup showcase event, and we hope that the sport may follow Wheelchair Rugby League, which featured in the RLWC2017 as a showcase event and is now a cemented feature within the RLWC2021 tournament.
“In terms of hosting the PDRL World Cup showcase event, I can think of no better host than Warrington. The town is synonymous with our sport, and their support for PDRL via the Warrington Wolves Foundation is exemplary.”
Cabinet member for leisure and community, Cllr Tony Higgins, said: “We have an outstanding track record of championing people with disabilities in Warrington, including the pioneering work of both the Warrington Wolves Foundation and Warrington Disability Partnership.
“It is an honour for us to continue our commitment to raising the profile of disability sport by hosting the PDRL World Cup in Warrington later this year, and to equally support the tournament’s aim of being the biggest and most inclusive competition to date.”
Adam Hills, RLWC2021 Tournament Ambassador, said: “I’ve been looking forward to playing in the PDRL World Cup for a long time, and now the nations and fixture dates have been confirmed it’s feeling very real.
“To have the tournament in this country and as part of the RLWC2021 is a brilliant opportunity to really raise the profile of this fantastic game, and hopefully encourage more people with a physical disability to get involved. I’m proud to be an ambassador for a tournament as inclusive as the RLWC2021, and I’m looking forward to personally revealing more about the PDRL World Cup soon!”
Fixture List:
Date
Location
Stage
Kick-Off Time
23 October
Victoria Park, Warrington
Group
Match 1
Match 2
14:00
16:30
25 October
28 October
17:00
19:30
30 October
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington
FINALS
3 – 4 place
1 – 2 place
TBC
Information on the PDRL World Cup draw is coming soon.
July 11, 2022
2022 sees the return of the prestigious Pirtek Volunteer of the Month award, where our rugby league community gets a chance to see their hard mahi recognised across the motu. This award is gifted to a volunteer who displays the core values of NZRL’s Kiwi Way: being family first, innovative, inclusive, respectful, respectful and humble. We are excited to announce that the first winner in 2022 and the month of June is Gina Allan.
Gina has been a pillar for women’s rugby league in Northland over the years. Allan has no playing experience, but her determination and passion for seeing the game grow in Northland is unmatched. Her impact is seen as the number of participants in the New Zealand Māori Rugby League (NZMRL) tournaments for her club Nga Puhi Ahi, increases yearly.
Gina’s rugby league journey started with NZMRL tournaments but has now expanded her reach, creating opportunities for our rangatahi both in and out of Northland. Allan found a rugby league home with the Hibiscus Coast Raiders, which enabled girls to play regularly in junior grades over the last two years. This meant accommodating the girls; whether they had to leave Whangarei around 5 am to make 10 am games or taking girls to trials in Auckland, Gina would make an effort without hesitation.
Gina’s work never goes unnoticed; from organising fundraisers to sorting equipment, Gina is a crucial figure in Northland Rugby League.
Pirtek CEO Chris Bourke commented on the winner, “Gina Allan is an amazing nomination for the Pirtek Volunteer of the Month and the well-deserved winner.”
“Without any rugby league experience, Gina has created a club that she founded back in 2018, allowing young Māori women to participate and thrive while also committing to Hibiscus Coast Raiders.”
“People like Gina are imperative to the ongoing success and development of women’s rugby league in New Zealand, and we commend her for her contribution to the game.”
Congratulations Gina!
The “heart of Southland rugby league”, Alana Lockhorst, has died just over a decade after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
In 2011 Lockhorst was diagnosed with carcinoid syndrome, a rare form of bowel cancer.
She told Stuff 2017 she was one of about seven in the country diagnosed with the condition. Lockhorst traveled to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne for her treatment as there is none available in New Zealand.
During her cancer journey, she remained heavily involved with Southland District Rugby League as a volunteer.
Lockhorst told Stuff in 2020 that rugby league had helped her mentally through the cancer diagnosis.
“Rugby league has given me a sense of living, something to do, something to get up for. It’s saved my life mentally,” she said.
In 2016, she was named a finalist for volunteer of the year at New Zealand Rugby League’s awards.
While in 2021 the NZRL handed her a Distinguished Service Award for her contribution to the sport.
The NZRL described Lockhorst as the heart of Southland rugby league for the past decade.
“Without her contribution operationally, Southland Rugby League would not have provided the level of rugby league that they do to their community,” NZRL officials said.
They said Lockhorst had almost single-handedly promoted and created opportunities for rangatahi in the game. She ran competitions and organised funding and resourcing for 14s, 15s, 17s, and girls representative teams.
Lockhorst also managed the senior competition and was always involved in any events and activities hosted by Southland District Rugby League.
On top of that Lockhorst managed the New Zealand Secondary Schools team in 2017 which was captained by now Brisbane Broncos NRL player Jordan Riki. Lockhorst also managed the NZ Residents team in 2017 and 2019.
She was also a key organiser for Cooks Rugby League Club in Invercargill.
Her respect within the rugby league community was highlighted given the fundraising effort to help during Lockhorst’s cancer treatment.
It included League 4 Life, the charitable arm of the NZRL, getting involved.
A service for Lockhorst will be held in Invercargill on Tuesday.
Position: Director, Wellington Rugby League Zone of NZRL Location: Wellington Region.
Kō wai mātou |About us
Wellington Rugby League (WRL) is the Regional Sporting Organisation (RSO) charged with leading, developing, promoting and fostering Rugby League and modified Rugby League, such as TAG, in Wellington.
WRL has built a strong and loyal following across the Wellington region and is going through a period of positive growth in particular in our wāhine, kōtiro and rangatahi grades.
As an organisation WRL plays an important role within the community by delivering on its strategic plan, WRL continues to build on its rich history and create a sustainable future for the game.
We are looking for a person who is passionate about making a difference and enjoys working as part of a governance team on a Board. Our Strategy gives us our direction and our Values lead us.
Our vision is to: Enhance the mana and hauora of our people Our mission is to: To bring our communities together through Rugby League Our Values:
Whanaungatanga: Relationships matter Manaakitanga: We serve and look after our people Whakakaha: We never give up Whakamahi: We work hard Whakapono: We act with integrity
WRL has in place an experienced management team of three including a Chief Executive, and we are soon to appoint an Operations Manager to take our team to four. The staff of WRL are based in Pelorus Trust Sports House in Lower Hutt.
WRL is seeking to appoint three directors due to rotation and retirements, which will see the board at seven members.
Hei whakahere | What we offer Appointment term: the term is a maximum of four years with the possibility of reappointment, subject to effective performance and rotation, up to a maximum of two terms. The Constitution requires a third of the Board to retire by rotation every year.
Location: to ensure regional connection it is desirable for the director to live in the area or have a meaningful connection.
Commitment: Board meetings are held on the fourth Monday of each month and they are a mix of virtual and in person meetings. It is expected that every Board member join one of the three permanent Board sub committees, and these will require a minimum commitment of 10 hours a week.
In addition, AGM and events supporting the development of the sport in the Greater Wellington region are expected.
The role is voluntary but should be considered a stepping-stone to a host of other governance opportunities. Importantly the role is an opportunity to directly influence our Rugby League communities and the positive outcomes that active recreation brings. This role requires a high commitment to the kaupapa of WRL.
He korero mōu | About you
We are looking for:
1. Proven track record in governance – as our organisation grows so too does the need for us to develop and embed effective governance practices to support our organisation not just ‘today’ but into the future. 2. Financial acumen. 3. A commitment to and understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 4. Experience in commercial matters and a strong association with potential commercial partners. 5. High Performance and Pathways experience of Sports Leadership experience. 6. Desire to build the sport in the region to meet the needs of our current and future stakeholders – a genuine ‘customer’ and ‘stakeholder’ focus. 7. Gender diversity and inclusion are a focus.
WRL would be shortlisting for interviews to be held towards the end of July 2022 with a full induction for the preferred candidates.
To apply for this role please do so at www.appointbetterboards.co.nz: https://www.appointbetterboards.co.nz/position/apt21238
For further information contact Jane Moore at New Zealand Rugby League at jane.moore@nzrl.co.nz Applications close 20 July 2022
July 4 2022
Rotorua will create history by becoming the first venue in Aotearoa New Zealand to host the Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars.
The Australian Rugby League Commission today confirmed Rotorua as the venue for the 2023 All Stars, the first time the concept will be played outside Australia.
The 2023 contest, to be played at Rotorua International Stadium and featuring men’s and women’s matches, will land on New Zealand shores for the 12th All Stars fixture – and the fifth between the Māori All Stars and the Indigenous All Stars.
The announcement was made this morning by NRL CEO Andrew Abdo, alongside Rotorua Lakes Council, Te Arawa and Indigenous Australia representatives including Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council Chair Katrina Fanning at Te Puia, the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, Rotorua.
ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys AM said the Commission understood the enormity of Aotearoa New Zealand being able to host the Harvey Norman Rugby League All Stars event.
“The All Stars game is incredibly special and important to us, and it’s only just we share it with our New Zealand friends,” Mr V’landys said.
“The Māori All Stars versus Indigenous All Stars game has advanced so much since its inception in 2019 and playing in New Zealand will only continue this rapid growth.”
NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo said the event would benefit communities in the Rotorua region and more broadly in New Zealand.
“All Stars brings communities and culture together perhaps like no other week in our calendar. Knowing how important Rotorua is to Māori culture, we are excited to work with the community on becoming the first Aotearoa New Zealand location to host the event,” Mr Abdo said.
“The 2023 All Stars game will coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the first Indigenous Rugby League tour of New Zealand, and will also be 50 years since Arthur Beetson became the first Indigenous athlete to captain Australia.”
Chair of New Zealand Māori Rugby League, John Devonshire, said it was the highest echelon for Māori sport to aspire to. In the last five years it’s always been about bringing the game and people back home.
“It’s a great opportunity for us as Māori, for Te Arawa and Rotorua as hau kainga and tangata whenua. We want to give the Indigenous team an opportunity to enjoy our culture. It’s a community effort, and we want to invite the whole community, and what better place in Aotearoa to do it?
“Rotorua has become the destination of choice for a number of reasons – geographically for its location, we have great relationships with the people, and the facilities are second to none. We are so unbelievably grateful for what Rotorua Lakes Council are doing to host this game at Rotorua International Stadium.”
Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council Chair Katrina Fanning said: “The impact of all 11 of our previous All Stars matches has been vast, both for Indigenous communities and more recently for Maori communities.
“To be able to bring this game to New Zealand will connect the cultural growth and education with so many more people, which is what we strive for each year.”
Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick said All Stars was a significant event for New Zealand and Rotorua.
“This is more than just a game, this is about celebrating our culture, and we feel privileged that Rotorua will be the first place to host the NRL All Stars games in Aotearoa, New Zealand,” Mayor Chadwick said.
“We welcome national and international manuhiri with open arms, to share in the excitement that these games will bring.”
Te Arawa representative, Sir Toby Curtis, said All Stars was a wonderful opportunity for Rotorua.
“I think when it comes to having international relations, especially for Māori, it is ideal that Rotorua be seen as a centre for Māori Rugby League,” Sir Curtis said.
“We are at a stage where people are starting to visit our shores again. We’ve got to become more internationally conscious because the future relies on how we relate to the rest of the world – not just Aotearoa, New Zealand.”
The 2023 NRL Harvey Norman All Stars will feature the women’s and men’s Indigenous and Māori teams. Tickets will be on sale later this year.
The All Stars matches will be broadcast live on the Nine Network, Fox League, Kayo Sports, Sky Sport New Zealand and Watch NRL.
As seen on https://www.nzherald.co.nz/
A rugby league boss is going back to basics to create an inclusive community culture and does not want the club to be held to ransom by onfield results or the bar turnover.
In an era where sports clubs throughout Aotearoa are struggling with playing numbers and sponsorship dollars, the Te Atatu Roosters have drawn a line in the sand and won’t accept funding from pokies or booze.
As part of the Auckland Rugby League (ARL) vision, the Thriving Club Model has been designed to encourage diversity of income and to leverage funding, grants and sponsorships
Roosters chairman Craig Godfrey (Ngati Porou/Hauraki-Mataora) is stripping back sport’s traditional “play hard, stay hard, drink hard” culture to implement a community-based model. He wants the West Auckland club to be a safe focal point for all the community and not continue to carry the stigma of a hangout for hard-drinking former players and noisy fans.
Since taking the reins of the 1988 National Rugby League champion club in 2021, Godfrey mde a free play group, which already has 60 tamariki from the Te Atatu area registered on its books a priority. The club also runs rangatahi (youth) mentoring sessions and has started Mau Rakau – traditional Māori martial arts – classes.
They run holiday programmes for the Auckland Rugby League and tag and touch competitions. They are also establishing a netball partnership.
“I can only be as successful as the team of people I have around me,” Godfrey said.
Rugby league has been a big part of Godfrey’s life. He retired from playing with Point Chevalier in 2016, and went straight into coaching junior grades at Te Atatu, then on to the committee.
When Covid landed in 2020, it was a light bulb moment for the 44-year-old had an opportunity to re-evaluate his personal priorities.
Te Atatu is a suburb split in two. The north – now known as Te Atatu Peninsula and south. The suburb is separated by the Northwestern Motorway and a rapidly growing population with a base of about 32,000. As one of many state home suburbs, many families are third and fourth generation Māori or Pacific.
Godfrey is a third-generation showground/carnival worker. His whānau has mobile food and hot dog caravans that go to sporting and outdoor events.
In 2020, Godfrey was the first appointed New Zealand Rugby League wellbeing champion. The governing body knew the importance of addressing mental health issues among our youth, with the biggest proportion being Māori Pacific Islanders.
That mahi is still being carried out by former Warrior and Kiwi league greats Ali Lauiti’iti and Jerry Seuseu.
The tipping point for Godfrey to reach out to young people happened much closer to home.
“We had a young man at Te Atatu take his life and that is not acceptable to even lose one young person to suicide,” Godfrey said.
He attended a governance workshop through Sport NZ, to learn what it took to run a club and what that success looked like.
“When I took over, I realised there was a lot to do and the club needed a change of culture,” Godfrey said.
“The club wanted to be successful but no one acted professionally. Junior club members and their whānau didn’t want to come back to the club. There was a massive disconnect.
“But through my commercial experience, I knew that if you plan things well, there’s a good chance of good outcomes.”
In the second lockdown, Godfrey went through all the club paperwork including the constitution and financial documents to truly assess where Te Atatu Rugby League Club was at.
“We had to get into a position where we weren’t reliant on someone’s patronage at the bar and the behavioural issues that came with it.
“That’s when they have you over a barrel. What we had to do was align ourselves with good people.”
That alignment started with sponsorship from West Auckland Urban Māori Te Whānau o Waipareira.
“We won’t take any support from alcohol or gambling and when we announced we were doing that, it was amazing the support that came from other areas,” Godfrey said.
He has also implemented community initiatives. During lockdown, members and players packed thousands of RAT test kits for West Auckland whānau.
To be more visible to the Te Atatu community, during the preseason the premier side would go for runs around the suburb, and had to carry a tackle bag on their shoulders.
“The only reprieve they could get while they were running through the main road was if they saw a local, they would stop and introduce themselves,” Godfrey said.
His wife Hanna, who is also the club treasurer – “one of a number of roles I have been given by Craig” – is fully supportive. Before taking over the club role, Godfrey had a long chat with Hanna.
“I was initially hesitant and had discussion about what he wanted to do and the pros and cons and what our family would look like,” Hanna said.
“But I see the way he thrives and see the way he has grown. He is so passionate about rugby league and his connection.”
Hanna said they have always been active and connected in their communities.
“We are taking people on the change journey of the culture of this club and I’m so proud of what my husband is doing for his community, especially the youth, who he is so passionate about,” she said.
The Roosters are not the only Auckland Rugby League club undergoing post pandemic change.
Newly appointed ARL CEO Rebecca Russell said females were getting involved in rugby league in Auckland in record numbers.
With almost 10,000 players registered this year, the game has seen a 750 per cent increase in women participation, and 81 per cent of all league managers are female.
Russell also paid tribute to the Te Atatu Roosters under Godfrey’s leadership.
“In an effort to make rugby league in Auckland a better place for our communities, we have seen some clubs opening onsite laundromats and commercial kitchens to provide wholesome meals and partnerships with health providers to improve access to healthcare.
“Led by chairman Craig Godfrey, the Te Atatu Roosters are demonstrating the impact that can be made for their community through positive initiatives – both on and off the field.”
As seen on https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lockerroom/
As she did with an oval ball, Honey Hireme-Smiler is leading the way for women behind the mic – this time with league – as Sky Sport strives to make their on-screen voices more reflective of their audiences.
Honey Hireme-Smiler is primed to make history this weekend, believed to be the first woman to commentate an NRL game when she takes the mic for the Warriors’ first home match in almost three years.
Despite her vast knowledge of the game and expertise in front of a camera, the former Kiwi Ferns captain and NRLW player admits she’s still a little nervous.
“History tells us that within the industry, female commentators are often discriminated against and the credibility of females working in sports media is often questioned,” Hireme-Smiler says.
“Some believe ‘female commentators don’t know what they are talking about’ – especially in male dominated sports.”
But more and more female sports experts are proving that dubious assumption wrong on our television screens, with Sky pushing to include more women – especially Māori and Pacific Islander – in their commentary and presenting teams.
Among the six-strong Sky crew covering the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next month are five expert wāhine – Courtney Tairi, Storm Purvis, Rikki Swannell, Ravinder Hunia and Kristina Eddy (Karl Te Nana is the odd man out).
The move is reflective not only of the current audience for sport in New Zealand, but also who we see out on the field.
Hireme-Smiler, who’s also represented New Zealand in rugby union and sevens, will give her view of the Warriors vs Wests Tigers game on Sunday, alongside former Warriors player Adam Blair and commentator Glen Larmer on Sunday afternoon.
Last weekend she was part of the commentary team at Mt Smart Stadium for the Kiwi Ferns’ decisive 50-12 victory over Mate Ma’a Tonga – her first time calling an international women’s league game.
Hireme-Smiler’s expertise in commentary comes from decades of experience – playing rugby league since the age of five in Pūtaruru, and going on to star in four Rugby League World Cups between 2003 and 2017. She also played for the St George Illawarra Dragons in the inaugural NRLW competition.
“For me I approach [commentary] the same way I would if I were playing in a test match,” she says ahead of this weekend.
“My preparation gives me the confidence to call what I see, to relay those messages so our viewers are interested, informed and hopefully excited and entertained.”
Having commentated on rugby and sevens, Hireme-Smiler hopes to bring her own spin to the league commentary box, balancing her passion for the game with her cool head.
“I think it’s important for passionate fans and viewers to remember that in the intensity of an 80 minute footy game, these athletes are human too and to expect plenty of good moments alongside the bad ones,” says Hireme-Smiler, who will be in the box for all of the Warriors’ home games this season.
“It’s my job as part of the commentary team to promote the game, the players and entertain our viewers.”
Sky Sport recently launched their ‘See the Possible’ campaign, a commitment to women in sport.
The campaign is not only to promote and showcase more women’s sport, but also to support the wāhine telling those stories – writers, commentators, producers and presenters.
For some of the Sky team, it’s a representation of the direction Sky is moving in, with a steadily growing number of women working both on screen and behind the scenes.
Hireme-Smiler is also grateful to those who paved the way.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from some of the best female hosts and commentators in Aotearoa,” she says.
“Sky continues to give current and past female athletes opportunities to give it a go and I really enjoy sharing and supporting them too. I enjoy hearing a wide range of commentary, expertise and opinions on sport across all codes from other women.
“Sky is invested in changing the face of what sports commentary looks like by taking a more diverse approach – more female voices will attract a wider audience.”
There’s no lack of women waiting in the wings either, Johnson saying all it takes is someone giving them the chance.
“That’s the biggest thing, just actually opening the door,” she says. “We’ve all been ready and waiting, but now we’re actually making the effort to do it.”
As seen on https://www.nrl.com/news/
A stunning display from Joey Manu led the Kiwis to a 26-6 win over Tonga in front a sellout crowd at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday.
Carrying on the form that has made him a standout for the Roosters in 2022, Manu ran for 398 metres and had seven tackle breaks as New Zealand made a strong statement ahead of this year’s World Cup.
The emotion of the pre-game Haka and Sipi Tau had barely subsided when Kiwi playmaker Jahrome Hughes stepped ojn the gas from 10 metres out and carried three defenders over with him for the game’s opening try.
Four minutes later the Kiwis were out to a 12-0 advantage after veteran winger Jordan Rapana finished off great lead-up work by Kenny Bromwich and Test debutant Dylan Brown.
A mistake from Jesse Bromwich handed Tonga field position and they capitalised in the 15th minute when young halfback Talatau Amone found Kotoni Staggs who delivered to Sione Katoa to cross for his first Test try.
The Kiwis extended their lead in the 23rd minute when Sitili Tupouniua was pinged for a strip and Rapana knocked over the penalty goal to make it 14-6.
Rapana then broke clear and looked set to snare his second try before Staggs cut him down with a classic cover tackle but Christian Tuipulotu slid in and prevented Rapana from rising to his feet and was sin binned by referee Grant Atkins.
The Kiwis were quick to capitalise on the one-man advantage when Brown put Ronaldo Mulitalo over in the left corner with a long cut-out pass.
After a tense struggle to start the second half Hughes stamped his class on the match with an inch perfect kick from 50 metres out that pulled up on the dead ball line.
From the ensuing line dropout the Kiwis grabbed their fourth try when James Fisher-Harris put Isaiah Papali’i over from close range to make it 26-6 and that’s how the score remained.
Doubles to wingers Madison Bartlett and Katelyn Vaha’akolo spearheaded the Kiwi Ferns to a 50-12 win over Mate Ma’a Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday.
With international rugby league returning to Mt Smart for the first time in three years it was the Kiwi Ferns riding the emotion to produce 11 tries in an impressive attacking display.
It took the Ferns just five minutes to open the scoring when centre Page McGregor celebrated her Test debut with a try to make it 4-0.
Three minutes later the lead was doubled when a great offload by Annetta Nu’uausala and some slick hands by Ngatokotoru Arakua and Page McGregor put Madison Bartlett over in the left corner.
Come the 10th minute and the Kiwi Ferns had a third try through Katelyn Vaha’akolo after debutante Laishon Jones busted a couple of tackles and lobbed a ball over to Roxette Murdoch who kept the movement going for the right winger to score.
A great head-on tackle by Kalosipani Hopoate on Charlotte Scanlan denied New Zealand a fourth try but the ball was shifted to the right and Raecene McGregor produced sharp footwork to score and the Ferns were out to 18-0.
Tonga five-eighth China Polata was a constant threat in the opening term and came close in the 30th minute but desperate defence bundled her over the sideline just short of the line.
The Kiwi Ferns took the ball straight up the other end and Raecene McGregor turned provider with a deft chip over the top for debutante Amy Turner to score.
Vaha’akolo made it a double in the 35th minute from a clever scrumbase play which featured Nita Maynard, Raecene McGregor and Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly.
Debutante Roxy Murdoch added her name to the tryscoring list in shadows of half-time as the Kiwi Ferns blew the scoreline out to 30-0.
Kararaina Wira-Kohu started the second half in style with her first Test try in the 43rd minute courtesy of an inside pass from Maynard before Bartlett brought up her double to make it 40-0.
In the 59th minute it was five-eighth Jones grabbing the Ferns’ 10th try with some smart moves close to the line which would done her uncle Stacey Jones proud.
Tonga continued to take the fight up to their more fancied rivals and they were rewarded in the 65th minute when Polata capped a brilliant game with her team’s first try. Haylee Hifo’s conversion made it 44-6.
With a minute to go it was Hifo catching a bomb on the full and racing away to send the Tongan fans into raptures as the final score read 50-12.
Among a host of stars for the Kiwi Ferns, Newcastle fullback Stephens-Daly was dynamic with 157 run metres, two line breaks and five tackle breaks while Georgia Hale ran for 181 metres.
Among of a host of highlight reel moments in a dominant opening 40 minutes for the Kiwi Ferns it was winger Katelyn Vaha’akolo’s second try that stood out. Working a move from a scrum 10 metres out, bench hooker Nita Maynard picked up the ball at the base of the scrum and found halfback Raecene McGregor who sent it on to Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly who had joined in from fullback. The No.1 sent a perfectly timed pass to Vaha’akolo who strolled over out wide.
A key figure during the Kiwis’ halcyon 1980s era, the ultra-versatile A’au James Leuluai played Tests in four different backline positions – but it is as brilliant, elusive centre that he is chiefly remembered.
A breath-taking sidestep and blinding acceleration garnered 14 tries (one short of the Kiwis record at the time) in 29 Tests – including an incredible run of 11 touchdowns in 10 internationals from 1982-85 – and the apt nickname, ‘The Finisher’. Meanwhile, a glittering 185-game stay at Hull FC ultimately saw him inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.
Leuluai first grabbed attention on the representative scene as part of New Zealand Māori’s triumphant 1977 Pacific Cup team. Two years later, the 22-year-old Auckland rep – a product of the Ellerslie and Mount Wellington clubs – earned a maiden Test call-up, playing all three matches against touring Great Britain at centre and fullback.
The wiry speedster became a permanent fixture in the three-quarter line thereafter, while a two-try performance from fullback against Papua New Guinea in 1982 sparked Leuluai’s remarkable streak. He crossed in both Tests of the 1983 series against Australia, including the Kiwis’ famous 19-12 victory in Brisbane (after which he was named New Zealand’s player of the year), and terrorised the 1984 Lions with four tries in a 3-0 cleansweep.
Leuluai featured prominently in the unforgettable 1985 series versus Australia, dotting down in both fixtures at Carlaw Park and celebrating in the iconic 18-0 third-Test win, and embarked on a second tour of Britain and France later that year.
“James Leuluai had the best sidestep in rugby league, at least until Benji Marshall came along,” veteran rugby league journalist, author and historian John Coffey says.
“He would have been a champion in the centres in any era. He was relatively slight but Australia had big centres like (Mal) Meninga and (Gene) Miles at the time and he handled those guys with his stepping and evasion and speed off the mark.”
In the last 12 months of Leuluai’s Kiwis tenure, which finished in Papua New Guinea in 1986, he started Tests at centre, fullback, wing and five-eighth.
A decade on the England club scene began at Hull FC in the 1981/82 winter, playing in the club’s Challenge Cup final replay victory over Widnes at the end of that season, helping the Airlie Birds to the 1982/83 Championship and lighting up the epic 1985 Challenge Cup final, won 28-24 by Wigan at Wembley, with two second-half tries.
We can't go into Betfred Challenge Cup semi-final week without looking back at this beauty…👀 ✨ James Leuluai with one of the greatest cup tries of all-time against Castleford in the semi-finals at Elland Road in 1983! 🤩 ⚫️⚪️ #COYH pic.twitter.com/a8McaQ4yjh — Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) June 1, 2021
We can't go into Betfred Challenge Cup semi-final week without looking back at this beauty…👀
✨ James Leuluai with one of the greatest cup tries of all-time against Castleford in the semi-finals at Elland Road in 1983! 🤩
⚫️⚪️ #COYH pic.twitter.com/a8McaQ4yjh
— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) June 1, 2021
Stints with Leigh, Wakefield Trinity, Ryedale-York and Doncaster followed before Leuluai hung up the boots in 1991.
“James’ longevity to go over to England and come back to New Zealand and play back-to-back seasons for a number of years, and that ability to play consistently for 12 months of the year was just amazing,” long-time Kiwis teammate and fellow 2022 Legends of League inductee Howie Tamati says.
Leuluai also played for Sydney heavyweights Manly in 1986 and spent two memorable seasons in Wellington.
In 1988, the 31-year-old starred in the province’s historic Tamati-coached win over Auckland, scored twice in a narrow loss to Great Britain and notched a brace of tries to inspire Petone’s grand final victory.
“It was the first time in 85 years Wellington had beaten Auckland in 85 years,” Tamati recalls.
“It was a great time for me in my coaching career and getting James was a masterstroke, we were good friends and he was only too happy to come down and play for Petone and Wellington. He was the guy everybody looked up to and respected. When he spoke, everyone was quiet.
“About an hour before leaving to go to the game (against Auckland) James spoke for about 30 minutes, about football and about people’s roles. I didn’t have to say a word. You could have heard a pin drop – the intense attention the boys gave to James that afternoon was just remarkable.”
Leuluai’s impressive coaching CV includes roles in charge of Wellington City Dukes in the Lion Red Cup, Bartercard Cup outfit Eastern Tornadoes and the 2002 Junior Kiwis, while he was a Kiwis assistant to Daniel Anderson and Gary Kemble and later coached Mangere East Hawks.
One half of the most prolific father-son combination in Kiwis history, Leuluai’s son, half/hooker Thomas, played 40 Tests for New Zealand from 2003-17.
Clubs: Ellerslie, Mount Wellington, Manly Sea Eagles, Hull FC, Leigh, Petone, Wakefield Trinity, Ryedale-York, Doncaster
Provinces: Auckland, Wellington
1979 3 Tests v Great Britain
1980 2 Tests v Australia
1980 2 Tests in Great Britain
1980 1 Test in France
1981 2 Tests v France
1982 2 Tests in Australia
1982 1 Test in Papua New Guinea
1983 2 Tests v Australia (home and away)
1984 3 Tests v Great Britain
1985 3 Tests v Australia (home and away)
1985 3 Tests in Great Britain
1985 2 Tests in France
1986 1 Test v Australia
1986 2 Tests in Papua New Guinea
New Zealand Representative:
Total Test Appearances: 29 matches – 14 tries (51 points)
Total Matches Played: 53 matches – 27 tries (93 points)
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
New Zealand player of the year (1983)
Junior Kiwis coach (2002)
Hull FC Hall of Fame
The outpouring of emotional tributes for Quentin Pongia from every corner of the rugby league world following his death, aged just 48, featured several common threads. As a player, he was widely described as an uncompromising, durable, fearless competitor. But, above all, tough – one of the toughest of his era. Off the field, warm with a heart of gold and universally respected.
Pongia played 35 Tests for the Kiwis from 1992-2000 – a tally behind only Gary Freeman, Stephen Kearney, Jock Butterfield and Dane O’Hara at the time of his last appearance, and still equal-13th in Kiwis history two decades later.
“As tough a forward as any that played for the Kiwis, I’m sure of that – and it’s not surprising when you look at his background as the grandson of Jim Calder, who was a legend on the West Coast and a Kiwi in the 1930s,” acclaims veteran rugby league journalist, author and historian John Coffey.
“He was in the mould of guys like (1960s Kiwi Test props) Maunga Emery and Sam Edwards, surging forward without a backwards step.”
Born in Greymouth where he first played senior football with the Suburbs club, the 17-year-old Pongia moved to Canterbury in 1988 and represented the Junior Kiwis from the Riccarton club.
“(In 1988) I was a guest speaker for the Riccarton end-of-year dinner,” recalls Pongia’s former Canterbury and New Zealand coach, Frank Endacott.
“At the end (of my speech) I said, ‘there’s a young man in this room right now’ – and I’d only met him to say hello, but I’d seen him play a couple of matches – ‘that I believe will go on to play for his country and play in the [Australian premiership]’. I didn’t mention his name, but I had a number of people come up to me and ask who I was talking about; I said, ‘that bloke over there’. And sure enough Quentin went right through to the top.”
The raw second-rower, who subsequently transferred to Linwood, earned a maiden Test call-up to face Papua New Guinea in 1992 shortly before his 22nd birthday and played in the ensuing series against touring Great Britain. He also represented New Zealand Māori in 1992 and was virtually an automatic Kiwis selection when available for the next eight years.
“He’s right up there with anyone – you talk to the Rubens (Wiki) and Staceys (Jones) that played with him, they will tell you they loved playing with Quentin Pongia,” Endacott continues.
“I’ve spoken to Australians and English players who say he’s the hardest player they every played against. He was a tough nut and a guy we all loved.
“He was the only 80-minute prop in the world at the time and if I brought him off 10 minutes early, he’d give me the message – he hated coming off. And the tougher it was, the better he went.”
Pongia linked with Australian heavyweight Canberra in 1993, toured Britain and France with the Kiwis at the end of that season and was a tower of strength in the Raiders’ charge to premiership glory after shifting to prop in 1994.
“I brought (Pongia) and (Wellington prop John) Lomax to our first training session for 1993 and they just started belting blokes,” Raiders coach Tim Sheens revealed in 2019.
“I’ll never forget the look on Laurie Daley’s face. He couldn’t believe how hard as nails they were for new blokes. He looked at me and said, ‘Bloody hell – where did you find these two guys?’
“(Pongia) saved us. We lost guys like Glenn Lazarus up front and could have really struggled. But from day one, ‘Q’ was a colossus. He was so competitive on the field that he gave us that hard edge again and a year later, he was in the team that won the grand final.”
An aggressive, confrontational style ensured he was a frequent visitor to the judiciary, but Pongia nevertheless played 21 consecutive Tests for New Zealand from 1995-98.
Pongia’s international tenure peaked in 1998 during a one-season stay with the Warriors, playing an inspirational role in the Kiwis’ famous Anzac Test defeat of Australia at North Harbour, captaining his country in four post-season Tests – including a historic series win in Great Britain – and winning the New Zealand player of the year award.
“I knew how much respect he had from the players. He wasn’t an after-dinner speaker, but he was a player that led from the front – he’d say ‘follow me’ and everyone would, no questions asked. That’s why he was my captain,” Endacott explains.
Still a world-class performer in the engine-room into his thirties, Pongia bowed out of the international arena after New Zealand’s loss to Australia in the 2000 World Cup final. The latter stages of a colourful, globetrotting club career encompassed stints with Sydney Roosters (1999-2001), French outfit Villeneuve (2002-03), St George Illawarra (2003) and Wigan (2003-04), featuring in Super League grand final and Challenge Cup final losses with the Cherry and Whites before hanging up the boots.
Post-playing, Pongia returned to Canberra as a strength and conditioning coach and NRL assistant coach at the Raiders, aided the Kiwis as a trainer and was a wellbeing officer for Manly Sea Eagles.
‘Q’ faced his cancer battle, which he lost in 2019, with the same courage, resilience and humility that characterised one of the era’s great New Zealand rugby league careers.
“Quentin is the toughest individual I have ever played with and I know how hard he fought to beat this terrible disease. He will be sorely missed right across the rugby league community,” Canberra legend Ricky Stuart said after Pongia’s death.
“He was an icon of the game, a great bloke and a fearless player. He had a huge identity in the game during his playing career and it’s just really tragic to see cancer take another great man way too early.”
A minute's silence for our friend and former Vodafone Warrior Quentin Pongia Warrior #52 pic.twitter.com/SrK2PWEiiG — One NZ Warriors (@NZWarriors) May 29, 2019
A minute's silence for our friend and former Vodafone Warrior Quentin Pongia Warrior #52 pic.twitter.com/SrK2PWEiiG
— One NZ Warriors (@NZWarriors) May 29, 2019
Raiders Hall of Famer Ruben Wiki joined current New Zealand Raiders players to perform an impromptu Haka for Quentin Pongia at Saturday night’s 40th Anniversary Gala after his brother Brendon’s acceptance speech on behalf of the Pongia family. #WeAreRaiders pic.twitter.com/K8rqZDoBCs — Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) May 9, 2022
Raiders Hall of Famer Ruben Wiki joined current New Zealand Raiders players to perform an impromptu Haka for Quentin Pongia at Saturday night’s 40th Anniversary Gala after his brother Brendon’s acceptance speech on behalf of the Pongia family. #WeAreRaiders pic.twitter.com/K8rqZDoBCs
— Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) May 9, 2022
Clubs: Suburbs (Greymouth), Riccarton, Linwood, Canberra Raiders, Auckland Warriors, Sydney Roosters, Villeneuve, St George Illawarra Dragons, Wigan Warriors
Provinces: Canterbury
1992 1 Test v Papua New Guinea
1992 2 Tests v Great Britain
1993 1 Test v Australia
1993 1 Test in Wales
1993 3 Tests in Great Britain
1993 1 Test in France
1995 2 Tests v France
1995 3 Tests in Australia
1995 3 Tests at World Cup (England)
1996 2 Tests v Papua New Guinea
1996 3 Tests v Great Britain
1997 2 Tests v Australia (home and away)
1998 3 Tests v Australia (home and away)
1998 3 Tests in Great Britain
2000 5 Tests at World Cup (England)
Total Test Appearances: 35 matches – 2 tries (8 points)
Total Matches Played: 43 matches – 2 tries (8 points)
Kiwis captain in 4 Tests (1998)
New Zealand Player of the Year (1998)
‘The Beast’ moniker illustrated the powerful impact Kevin Iro had as a blockbusting centre or winger in the Kiwi jersey for more than a decade, and on the British and Australian club scenes for 15 seasons.
The Glen Innes junior was an automatic selection for New Zealand when available from his debut as a teenager in 1987 until his last appearance in 1998, by which time he had played 34 Tests and scored 16 tries – fourth and equal-second in Kiwis history at that stage.
A Junior Kiwi in 1986, the 19-year-old announced himself on the international stage with 20 points (three tries, four goals) – a world record for a player on Test debut – against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby before starring in New Zealand’s stunning Lang Park upset of Australia.
Iro’s 1988 New Zealand player of the year season included another hat-trick against the Kumuls at Carlaw Park, an appearance for Rest of the World against Australia and a try in the Kiwis’ World Cup final loss to Australia at Eden Park. He played in seven of the Kiwis’ eight Test matches in 1989.
A devastating ball-runner to rank alongside anyone in world rugby league and blessed with superb skill and natural instincts, Iro was lured to Wigan (along with older brother Tony, who earned his maiden Kiwis call-up the following season) by Graham Lowe in late-1987.
🤩 #OnThisDay 31 years ago, Wigan nilled @Saints1890 in @TheChallengeCup Final! 🏆 Kevin Iro, Ellery Hanley, Andy Gregory and Steve Hampson all got on the scoresheet in the 27-0 win. ⭐️ Hanley was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy. #WWRL pic.twitter.com/5xGgVmaGsY — Wigan Warriors 🍒⚪️ (@WiganWarriorsRL) April 29, 2020
🤩 #OnThisDay 31 years ago, Wigan nilled @Saints1890 in @TheChallengeCup Final!
🏆 Kevin Iro, Ellery Hanley, Andy Gregory and Steve Hampson all got on the scoresheet in the 27-0 win.
⭐️ Hanley was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy. #WWRL pic.twitter.com/5xGgVmaGsY
— Wigan Warriors 🍒⚪️ (@WiganWarriorsRL) April 29, 2020
He won four straight Challenge Cup finals with the club, scoring two tries in each of his first three victorious trips to Wembley.
Iro joined Lowe again at Manly in 1991-92 before returning to England with Leeds and featuring in a pair of Wembley losses to his former club Wigan during a five-season stay.
Despite moving into the veteran class, the twilight years of Iro’s Kiwis tenure were laced with sizzling highlights.
He scored a sensational try to send the 1995 World Cup semi-final against Australia into extra-time (the Kiwis ultimately went down 30-20).
Iro then featured in a drought-breaking trans-Tasman victory in 1997 and came off the bench to score two barnstorming tries in the Kiwis’ iconic defeat of the Kangaroos in 1998, briefly co-holding the New Zealand record for most Test tries.
The game-breaker farewelled the black-and-white jersey in a historic series win in Britain.
After one-season stints with Hunter Mariners (1997) and Auckland Warriors (1998), Iro’s career wound down with four seasons at St Helens that garnered two Super League grand final triumphs and another Challenge Cup final victory.
All told, he scored a phenomenal 175 tries in 344 club matches in England and Australia.
“Kevin would never let you down at Test level, he’d go out and win you a Test against Australia. If he was fit and available, you’d never leave him out,” praises Frank Endacott, who coached Iro in the Kiwis from 1995-98, and at the Warriors in 1998.
“He’s got a huge name in England, along with his brother Tony, they just knew how to win big games. And the bigger the game, the better Kevin went.
“When the pressure was on up against the big guns, that’s when Kevin came out to play. All class.”
Iro captained Cooks Islands’ 2000 World Cup campaign and later coached the national side, while he also represented Cook Islands at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in rugby sevens.
Clubs: Glen Innes Falcons, Mount Albert Lions, Wigan, Manly Sea Eagles, Leeds, Hunter Mariners, Auckland Warriors, St Helens
Provinces: Auckland
New Zealand representative:
1987 1 Test in Papua New Guinea
1987 1 Test in Australia
1988 1 Test v Papua New Guinea
1988 1 Test v Great Britain
1988 1 Test v Australia (World Cup final)
1989 3 Tests v Australia
1989 3 Tests in Great Britain
1989 1 Test in France
1990 3 Tests v Great Britain
1991 2 Tests in Australia
1993 1 Test in Great Britain
1997 1 Test v Australia
Total Test Appearances: 34 matches – 16 tries, 7 goals (78 points)
Total Matches Played: 40 matches – 20 tries, 10 goals (100 points)
New Zealand player of the year (1988)
Rest of the World (1988)
Captained Cook Islands at World Cup (2000)
Coached Cook Islands (2006)
Dane O’Hara’s rugby league sobriquet – the ‘Rolls-Royce of wingers’ – is indicative of his stylish play on the flank and a prolific tryscoring strike-rate. But the Blockhouse Bay and Glenora product was the consummate professional, admired for the dedication, consistency and durability at club and international level that saw him play a record-equalling number of Tests for New Zealand and become a revered figure during a decade at Hull FC.
A relatively late starter, O’Hara broke into the Auckland provincial team in 1976 and debuted for New Zealand in the 1977 World Cup opener against Australia at Carlaw Park as a 23-year-old. He cemented a Kiwis wing spot on the 1978 tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea, starting a run of 19 consecutive Test appearances.
O’Hara’s standing in the national team saw him ascend to the Test captaincy – rare for a winger – for the two-match home series against Australia in 1980, while he played all five Tests on that year’s Kiwis tour of Britain and France. A two-try performance against Hull FC was a forerunner to the polished flyer joining the club a year later.
“The respect the New Zealand Rugby League had for him (showed) in making him captain from out on the wing,” long-time Test teammate Howie Tamati says.
“Dane’s strength was looking after himself really well, he was immaculate on and off the field. Always well prepared, the ultimate professional and a really good team man.
“If you wanted a run when you deep in your own territory, Dane would be the one, really powerful. And so consistent in his approach to the game. I can’t remember him playing a bad game.”
Injury ruled O’Hara out of the Kiwis’ 1983 programme, but he returned to play all 16 of New Zealand’s Tests over the next three seasons to equal Jock Butterfield’s long-standing record of 36 appearances. He scored three tries during the 1984 whitewash of the touring Lions, featured in the iconic 1985 series against Australia and again played all five Tests on the ’85 tour of Britain and France.
Tries in the 1986 series in Australia and Papua New Guinea, the 32-year-old’s international swansong, took his Test tally to 14 – one short of the then-New Zealand record held by Tom Hadfield and Phil Orchard. A penalty try during the 1978 series against Australia, which today would have been credited to O’Hara but under the rules of the day was awarded only to the team, essentially denied the champion winger a share of the record (which Hugh McGahan broke in 1989).
O’Hara became one of Hull FC’s longest-serving and most celebrated imports, playing over 300 games and scoring 116 tries. He crossed for a late try to secure a draw in the 1982 Challenge Cup final at Wembley against Widnes (Hull FC went on to win the replay) and played in the famous 28-24 loss to Wigan in the 1985 final – regarded as the greatest-ever Wembley decider – alongside Kiwis teammates Gary Kemble, James Leuluai and Fred Ah Kuoi. The Airlie Birds also won the 1982/83 First Division Championship and three Yorkshire Cups during his tenure.
But perhaps O’Hara’s most important legacy during nine seasons at The Boulevard was as captain late in his career, helping Hull FC stave off relegation and having the honour of leading the club against the 1989 Kiwis.
O’Hara’s 17 years in first-team rugby league wound down with two seasons at English second division club Doncaster.
Ladies,Gentleman, #HullFC fans far and wide.THE RETURN OF THE KIWIS. Dane O’Hara can’t wait and neither can we. Please tag your friends and RT thank you. pic.twitter.com/eyrvhBjup9 — MJK Sports Events (@mjksportsevents) July 23, 2020
Ladies,Gentleman, #HullFC fans far and wide.THE RETURN OF THE KIWIS. Dane O’Hara can’t wait and neither can we. Please tag your friends and RT thank you. pic.twitter.com/eyrvhBjup9
— MJK Sports Events (@mjksportsevents) July 23, 2020
Clubs: Blockhouse Bay, Glenora, Hull FC, Doncaster
1977 1 Test at World Cup (NZ)
1978 3 Tests in Australia
1978 1 Test in Papua New Guinea
1980 3 Tests in Great Britain
1980 2 Tests in France
1986 3 Tests v Australia (home and away)
Total Test Appearances: 36 matches – 14 tries (49 points)
Total Matches Played: 63 matches – 32 tries (104 points)
Kiwis captain in 2 Tests (1980)
Taranaki hooker Howie Tamati was a vital component of New Zealand’s international rugby league renaissance, playing the last 19 of his 24 Tests for the Kiwis in succession and featuring prominently in watershed triumphs over Australia and Great Britain during the 1983-85 golden era. Tamati, one of the game’s great servants, later coached the Kiwis in 1992-93 and began a long tenure as NZRL President in 2013.
Tough and skilful, Tamati bridged the gap between the old-school hookers whose fast-striking ability was invaluable when scrums were still a contest and the subsequent evolution of the position, which placed greater importance on slick dummy-half service and attacking vision.
The New Zealand under-19s rep took some time to impose himself on the senior representative scene, but he used a starring role in Central Districts’ success as a springboard to a maiden Test call-up as a 26-year-old to face the 1979 Great Britain tourists.
When Australia visited the following season, Tamati lined up in both Tests and New Zealand Māori’s 10-all draw with the green-and-golds, before embarking on his first tour of Britain and France.
After cementing the Kiwis’ hooker spot during 1982, Tamati played in the drought-breaking upset of Australia in Brisbane in 1983 and had the honour of captaining New Zealand in the one-off Test against Papua New Guinea at Carlaw Park.
“It was a young team (to play against Papua New Guinea) with not many players being brought back from England and Australia, but I was given the opportunity and for me it was just amazing to think that I could be the captain of New Zealand,” Tamati reflects.
1983 – With mastermind Graham Lowe at the helm, the Kiwis break a 12 year losing streak against the Kangaroos winning 19-12 at Lang Park. The international game comes alive & Howie Tamati celebrates with a fiery haka!@NZRL_Kiwis @CraigNorenbergs @chasingroos @ProgRugbyLeague pic.twitter.com/1BrqHnSrqv — Patrick_Skene (@Patrick_Skene) October 2, 2021
1983 – With mastermind Graham Lowe at the helm, the Kiwis break a 12 year losing streak against the Kangaroos winning 19-12 at Lang Park.
The international game comes alive & Howie Tamati celebrates with a fiery haka!@NZRL_Kiwis @CraigNorenbergs @chasingroos @ProgRugbyLeague pic.twitter.com/1BrqHnSrqv
— Patrick_Skene (@Patrick_Skene) October 2, 2021
He was an engine-room mainstay of the 3-0 cleansweep of the 1984 Lions, in which he was vice-captain, and the iconic series against Australia in 1985, before winding up his international career on the ’85 Kiwis tour of Britain and France.
The Waitara Bears stalwart spent just one club season overseas, joining Wigan for the 1983/84 English winter and playing in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley – a loss to a Widnes team containing his cousin, and long-time Kiwis teammate, Kevin Tamati.
Photo of Wigan captain Graeme West and hooker Howie Tamati celebrating Wigan's victory over York in the Challenge Cup semi final at Leeds pic.twitter.com/Bp2TQpeNgs — NRDCollectables (@NRDCollectables) October 9, 2017
Photo of Wigan captain Graeme West and hooker Howie Tamati celebrating Wigan's victory over York in the Challenge Cup semi final at Leeds pic.twitter.com/Bp2TQpeNgs
— NRDCollectables (@NRDCollectables) October 9, 2017
“I used to watch the Challenge Cup final on a black-and-white TV, watching the guards marching around, the band and the footy – I just loved rugby league from when I was a little kid,” Tamati says.
“My dad was a good player and rugby league has always been in my family, so to get to play for New Zealand, and to play New Zealand Māori because that’s the level my dad got to, then to play for Wigan, was a dream.
“I had a family, so for me it was never a plan to go over and stay there, I had a good job in the freezing works and my life was tied up in my town and my club at Waitara. But to take the opportunity to go to England for a few months – off I went on this adventure and it was everything I could’ve hoped for. To actually play the Challenge Cup final with Wigan was a dream come true.”
In a memorable post-script to his playing career, the 33-year-old led New Zealand Universities to victory in the inaugural Student World Cup in 1986. Tamati moved into coaching and a five-season stint in charge of Wellington included historic wins over Auckland (1988) and Great Britain (1990), while he coached the 1991 Junior Kiwis before taking over the New Zealand Test side.
His two seasons at the helm of the Kiwis featured a tied home series against Great Britain in 1992, and a draw against Australia at Mount Smart Stadium during a hard-fought series loss and a challenging tour of Britain and France in 1993.
Reflecting his enormous contribution to the game over several decades, Tamati was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to rugby league in 1994, was named in the Taranaki Rugby League Team of the Century in 2008 and earned NZRL Life Membership in 2009.
NZRL president Howie Tamati opens the AGM at NZ Rugby League museum #AnnualGeneralMeeting pic.twitter.com/fejDl3Wblf — NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) June 26, 2016
NZRL president Howie Tamati opens the AGM at NZ Rugby League museum #AnnualGeneralMeeting pic.twitter.com/fejDl3Wblf
— NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) June 26, 2016
“The game owes me nothing – I owe everything I have and everything I’ve been a part of to the game,” Tamati explains.
“It made me who I am. The only thing I’ve tried to go is give back to the game and it keeps doing good things for me.
“I’ve had a dream life through playing sport and being involved in rugby league, I’m very proud of the path I made through rugby league – playing club, provincial and international football, and then coaching at a high level with the Junior Kiwis and Kiwis.
“New Zealand Rugby League initially asked if I would come back and help New Zealand Māori Rugby League and it’s just connections after connections after connections – it’s been a wonderful journey and I don’t want it to stop, they can put me in a gear bag and bury me!”
Clubs: Waitara Bears, Wigan
Provinces: Taranaki
1980 1 Test in Great Britain
1983 1 Test v Papua New Guinea
1985 2 Tests v Great Britain
Total Test Appearances: 24 matches – 2 tries (6 points)
Total Matches Played: 50 matches – 6 tries (19 points)
New Zealand coach:
1993 3 Tests v Australia (home and away)
Total Tests Coached: 11 matches (won 4, lost 6, drew 1)
Total Matches Coached: 21 matches (won 12, lost 8, drew 1)
Kiwis captain in 1 Test (1983)
Oceania (1984)
Junior Kiwis coach (1991)
Member of the Order of the British Empire (1994)
Taranaki Team of the Century (2008)
New Zealand Rugby League Life Member (2009)
New Zealand Rugby League president (2013-present)
Ruben Wiki’s extraordinary career garnered the most elite of achievements: a then-world record 55 Tests for the Kiwis, selection in the New Zealand Team of the Century, the first non-Australian to make 300 first-grade appearances in the Australian premiership and one of just three Kiwis to be inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame.
The Otahuhu junior’s role in 16 seasons at rugby league’s highest level can also be split into two halves, spending seven years as a blockbusting centre before gravitating to the forward pack and becoming recognised as one of the code’s most respected enforcers.
The 1992 Junior Kiwi represented Auckland and New Zealand Māori, joined Canberra Raiders in 1993 and starred in the club’s 1994 premiership triumph. Wiki scored 15 tries in 25 games and became just the third New Zealander (along with teammate Quentin Pongia) to win a Sydney grand final as the Raiders carved out an emphatic win over Canterbury Bulldogs.
A Kiwis call-up for the end-of-season tour to Papua New Guinea followed and Wiki was an automatic Test selection for the ensuing 12 seasons. The backline powerhouse was a key figure in New Zealand’s 1996 series cleansweep of Great Britain and momentous wins over Australia in 1998 and ’99.
“I first had him in the Junior Kiwis in 1992, when we beat the Junior Kangaroos for the first time in history – it showed me then what a good player and person Ruben was,” former coach Frank Endacott recalls.
“I had no hesitation in picking him in every Kiwis Test once I became coach. He was one of those special players, a lovely person, a tough competitor, and by geez the opposition always respected him.
“I moved him to lock against Great Britain (during a Test) at Bolton Stadium and they couldn’t handle him. He was so dependable and he’d never argue whatever position you put him in, he’d just play and do the job at the highest level.”
Wiki’s hulking frame and ferocious style made his transition to the Raiders’ engine-room in 1999 and the Kiwis’ pack at the 2000 World Cup a smooth and permanent one. He made the first of 18 Test appearances as captain in 2003 – a leadership tenure that included New Zealand’s watershed 2005 Tri Nations success and a gallant farewell to the international scene as the Kiwis lost an epic golden point final to Australia in the 2006 tournament.
“When I was coaching we had a number of good candidates and he was spoken about among them,” Endacott adds.
“It was only a matter of time before he became Kiwi captain. He had the respect of the opposition and his own players – they looked up to him and they’d follow him to the end of the earth.”
During the latter Tri Nations, the 33-year-old also became the first player to play 50 Tests for any nation. He was named at prop in the Kiwis’ Team of the Century in 2007 and, fittingly, skippered the All Golds against Northern Union in that year’s centenary match.
A two-time Raiders player of the year and bona fide club legend (he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2022), Wiki left the Australian capital after 225 games in the lime green to return home to Auckland and play for the Warriors. He was the Warriors’ player of the year in 2005 and played an instrumental, inspirational role as front-row cornerstone and spiritual leader as the club returned to the playoffs in 2007 and reached the preliminary final in 2008, the 35-year-old Wiki’s last NRL campaign.
Ruben Wiki's monster hit-up 😳#NRLFinalsMoments pic.twitter.com/dqhewebt2u — NRL (@NRL) September 24, 2019
Ruben Wiki's monster hit-up 😳#NRLFinalsMoments pic.twitter.com/dqhewebt2u
— NRL (@NRL) September 24, 2019
“He’s arguably New Zealand’s greatest all-round player ever and would be hard to beat among any internationals, proving himself in the centres with his speed and strength, then shifting into the back-row and ending up as one of the best props in the world,” rugby league journalist, author and historian John Coffey asserts.
“I wouldn’t think there’s anybody else who has gone (from the backline) all the way to the front-row and been so dominant, whether it was on defence or attack.”
Wiki remained entrenched in rugby league post-playing through roles as NZRL’s high performance manager, on the Kiwis’ support staff and as the Warriors’ long-serving strength and conditioning coach. Made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his services to rugby league and awarded the Ken Stephen Medal, recognising his off-field community work, in 2007, Wiki became just the eighth Kiwis rep to be inducted to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
Clubs: Otahuhu Leopards, Canberra Raiders, New Zealand Warriors
1994 2 Tests in Papua New Guinea
1995 2 Tests in Australia
1997 1 Tests in Australia
1999 1 Test in Australia
1999 3 Tests in Tri Nations (NZ and Aus)
1999 1 Test v Tonga
2000 6 Tests at World Cup (England)
2001 1 Test v France
2001 1 Test v Australia
2002 1 Test v Australia
2002 1 Test in Wales
2002 2 Tests in Great Britain
2002 1 Test in France
2003 2 Tests v Australia (home and away)
2004 3 Tests in Tri Nations (NZ and GB)
2004 1 Test in France
2005 1 Test in Australia
2005 5 Tests in Tri Nations (NZ, Aus and GB)
2005 1 Test in France
2006 5 Tests in Tri Nations (NZ and Aus)
Total Test Appearances: 55 matches – 15 tries (60 points)
Total Matches Played: 58 matches – 17 tries (68 points)
Kiwis captain in 18 Tests (2003-06)
New Zealand Player of the Year (2003)
Ken Stephen Medal (2007)
New Zealand Team of the Century (2007)
All Golds captain v Northern Union (2007)
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2007)
First New Zealand to play 300 NRL games (2008)
New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame (2017)
NRL Hall of Fame (2019)
Canberra Raiders Hall of Fame (2022)
From humble rugby league beginnings, coaching mastermind Graham Lowe became one of the most influential and revolutionary figures in the code’s history in New Zealand. The national team’s watershed results under Lowe’s tutelage from 1983-86 heralded a turning point for the Kiwis, while his achievements and status as a club coach in Australia and England are virtually unmatched by a New Zealander.
Lowe’s modest career as an Otahuhu premier grade player was curtailed by injury, but he progressed through the club’s coaching ranks before leading it to consecutive Fox Memorial triumphs in 1977-78. Lured to Brisbane by Norths Devils, Lowe steered the reigning wooden spooners to the 1979 finals and a stunning BRL grand final upset of Souths Magpies in 1980.
The 36-year-old returned to New Zealand in late-1982 and succeeded Ces Mountford as national coach.
The Kiwis snapped a 12-year losing streak against Australia with a sensational 19-12 victory at Lang Park in 1983, while a historic and comprehensive 3-0 whitewash of visiting Great Britain – winning all three Tests by margins of at least 12 points – followed in 1984.
“When Graham came into the team we had a core of very experienced group of players. He didn’t have to do too much to teach us how to play, but he had the ability to lift you up, to believe in yourself,” long-serving Kiwi hooker Howie Tamati recalls.
“From a psychological perspective, he built on our experience and gave us the edge to make us the team we were in the mid-eighties. We were hungry for another approach – not that the approach before that under Ces Mountford was bad, it was very good – but Graham took us to another level.”
New Zealand’s Lowe era reached its zenith during the epic 1985 series against Australia. Following heart-breaking narrow defeats in Brisbane and Auckland, the Kiwis blew the green-and-golds off Carlaw Park 18-0 in the third Test. The passionate and charismatic Lowe’s role in instilling confidence in his Kiwis charges and raising the profile of, and interest in, rugby league in New Zealand to unprecedented levels cannot be understated.
Lowe’s Kiwi tourists went agonisingly close to a series win in Great Britain in late-1985, with the third-Test decider finishing in a gripping draw.
“Graham was different. For a lot of years after I started reporting, the coach was almost anonymous. Graham could understand the value of the media and sports promotion,” veteran rugby league journalist, author and historian John Coffey explains.
“Obviously as student of the game in Australia, and as a guy with a gift of the gab, he had the confidence of the Kiwi players and was able to lift them up to another level. He went very close to winning series against Australia and in Great Britain in ’85, which would have emulated the Grand Slam Kiwis of ’71.
“He famously walked the players up Queen Street and saw they had the support of the public, which inspired them to give Australia a hiding at Carlaw Park in the third Test (of the 1985 series).
“Graham was a larger-than-life character. He persuaded Brian Lochore, the All Blacks coach at the time, to come and have a beer with him even though the NZRU stopped their players from mixing with the Kiwis because of their old prejudices. Graham earned great loyalty from his players and was able to relate to the media, whether he was in New Zealand, or England and Australia.”
A halcyon period ended in lamentable circumstances with Lowe and the NZRL parting company in 1986 after a disappointing tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea, but Lowe’s standing as one of the world’s preeminent coaches continued to blossom after joining Wigan later that year. Among a plethora of trophies during three seasons in England, Lowe guided Wigan to the Championship-Premiership double at his first attempt and led the club to the first two of its eight consecutive Challenge Cup final triumphs at Wembley.
The in-demand Lowe took over Sydney heavyweight Manly for three seasons, taking the Sea Eagles to the finals in 1990-91. He was a controversial appointment as Queensland State of Origin coach but became a beloved figure in the Sunshine State after the Maroons’ epic 1991 series success and a narrow defeat in 1992.
“When I was coming through the coaching ranks and saw what Graham was doing, it inspired me,” reveals Frank Endacott, who also coached New Zealand and Wigan, as well as the Warriors.
“He was the guy that led it all – that’s when I thought, ‘I’d love to do that’. I came in about a decade after him. I went to his coaching clinics (in the 1980s) and he was showing us things with hit shields and skill drills that we’d never seen before, that he’d picked up overseas and introduced to New Zealand.
“That’s when I really started thinking about the game. He was the coach who inspired me to go on to better things.”
Lowe’s performances at the helm of Manly and Queensland earned the 1991 coach of the year nod at the Halberg Awards, where rugby league has routinely struggled for recognition.
Lowe stood down at Manly due to health concerns in early-1993 but went on to coach Western Samoa at the 1995 World Cup and North Queensland Cowboys’ 1996 campaign. He was part-owner of the Auckland Warriors from 1998-2000, returned to Manly as CEO from 2009-11 and became co-owner of the ailing Bradford Bulls in 2017.
Lowe’s tireless contribution in the community service, youth and education spheres were recognised with the Queen’s Service Medal (1986), appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2013) and a knighthood (2019), while he was made an NZRL Life Member in 2013.
Congratulations to former Kiwis Coach and league icon, Sir Graham Lowe, on becoming a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to youth and education.#TheKiwiWay #MoreThanAGame Photo – Photosport pic.twitter.com/PRLouKzuNA — NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) June 4, 2019
Congratulations to former Kiwis Coach and league icon, Sir Graham Lowe, on becoming a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to youth and education.#TheKiwiWay #MoreThanAGame Photo – Photosport pic.twitter.com/PRLouKzuNA
— NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) June 4, 2019
Clubs Coached: Otahuhu Leopards, Norths Devils, Wigan, Manly Sea Eagles, North Queensland Cowboys
New Zealand Coach:
Total Tests Coached: 19 matches (won 10, lost 8, drew 1)
Total Matches Coached: 39 matches (won 26, lost 12, drew 1)
BRL Premiership (1980)
Challenge Cup (1987/88, 1988/89)
English Championship (1986/87)
English Premiership Trophy (1986/87)
Lancashire Cup (1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89)
League Cup (1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89)
World Club Challenge (1987)
Oceania coach (1984)
Rest of the World coach (1988)
Western Samoa coach (1995)
Queen’s Service Medal (1986)
Halberg Awards coach of the year (1991)
New Zealand Rugby League Life Member (2013)
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2013)
Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2019)
‘The Little General’ stands tall as New Zealand’s greatest-ever halfback and arguably the nation’s most decorated rugby league player of all time.
Earmarked for the game’s highest levels after captaining the Junior Kiwis and representing Auckland in 1994, Stacey Jones forced his way into the fledgling Auckland Warriors’ No.7 jersey shortly after his 19th birthday and was the club’s leading light for more than a decade.
A Kiwis debut at the 1995 World Cup – the first of 46 Test appearances across 12 seasons for the grandson of legendary Māori forward and 23-Test Kiwi Maunga Emery – followed at the end of a whirlwind rookie season. Jones’ run of 19 consecutive Tests from that initial call-up encompassed series victories over Great Britain at home and in England, and momentous wins over Australia in three successive years with the diminutive playmaker at the forefront.
“When I gave him his first start for the Kiwis I remember walking down the hotel hallway, all the players had their doors open and there was Stacey sitting there watching TV in the Kiwis’ number seven jersey – he was just so proud of it,” Jones’ first New Zealand coach, Frank Endacott, recalls.
The Warriors’ player of the year in 1997 and co-captain of the club’s drive to a maiden finals appearance in 2001, Jones put together a year of achievement arguably unmatched by any player in the history of New Zealand rugby league in 2002.
The 26-year-old skippered the Warriors to a historic minor premiership and grand final appearance; despite the 30-8 loss to Sydney Roosters in the NRL decider, Jones carved his name into grand final folklore with a sparkling individual try.
2002 – Stacey Jones puts the Warriors in front during the 2002 Grand Final against the Roosters#ThrowbackThursday #NRL pic.twitter.com/EyZjI3uubu — NRL (@NRL) April 27, 2017
2002 – Stacey Jones puts the Warriors in front during the 2002 Grand Final against the Roosters#ThrowbackThursday #NRL pic.twitter.com/EyZjI3uubu
— NRL (@NRL) April 27, 2017
He subsequently captained the Kiwis for the first time in six post-season Tests against Australia, Wales, Great Britain and France. Unsurprisingly named New Zealand’s player of the year for the second time, Jones became just the second Kiwi to win the prestigious Golden Boot and was a Sportsman of the Year finalist at the Halberg Awards.
Rare instinctive brilliance and game-breaking ability often overshadowed Jones’ qualities as an outstanding organising halfback, brave defender and leader with a tenacious competitive streak and willingness to step up in the clutch moments.
“He’s just a true legend of the game. Pound for pound probably the best player the Warriors have ever had and one of the best halfbacks the Kiwis of all time,” Endacott says.
“Stacey understood the game, he was a natural. When you were in a tight spot you could rely on Stacey to do something to keep you in the game. He wasn’t a talkative player early on but he certainly got better as the years went on. A great bloke and he deserves all the accolades he gets.”
What a player 🙌 Just some of the highlights from the career of Stacey Jones! #NRL pic.twitter.com/PGbvTRsceL — NRL (@NRL) August 14, 2019
What a player 🙌
Just some of the highlights from the career of Stacey Jones! #NRL pic.twitter.com/PGbvTRsceL
— NRL (@NRL) August 14, 2019
Jones’ first Warriors farewell preceded a starring role in the Kiwis’ 2005 Tri Nations triumph. The veteran’s commanding performance in the watershed 24-0 defeat of the Kangaroos in the Leeds-hosted final – his fifth Test victory against Australia – just days after returning from Auckland following the birth of his third child underlined his commitment to the black-and-white jersey, as well as his penchant for dominating on rugby league’s biggest stages.
Retiring from international football after New Zealand’s golden point loss to Australia in an epic 2006 Tri Nations final, Jones’ tallies of Test appearances (46), tries (16) and points (160) were equal-second, equal-third and second, respectively, in Kiwis history at the time.
Jones’ two seasons with Super League club Catalans Dragons included captaining the French outfit to a historic Challenge Cup final appearance in 2007, while he came out of retirement for a memorable one-season stint back at the Warriors in 2009.
“Stacey arrived as a teenage sensation, replaced a true legend in Gary Freeman at the ’95 World Cup and also replaced an Australian international in Greg Alexander as the Warriors’ halfback,” prominent rugby league journalist, author and historian John Coffey explains.
“Since then I’m sure he has been an inspiration to many youngsters to take up rugby league with his performances for the Warriors and Kiwis. He was a great leader on the field for club and country – on attack he was a genius and on defence he had a lot of courage.”
An impressive coaching CV includes stints in charge of the Warriors’ under-20s (featuring Holden Cup premiership success in 2014) and NSW Cup teams and the Māori All Stars, and assistant roles with the Kiwis and Warriors first-grade sides – the latter leading to a position as interim NRL head coach midway through 2022.
Made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006 and named at halfback in the Kiwis’ Team of the Century in 2007, post-playing accolades for Jones came in the form of his induction to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame (2015) and the NRL Hall of Fame (2019).
Clubs: City-Point Chevalier, Auckland City Vulcans, Auckland/New Zealand Warriors, Catalans Dragons
1999 1 Test in Tri Nations (NZ)
2000 1 Test in Australia
2002 3 Tests in Great Britain
2003 1 Test in Australia
2005 5 Tests in Tri Nations (NZ, Aus & GB)
2006 1 Test in Great Britain
2006 5 Tests in Tri Nations (NZ & Aus)
Total Test Appearances: 46 matches – 16 tries, 47 goals, 2 field goals (160 points)
Kiwis captain in 7 Tests (2002, 2006)
New Zealand Player of the Year (1999, 2002)
Golden Boot winner (2002)
Halberg Awards NZ Sportsman of the Year finalist (2002)
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2006)
New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame (2015)
A 1995 Kiwi Ferns original, Leah Witehira was a prolific try-scorer at international level and a steady influence in the halves as New Zealand triumphed in the first two women’s World Cups.
Witehira scored four tries on the Kiwi Ferns’ pioneering tour of Australia in 1995 – including vital four-pointers in both Test wins. She added four tries as one of one of the standout players in New Zealand’s 1998 series cleansweep of Great Britain on home soil.
Forming a stellar halves combination with brilliant Wellingtonian Trish Hina, Witehira featured in the 1999 series against Australia – dotting down again in the first two Tests – and continued her remarkable strike-rate with tries in both of the Kiwi Ferns’ preliminary matches at the 2000 World Cup in England.
But the skilful, level-headed Witehira’s ability to steer a team around the park was equally valuable as New Zealand powered to the trophy with big wins over Australia in the semi-final and England in the final.
“Leah was one of those players who was a natural athlete but had really good vision, which is one of the hardest things to teach in rugby league – really you either have it or you don’t,” 2000 World Cup-winning co-captain and fellow 2022 Legends of League inductee Nadene Conlon recalls.
“She knew how to find those gaps, a really smart ball-player and got the team moving forward, directed the team around – but also knew when to have a stab herself.
“Leah was a good leader and a hard worker, just a great all-rounder. She wasn’t huge and didn’t lack defensive ability either.”
Witehira was at the forefront again as the Kiwi Ferns successfully defended their world champions crown in New Zealand in 2003, scoring tries in the semi-final and final to earn a place in the World Cup team of the tournament.
Though the 2004 tour of Australia was her Kiwi Ferns swansong, Witehira, also a New Zealand Māori rep, later captained Counties-Manukau to a draw against Great Britain in 2010 and was still turning out for Otahuhu as player-coach another decade later.
Clubs: Otahuhu
1995 in Australia
1998 v Great Britain
1999 v Australia (home and away)
2000 World Cup (England)
2002 v New Zealand Māori
2003 World Cup (NZ)
2004 in Australia
World Cup team of the tournament (2003)
Trish Hina has been described as one of New Zealand’s greatest sportswomen, representing her country in rugby league, rugby union, touch football and softball. But the Wellington five-eighth undoubtedly made her biggest impact in the 13-a-side game.
Arguably women’s rugby league’s first genuine superstar, Hina’s Kiwi Ferns tenure spanned 13 years and her linchpin role in three World Cup triumphs included two player of the tournament nods. The record-breaking try-scorer and goalkicker boasted a game-breaking kitbag of skill, vision and pace unmatched among her contemporaries.
“Trish was an amazing athlete – she could anything and everything, a dynamic player,” former Kiwi Ferns captain long-time teammate Nadene Conlon reflects.
“Every time she had the ball, you noticed. A brilliant runner, she could step, fend, kick, brutalise girls defensively – she could do it all. Like an Olsen Filipaina of the women’s game.
“She was the driving force in any team she was in, always stood out above everybody. The tries she scored and the skill factor – at the time it was a step above everybody. And a really good person and has given back from her experience in all sports to the community.”
Hina’s softball commitments prevented her from embarking on the Kiwi Ferns’ pioneering tour across the Tasman in 1995, but she made an immediate splash on the international scene two years later with two tries on Test debut in the series opener against Australia and a hat-trick in the second encounter. A pair of doubles in the 1998 cleansweep of Great Britain and three tries in the series win over Australia in 1999 followed.
The spearhead of Te Aroha’s 11 straight Wellington club titles, Hina inspired Wellington to national tournament success in 1997 and ’99. Meanwhile, a two-try performance against hosts England in the final secured player of the tournament honours as New Zealand took out the inaugural World Cup in 2000.
Hina was a dominant force as the Kiwi Ferns retained their world champions mantle at the 2003 tournament at home, scoring a competition-leading 82 points (including an incredible 40 from five tries and 10 goals in their win over Samoa) and earning a place in the team of the tournament.
All-time rugby league great status already assured, Hina was in irresistible form again at the 2008 World Cup and was named player of the tournament after scoring two tries and three goals as New Zealand crushed Australia 34-0 in the final at Suncorp Stadium.
Hina switched codes and won a World Cup with the Black Ferns in 2010 – at 33 years of age, the only debutant in the team – but was back in the Kiwi Ferns’ jersey only weeks later for an international rugby league swansong against Great Britain.
After a 10-year hiatus from the game – during which time she grappled with significant health challenges – Hina returned to help Upper Central Stallions win the inaugural 2020 NZRL National Women’s Championship.
Upper central zone womens rugby league team 2020, Nationals Day 1 done ✅ bring on day 2. Stoked to once again play alongside the legend Trish Hina 🙌🏽 #championship #womensrugbyleague @NZRL_Kiwis @WRugbyLeague pic.twitter.com/s6WDlU2Ppe — HoneyHireme (@HoneyHireme) October 17, 2020
Upper central zone womens rugby league team 2020, Nationals Day 1 done ✅ bring on day 2. Stoked to once again play alongside the legend Trish Hina 🙌🏽 #championship #womensrugbyleague @NZRL_Kiwis @WRugbyLeague pic.twitter.com/s6WDlU2Ppe
— HoneyHireme (@HoneyHireme) October 17, 2020
“Trish is my lifetime idol. I first saw her at league nationals when I was a teenager with Bay of Plenty. She was playing for Wellington and had short hair. Oh God! She’d carve men up,” gushed fellow Kiwi Ferns great and dual rugby international Honey Hireme-Smiler, who was part of the 2003 and ’08 World Cup successes with Hina.
“We played together in the centres for New Zealand and again in 2020 at the Central Women’s championship which we won. She’s played a bit of club footy in Waikato and for her age is still a freak.”
The player of the match in the annual Māori All Stars versus Indigenous All Stars match is awarded the Trish Hina Medal, underlining her revered standing in women’s rugby league.
Jaime Chapman has been awarded the Trish Hina Medal for her brilliant display in #NRLAllStars! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ay4s1RI4AI — NRLW (@NRLWomens) February 12, 2022
Jaime Chapman has been awarded the Trish Hina Medal for her brilliant display in #NRLAllStars! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Ay4s1RI4AI
— NRLW (@NRLWomens) February 12, 2022
Clubs: Te Aroha
Provinces: Wellington
1997 v Australia
2001 v Australia
2006 v New Zealand Māori
2008 World Cup (Australia)
2010 v Great Britain
World Cup player of the tournament (2000, 2008)
Luisa Avaiki was one of just three players to feature in New Zealand’s first three World Cup triumphs and the only 1995 original still playing when the Kiwi Ferns carried off the 2008 title, reflecting her rare longevity in the front-row trenches. Meanwhile, Avaiki’s role as captain of the 2003 and ’08 World Cup successes underline her status as one of women’s rugby league’s finest leaders and a Kiwi Ferns icon.
A try-scorer as New Zealand won its inaugural Test against Australia on the trailblazing 1995 tour, Avaiki starred again as the Kiwi Ferns defeated their trans-Tasman rivals in 1997 and was named player of the series after the 1998 series cleansweep of Great Britain.
Avaiki’s explosive ball-running was a key component of New Zealand’s resounding victory in the first women’s Rugby League World Cup in England in 2000.
She ascended to the captaincy for the 2003 competition on home soil and was named player of the tournament as the Kiwi Ferns defended their title in emphatic style.
“Luisa was unstoppable in that tournament,” says ex-Kiwis coach Frank Endacott, who was responsible for deciding on the award winners at the 2003 World Cup.
“She made the hard yards, had the offload to go with it, defended powerfully. World class. And a special lady, too – it’s great to see she’s still in the thick of it as a coach.”
The Richmond stalwart was similarly influential at the 2008 World Cup and scored a try in leading New Zealand to a 34-0 win over hosts Australia in the final at Suncorp Stadium – a fitting swansong to an extraordinary Kiwi Ferns tenure.
Of Samoan and Niuean descent (she moved to New Zealand from Samoa with her family as a child), Avaiki skippered Fetu Samoa in a Test against Australia in Apia in 2011.
Avaiki’s contribution to the game since hanging up the boots has been monumental. As well as coaching at grassroots level and holding development and welfare roles with Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Rugby League, she was the Warriors’ head coach in the first two seasons of the NRLW premiership, served as an assistant coach for the Kiwi Ferns and became NZRL’s Head of Women’s Rugby League.
“Luisa was a really explosive player and passionate about representing New Zealand, very dedicated,” long-time Kiwi Ferns teammate and fellow Legend of League inductee Nadene Conlon says.
“And definitely one of the toughest opponents I’ve come up against, having played against her as well. I’d much rather be on her team – she was one of the hardest to tackle.
“She wasn’t the busiest player, but everything she did, she did well. She could change a game for you – a tackle that knocked the ball out or a big run. One of the strongest and most mobile forward runners that we’ve ever had and the best prop in the world during her time.
“Luisa was so dedicated to the Kiwi Ferns, which shows in her longevity in the game and she became a really good leader. Her guidance was great for our Pacific Islands girls, too, and she’s always given back to the game.”
Avaiki was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2019 New Year’s honours list for services to rugby league.
Join us in congratulating our NRLW coach Luisa Avaiki, who has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours announced today! Love the recognition for the huge contribution she has made to the great game at every level. #WeAreWarriors pic.twitter.com/ZjwMgMD92y — One NZ Warriors (@NZWarriors) December 31, 2018
Join us in congratulating our NRLW coach Luisa Avaiki, who has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours announced today! Love the recognition for the huge contribution she has made to the great game at every level. #WeAreWarriors pic.twitter.com/ZjwMgMD92y
— One NZ Warriors (@NZWarriors) December 31, 2018
Clubs: Richmond
Player of the series v Great Britain (1998)
Kiwi Ferns World Cup-winning captain (2003, 2008)
Captain of World Cup team of the tournament (2003)
World Cup player of the tournament (2003)
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2019)
Nadene Conlon’s distinguished standing as a women’s rugby league pioneer and long-serving, high-achieving Kiwi Ferns leader is matched only by her towering off-field contributions to the game.
Conlon was part of New Zealand’s trailblazing 1995 tour of Australia, featuring in the second-row in both Tests. She was vice-captain for the Kiwi Ferns’ next two assignments – the 1997 series against Australia and the 1998 series against Great Britain – and skippered her country for the first time against the green-and-golds in 1999.
Regarded as the backbone of the Kiwi Ferns’ pack whose game was built around defence and an exceptional work-rate on both sides of the ball, Conlon also slotted in at loose forward, hooker, halfback and centre at club and representative level.
“I loved the game, loved the contact and the confrontation. But the highlight for me has been seeing the women’s game progress and for people to take it more seriously,” Conlon says.
“We applied ourselves and took it very seriously, but because it was essentially very amateur I think some people from the outside looked at it like it was a bit of a hobby, a fly-by-nighter type thing.
“But I trained constantly to be in the Kiwi Ferns. It was a dream – I wanted to be in that team and be the best in the world.”
The Auckland and New Zealand Māori skipper co-captained New Zealand’s triumph in the inaugural women’s Rugby League World Cup in England in 2000 with Nicole Presland and was named best forward of the tournament.
A perennial club player of the year award recipient for Te Atatu, Mount Albert, Point Chevalier, Marist and Bay Roskill, Conlon earned a place in the team of the tournament as the Kiwi Ferns defended their title at the 2003 World Cup at home. She was an intermittent captain of the Test side until injuries denied her a farewell Kiwi Ferns appearance in 2006 after being selected. Of the ’95 originals, only champion prop Luisa Avaiki’s Kiwi Ferns tenure extended further than Conlon’s.
“Nadene was one of those reliable players who played the same game every time she took the field,” says former Kiwis coach Frank Endacott, who selected the 2003 World Cup team of the tournament.
“She never let the team down, was always in the tough stuff and making the hard yards, a very mobile second-rower. And a lovely person to go with it, she’s done a lot of work with New Zealand Rugby League and other teams since. Nadene’s a very worthy recipient (of the Legends of League honour).”
Conlon became New Zealand’s first fulltime female coaching and development officer in 2000 with Auckland Rugby League and took on her initial role with New Zealand Rugby League as logistics and events manager from 2002-07.
She then spent six years on the Warriors’ staff as event and match-day manager and later team manager of the NRL and NYC sides, before rejoining NZRL as Kiwis and National Teams Manager in 2014 while also managing domestic competitions.
Harnessing the same work ethic, drive, humility and selflessness that were her trademarks as a player, Conlon is widely admired at all levels of the rugby league community for her tireless efforts.
“Nadene is a huge asset to New Zealand Rugby League, with how she looks after both the men and the women in such a large job and knows all the specifics required either when you are on tour and away from home or playing in Auckland,” current Kiwis coach Michael Maguire told NRL.com in 2020.
“She played at the highest level for a long period at a time when the players had to carry a job and pay for their own tours and she is very humble and grateful around the comparisons and the joys of the girls and men now being paid and enjoying the sport in a different way.”
Conlon played a prominent role in bringing the New Zealand women’s team under the NZRL umbrella in 2014, as well as putting in countless hours preserving Kiwi Ferns history and shining a light on the rich narrative that she has been such an integral part of.
“Growing up in rugby league there wasn’t really any female heroes and I wanted the women to be like the men in regards to how the game was perceived, that was my driving ambition,” Conlon explains.
“I’m working through the arrangements now for the (New Zealand v Tonga) Test matches and what I do for the Kiwis, I do exactly the same for the Kiwi Ferns – which shows how far the game has come.
“It’s a dream come true, really, and it’s happened in such a short space of time. I’m very proud to still be involved and see them have the success they so deserve.”
The Marist and Glenora women's teams will play for a new trophy, named in the honour of the legendary Nadene Conlon – one of the original Kiwi Ferns who has also opened doors for women in the men's game, managing the Warriors and Kiwis teams. More tonight on @1NewsSportNZ pic.twitter.com/6lnYi6Pgqx — Matt Manukia (@MattManukia) May 7, 2021
The Marist and Glenora women's teams will play for a new trophy, named in the honour of the legendary Nadene Conlon – one of the original Kiwi Ferns who has also opened doors for women in the men's game, managing the Warriors and Kiwis teams. More tonight on @1NewsSportNZ pic.twitter.com/6lnYi6Pgqx
— Matt Manukia (@MattManukia) May 7, 2021
Clubs: Te Atatu, Mount Albert, Point Chevalier, Marist, Bay Roskill
Kiwi Ferns World Cup-winning co-captain (2000)
World Cup best forward (2000)
June 24, 2022
New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) has inducted, for the first time in its history, four Kiwi Ferns to its prestigious Legends of League. Congratulations to Kiwi Fern legends, Luisa Avaiki, Nadene Conlon, Trish Hina and Leah Witehira who now join the esteemed Legends’ Club.
Also receiving the top New Zealand Rugby League honour are Kevin Iro, Stacey Jones, James Leuluai, Sir Graham Lowe, Dane O’Hara, Quentin Pongia, Howie Tamati and Ruben Wiki.
Expanding the NZRL Legends of League further has been a long time coming – and the return of the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns to the Test arena after a three-year, COVID-enforced hiatus seems the perfect juncture to honour a new batch of inductees.
A six-strong panel made up of NZRL President, NZRL Life Member and former Kiwis captain and coach Howie Tamati, NZRL Life Member and 1994-2000 Kiwis coach Frank Endacott, 1990s Kiwi and 2008 Legends of League inductee Tawera Nikau, 1995 Kiwi Ferns original and long-serving NZRL Kiwis and National Teams Manager Nadene Conlon, former NZRL Director Elizabeth Richards, and rugby league journalist, author and NZRL historian Will Evans heeded the call in recent months to run the rule over dozens of worthy candidates.
Building on the recent work to recognise and celebrate the New Zealand women’s team’s history, the historic decision was made to induct an initial group of four Kiwi Ferns to the Legends of League, along with eight new Kiwis selections.
The key criteria set down for Legends of League recognition were: longevity, leadership, achievement and performance at international level (first and foremost) as well as club and provincial level; enhancing rugby league’s standing in New Zealand; and post-playing contribution to the game. Having been retired for at least five years – a directive since the establishment of the Legends of League in 1995 – remains a requirement.
Ruben Wiki and Stacey Jones narrowly missed the five-year retirement cut-off when the last batch of Legends of League were inducted in 2013 – and their inclusion this time around was essentially a fait accompli.
The Auckland juniors and long-time Kiwis teammates, who played 101 Test matches between them in the 1990s and 2000s, were the only New Zealand Team of the Century selections yet to receive Legends of League recognition. In 2019, Wiki and Jones – both esteemed Kiwi captains and universally admired for their impact on the Australian premiership – joined Mark Graham as the only New Zealanders in the NRL Hall of Fame in 2019.
The outpouring of emotional tributes for 35-Test Kiwi Quentin Pongia from every corner of the rugby league world following his death in 2019 from cancer, aged just 48, reflected the esteem in which he is held in the game. Widely revered as one of the toughest and most durable and uncompromising forwards of any era, the West Coast-bred, Canterbury provincial rep and Canberra Raiders premiership winner was a Kiwis engine-room cornerstone from 1992-2000 and captained New Zealand to Test series glory in Great Britain in 1998.
‘The Beast’ moniker illustrated the powerful impact Kevin Iro had as a blockbusting centre or winger in the Kiwi jersey for more than a decade, and on the British and Australian club scenes for 15 seasons. Aucklander Iro scored 16 tries in 34 Tests from 1987-98 and starred in a host of Challenge Cup final and Super League grand finals with Wigan, Leeds and St Helens.
The remaining four Kiwis Legends of League places went to key figures of the Kiwis’ halcyon 1980s era that featured so many ground-breaking victories.
The ultra-versatile James Leuluai played Tests in four different backline positions – but it is as brilliant, elusive centre that he is chiefly remembered. A breath-taking sidestep and blinding acceleration garnered 14 tries in 29 Tests.
Leuluai also produced some unforgettable Challenge Cup moments at Wembley with Hull FC, where he played alongside Auckland and Kiwis teammate and fellow 2022 Legends of League inductee Dane O’Hara.
Dubbed the ‘Rolls Royce of wingers’, O’Hara was a prolific try-scorer – including 14 touchdowns in a then-record-equalling 36 Test appearances for New Zealand – but was equally revered for his professionalism, dedication and leadership. He captained the Kiwis against Australia in 1980, a rare feat for a winger.
Taranaki hooker Howie Tamati was another vital component of New Zealand’s international rugby league renaissance, playing the last 19 of his 24 Tests for the Kiwis in succession, captaining his country against Papua New Guinea in 1983 and featuring prominently in watershed triumphs over Australia and Great Britain. Tamati, one of the game’s great servants, later coached the Kiwis in 1992-93 and began a long tenure as NZRL President – a post he continues to hold with pride and enthusiasm – in 2013.
Previous inductees such as Scotty McClymont, Lory Blanchard and Ces Mountford enhanced their case for inclusion by coupling esteemed playing careers with outstanding tenures as coach of the Kiwis. But Sir Graham Lowe has broken new Legends of League ground as the first inductee (aside from referee John Percival) without a prominent playing background.
After cutting his teeth at Ellerslie in the 1970s, Lowe became one of the most influential and revolutionary figures in the code’s history in New Zealand. The national team’s outstanding results under Lowe’s tutelage from 1983-86 heralded a turning point for the Kiwis, while his achievements and status as a club coach at Norths Devils, Wigan and Manly Sea Eagles, as well as State of Origin level with Queensland, are virtually unmatched by a New Zealander.
Luisa Avaiki’s inclusion as one of the first four Kiwi Ferns Legends of League was never in doubt. One of just three players to feature in New Zealand’s first three World Cup triumphs, Avaiki was the only 1995 original still playing when the Kiwi Ferns carried off the 2008 title. Meanwhile, the front-row powerhouse’s role as captain of the 2003 and ’08 World Cup successes underline her status as one of women’s rugby league’s finest leaders, and she has gone on to carve out a highly successful career in coaching and development post-playing.
Another 1995 original, Nadene Conlon’s distinguished standing as a women’s rugby league pioneer and long-serving, high-achieving Kiwi Ferns leader is matched only by her towering off-field contributions to the game. The 2000 World Cup-winning co-captain – admired for her tireless performances as a backbone of the Kiwi Ferns’ pack – has spent more than two decades working in rugby league coaching, development, administration and management with Auckland Rugby League, the Warriors and NZRL, while few have done as much to drive women’s rugby league’s progress.
Trish Hina has been described as one of New Zealand’s greatest sportswomen, representing her country in rugby league, rugby union, touch football and softball. But the Wellington five-eighth undoubtedly made her biggest impact in the 13-a-side game. Arguably women’s rugby league’s first genuine superstar, Hina’s Kiwi Ferns tenure spanned 13 years and her linchpin role in three World Cup triumphs included two player of the tournament nods. The record-breaking try-scorer and goalkicker boasted a game-breaking kitbag of skill, vision and pace unmatched among her contemporaries.
Leach Witehira was a prominent figure on New Zealand’s trail-blazing tour of Australia in 1995 and later formed a stellar halves combination with Hina as the Kiwi Ferns won the first two World Cups. Witehira was a prolific try-scorer at international level, a steady playmaking influence and key leader as the Ferns cemented their status as the dominant force in women’s rugby league.
New Zealand Rugby League congratulates the 12 new members of the Legends of League – a richly-deserved honour for some of the Kiwis’ and Kiwi Ferns’ best ever.
2022 NZRL LEGENDS OF LEAGUE INDUCTEES
Kiwis Kevin Iro Stacey Jones James Leuluai Sir Graham Lowe Dane O’Hara Quentin Pongia Howie Tamati Ruben Wiki
Kiwi Ferns Luisa Avaiki Nadene Conlon Trish Hina Leah Witehira
June 24, 2022 – Selling out Mount Smart Stadium for tomorrow’s international doubleheader is a watershed moment for New Zealand rugby league.
It was announced this morning that more than 26,000 tickets have been sold for the back-to-back Tests for the Kiwi Ferns and the New Zealand Kiwis against Mate Ma’a Tonga.
It has now been confirmed it will be the first time the Kiwis will play in front of a capacity crowd since the 1988 Rugby League World Cup final at Auckland’s Eden Park.
That match was a 47,363 sell-out, the biggest crowd in New Zealand Rugby League history.
“The fact this is the first time we’ve sold out a stadium in close to 34 years underlines just how significant this occasion is, even more so because it’s not a World Cup or Four Nations final,” said New Zealand Rugby League CEO Greg Peters.
“It’s a further sign of how much it means to the public to have international rugby league back in New Zealand after such a long break due to the Covid pandemic.”
While there have been big crowds for internationals since 1988, none have sold out until now.
A near capacity crowd of 24,041 attended the 2017 Rugby League World Cup pool match between the Kiwis and Mate Ma’a Tonga at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium.
And Eden Park drew a crowd of 44,324 for the 2010 Four Nations doubleheader featuring the Kiwis against the Kangaroos and England against Papua New Guinea.
The first international Test match on New Zealand soil in over two years has officially sold out.
Saturday 25 June will see Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium at full capacity as the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns face Pacific rivals Mate Ma’a Tonga.
Over 26,000 fans will pack out Mt Smart to celebrate the return of Test match footy to Aotearoa’s shores and the return of the biggest rivalry in international rugby league.
The sold-out crowd goes a long way towards helping NZRL achieve a new world record crowd attendance for a women’s rugby league match, which currently sits at 18,000.
The Kiwi Ferns take on Tonga at 3:10pm while the Kiwis face MMT at 5:20pm.
“This is a historic occasion for rugby league,” says NZRL CEO Greg Peters.
“To celebrate the return of international rugby league to Aotearoa with a sell-out crowd is something special.
“This is a momentous occasion for fans, players, and our rugby league communities across the country,” he adds.
“It’s been a long time between drinks and a long time since a Test match sell out. What an occasion Saturday will be, one for the history books.
“Welcome back rugby league.”
June 22, 2022
Head coach Ricky Henry has named four Kiwi Fern debutantes to line up against Tonga this Saturday at Mount Smart Stadium (3:10 pm kick-off) NZT.
Amy Turner (Broncos) and Page McGregor (Dragons) will debut in the centres, while Bronco powerhouse Roxy Murdoch gets her call up to the Ferns’ second-row.
2022 NZRL Sky Sport Women’s Premiership MVP Laishon Albert-Jones will debut in the halves alongside Kiwi Fern veteran and Roosters Premiership winner Raecene McGregor.
Manurewa Marlin junior Krystal Rota earns her second Test captaincy for the Kiwi Ferns, while Titan’s lock Georgia Hale joins Raecene as vice-captain forming a strong leadership spine for the relatively young team.
Māori All-Stars and Premiership-winning Rooster Mya Hill-Moana earns her second Test appearance as prop alongside newly signed Bronco and front-row standout Annetta Nu’uausala.
Madison Bartlett is named on the wing following her top try scoring efforts for St. George Illawarra this season, and Kiwi Fern veteran and newly signed Bronco hooker Nita Maynard re-claims her place in the squad after missing the 2020 Test due to being based in Australia.
“We have exciting new talent who all deserve this opportunity, and they’re gelling well with our leadership spine and more experienced names,” said Head Coach Ricky Henry.
“It’s extremely special to see Kiwi Ferns debut for their country as we all know what a representative honour means to any player, especially at the highest level.
“After a two-year hiatus, everyone is excited to get back out there in front of whānau and friends against a tough Tonga team who will be out for victory. I’m looking forward to seeing the Ferns give it their all Saturday.”
JOIN US as we aim to break the world record for a women’s rugby league crowd this Saturday.
Please click here for tickets to Kiwi Ferns v MMT on June 25 at Mount Smart Stadium.
KIWI FERNS v TONGA
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
3.10pm, Saturday, June 25, 202
Four players are set for their Test debuts when the Kiwis face Mate Ma’a Tonga in New Zealand’s first international in more than two and a half years at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday night.
Of the eight new faces included in the wider squad this week, Parramatta duo Dylan Brown and Marata Niukore plus Cronulla Sutherland winger Ronaldo Mulitalo and Penrith prop Moses Leota will all play their first Test for the Kiwis.
Brown is paired in the halves with outstanding Melbourne halfback Jahrome Hughes while Niukore is named in the centres with the experienced Peta Hiku and Leota is on a potent bench.
In other selection features head coach Michael Maguire has selected the versatile Joseph Manu at fullback while in-form Parramatta second rower Isaiah Papali’i, who made his debut off the bench for the Kiwis in England 2018, is a starter in his second Test more than three and half years later.
Included on the interchange is 31-yeard-old Manly Warringah half Kieran Foran who makes another international comeback after overcoming adversity.
His return from a two-year absence in 2019 was cruelly ended by a dislocated shoulder just six minutes into the Kiwis’ first Test against Great Britain at Eden Park.
“It’s an exciting time for everyone involved having international rugby league back on deck after so long,” said Maguire.
“There’s a real buzz among the players for what is such a significant occasion for the Kiwi jersey and for the game as a whole.
“We’ve been able to bring together a group of players who have been in tremendous form so far this season and they’re desperate to do well for their country.
“It’s a special thrill giving debuts to Dylan, Marata, Ronaldo and Moses. They really deserve this opportunity.”
Newly-appointed captain Jesse Bromwich is the team’s most experienced player as he eyes his 30th Test match while Foran will play his 23rd since his debut in 2009.
Please click here for tickets to Kiwis v MMT on June 25 at Mount Smart Stadium.
NEW ZEALAND KIWIS v MATE M’A TONGA
5.20pm, Saturday, June 25, 2022
June 21, 2022 – Seasoned front rower Jesse Bromwich has been appointed captain for the Kiwis’ mid-season Test against Mate Ma’a Tonga at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday (5.20pm kick-off).
Head coach Michael Maguire made the announcement to the squad after the players came into camp on Monday night.
Now 33, Bromwich is comfortably the most experienced international in the current squad with 29 Tests since his debut in 2012.
“It’s a tribute to Jesse and the work he has done that has seen him earn respect as a true leader with Melbourne,” said Maguire.
“He’s again co-captain for the Storm this season which speaks volumes for the regard he’s held in at such a great club.”
Bromwich is in his 13th and final season with the Storm after signing with the new Redcliffe Dolphins franchise from 2023.
Since making his debut in 2010, the Manurewa Marlins junior has played 284 NRL matches and is on track to join the 300 club early next season.
After his rookie season Bromwich quickly established himself as one of the game’s foremost props, a first-choice selection for both club and country.
He has underlined his durability by missing very few games throughout his career. In the past 11 seasons he has never played fewer than 19 matches in a campaign and then only because the 2020 season was shortened by the Covid pandemic.
21 June 2022 – Veteran Kiwi Fern hooker Krystal Rota has been honoured with her second Test captaincy for this Saturday’s clash against Tonga.
Rota has been a focal point of the Ferns team, a mainstay at the hooker position after making her debut in the 2016 Anzac test victory over the Jillaroos.
The Manurewa junior was named co-captain for the Māori All Stars’ inaugural encounter with the Indigenous All Stars during the 2019 pre-season; she scored the winning try and received the Trish Hina Medal as player of the match.
Rota then contributed 19 tackles and 94 running metres to the Kiwi Ferns’ mid-season win over Samoa.
The veteran then starred in the Kiwi Ferns’ World Cup Nines victory and was at hooker again for the subsequent Test against the Jillaroos in Wollongong.
Rota’s leadership qualities came to the fore in 2020. After leading Māori All-Stars against Indigenous All-Stars for the second straight season, Rota skippered Counties Manukau to glory in the inaugural Sky Sports NZRL National Women’s Premiership.
She was then named Kiwi Ferns captain for the end-of-season Test against Fetu Samoa, producing a strong performance at hooker in New Zealand’s 28-8 victory.
“She’s an invaluable member of the squad and plays a crucial role in the Fern’s leadership spine,” said Head Coach Ricky.
“The impact she has on those around her, from players to staff, is evident and the leadership accolades she has under her belt speaks volumes.”
After a two-year hiatus, the Kiwi Ferns face Tonga at Mt Smart on Saturday (3:10 pm), where the veteran Kiwi Fern looks to lead her side to victory.
Despondent after the Broncos’ defeat to Melbourne in Round 15, Te Maire Martin instantly lights up when you remind him that just eight games into his return to the NRL, he’s off to Kiwis camp.
Martin, of Māori descent, played four matches for the Kiwis prior to his two-and-a-half year break from rugby league due to serious health concerns.
His last match in a black jumper was a 36-18 loss to England in Denver in 2018.
Now, with just a handful of games in the top grade under his belt, he’s hoping to pick up a few ideas to get his club back to winning ways as he embarks on what is set to be an unforgettable experience — joining the wider Kiwis squad in a long-awaited return of elite rugby league to New Zealand.
Having played five-eighth in his last Test appearance in 2018, the crafty playmaker could slot into fullback, halves or even a bench utility role come game day this time around against the power-packed Tongan side.
“I’m pretty excited to be honest. I’ve been out for three years and been back eight games and being able to be in the Kiwis squad is amazing,” Martin said.
“Obviously the selectors think you’re doing something right but I think it’s more of a reflection of how the Broncos are going.
“I’m just stoked to be in the squad. Whether I play or not, I’m not too fussed. It’s a pretty good squad and whoever they choose, it will be a good team.
“I’m just really excited and stoked to be a part of it.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be a fast week, so I’ve got to soak it all in. I love being around the Kiwi boys and I’ve been in a few camps now so I’m pretty excited to tag along.”
There’s also the carrot of the World Cup squad at the end of the year, giving Martin more encouragement to build on his fitness and skills still returning to him after so long away, and the prospect of a new NRL contract with the Broncos.
But both of those ideas couldn’t be further from his mind as he prepares for a trip home to reward long-suffering New Zealand rugby league lovers after 960 days – about 100 days more than Martin spent out of the NRL – without a top-level match.
The Kiwis took down Great Britain 23-8 on November 9, 2019 in the last sojourn on home soil in Christchurch, and Martin hopes the 17 taking on Tonga can give them just rewards with a return win.
“I think the league supporters back home will be looking to deck out Mt Smart because they haven’t seen many live games for some time. It will be a good atmosphere whether you’re playing or not,” Martin said.
“It gives the younger kids something to look up to instead of watching on TV all the time. When you get a big crowd it’s such a good feeling at Mt Smart Stadium. It’s unreal.”
His hope is it inspires more Kiwis to play the game, and few know better than Martin about the immense talent lurking at the grassroots.
The Turangawaewae junior quietly made a return to rugby league last year with Taharoa Steelers in the Waikato Rugby League – and he will tell you he was far from the best player there.
“There’s some wicked players in that comp, they just need the opportunity that I got. There’s only four or five teams in the competition I played in last year and there’s a lot of players there that are a lot more talented than I am,” he said.
“It’s good the Warriors get to go back there too, so hopefully they get to scour some local talent because there’s definitely some good talent there.”
June 20, 2022
Experienced forward Isaac Liu will miss the Kiwis’ one-off Test against Mate Ma’a Tonga to be with his partner for the birth of the couple’s second child this week.
The 31-year-old eight-Test Kiwi was named in the wider 15-man squad for the encounter at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday.
However, Liu, a 217-game NRL veteran, has remained on the Gold Coast to support his partner Jessica for the birth.
“It’s straightforward for us at times like this. We’re always about family coming first,” said Kiwi head coach Michael Maguire.
“It’s such an important and exciting time for Isaac and his wife. He’s very much a part of our squad but there’s only one place he needs to be at a time like this. We’re excited for them.”
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Jamayne Isaako both delayed traveling to England for the Kiwis’ 2018 tour to be with their expectant partners. Watene-Zelezniak was on hand for the birth of his daughter and Isaako his son before they linked up with their teammates.
Liu won’t be replaced in the squad leaving the Kiwis with 24 players as they prepare for the international.
The squad has its first training session at Mount Smart Stadium tomorrow.
June 15, 2022
New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) has named a 25-man wider squad to travel home to Aotearoa to face Pacific rivals Mate Ma’a Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium on June 25.
Eight of the squad are potential Kiwi debutants, including Ellerslie Eagles junior Ronaldo Mulitalo (Cronulla Sutherland) who leads the NRL with 20 line-breaks and Eels playmaker Dylan Brown who has six tries, seven try assists, five line break assists, nine line breaks and 46 tackle breaks in 13 games this season.
Other new faces are Panthers duo Moses Leota and Scott Sorensen, both instrumental in Penrith’s dominance over the last three seasons. Vodafone Warriors-bound Parramatta back rower Marata Niukore joins the fray, as does Gold Coast hooker Erin Clark.
Former Junior Kiwi teammates Griffin Neame (Cowboys) and Jordan Riki (Broncos) enter the Kiwis’ frame and Broncos fullback Te Maire Martin receives a recall after his impressive return to the NRL this season. The last of Martin’s four internationals was Kiwi head coach Michael Maguire’s first Test in charge against England in Denver four years ago.
Unsurprisingly, 2021 Dally M Team of the Year members James Fisher-Harris (Penrith) and Isaiah Papali’i (Parramatta) have cemented their spots in the squad. Tigers-bound Papali’i has averaged 155 metres a game to add to his five tries while Fisher-Harris consistently shows why he’s one of the best front-rowers in the game.
The versatile Joey Manu (Sydney Roosters) is named alongside Melbourne’s cohort of playmakers, Jahrome Hughes, Brandon Smith, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and the Bromwich brothers Jesse and Kenny.
Leading the NRL with 964 post-contact metres, Canberra forward Joseph Tapine has been a season standout. He joins Canberra teammate Jordan Rapana and in-form Cowboys centre Peta Hiku who returns to the Kiwi squad after last touring in 2018.
“I know how much the black and white jersey means to these players,” said Maguire.
“To finally return home after two years and play for your country in front of fans and whānau, this Test will be special.
“This squad has an exciting mix of fresh talent and experienced Kiwis having some of their best seasons. We have a strong spine of leaders throughout the group that play a crucial role in the team, especially with these new boys coming through.
“Some difficult decisions have had to be made, but it’s a positive sign of our depth in certain positions. With the quality of Kiwi talent on display throughout the NRL, we are in a strong place as we look to build a solid foundation ahead of the Rugby League World Cup come October.”
For tickets to Kiwis v MMT, June 25th at Mt Smart Stadium, please click here.
3:10pm NZT Kiwi Ferns v Tonga 5:20pm NZT Kiwis v MMT
15 June 2022
Nineteen players have been selected for the upcoming Kiwi Ferns clash against Tonga on June 25 (3.10 pm kick-off) NZT at Mount Smart Stadium.
The long-awaited June Test will be the Kiwi Ferns’ first appearance at home after a two-year Covid hiatus.
Included in the Ricky Henry coached side is a mix of fresh talent from the NRLW and Sky Sport Women’s Premiership, while experienced internationals make a return.
Māori All-Stars front-rower Mya Hill-Moana gets the call-up after her impressive 2021 NRLW Premiership win with the Roosters.
Sydney teammate and seasoned Kiwi Fern Raecene McGregor also cements her place; the three-time NRLW Premiership winner is joined by her sister Page McGregor who featured in this year’s Grand Final for the Dragons.
Young Titan’s centre Hailee-Jay Maunsell, who stood out in last year’s QRL Harvey Norman U19 competition, earns her debut selection. The 18-year-old was a part of the future Titans programme and was later promoted to the NRLW after making a lasting impression.
Australian rugby union 2016 Olympic gold medallist and Bronco Amy Turner receives her debut selection alongside fellow teammate Roxy Murdoch-Masila.
From the 2022 NZRL Sky Sport Women’s Premiership, the competition’s MVP Laishon Albert-Jones gets her maiden call-up after playing a crucial role in Akarana’s first Premiership title in 11 years.
Te Atatu duo Katelyn Vahaakolo and Karli Hansen were also named; both earned their Kiwi Ferns debut against Fetu Samoa in 2020, resulting in NRLW call-ups for the 2021 season.
2020 Kiwi Fern Rookie of the Year and Newcastle Knight Autumn-Rain Stephens Daly returns to the frame alongside Manurewa Marlin Christyl Stowers and seasoned Kiwi Fern’s Captain Krystal Rota.
Leading 2021 NRLW try-scorer Madison Bartlett was named following an impressive six tries for the Dragons this season. Former Veronica White medallist and 2020 Young New Zealander of the Year Georgia Hale and Gisborne-born Paramatta play-maker Nita Maynard also return.
After an impressive NRLW season with the Newcastle Knights, Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the year, Annetta-Claudia Nu’uausala is locked in, as are her former Knights teammates, Ngatokorua Arakua, Kararaina Wira-Kohu and Charlotte Scanlan. Nu’uausala recently signed with the Brisbane Broncos.
“We’ve listed a group of individuals that have rightfully earned their spots, and we acknowledge them for their efforts in both the NRLW competition and Sky Sport Women’s Premiership,” Henry said.
“We welcome five new players to the team who I’m confident will flourish under our veteran leaders; we also see the return of some key names from our 2020 Test against Samoa, this time with debut NRLW seasons under their belt.
“This Tonga Test allows us to build a solid foundation ahead of the Rugby League World Cup come October. It’s been nearly two years since we have donned the Black and White jersey, so this Test back home in front of whānau and fans Is going to be special.”
Purchase tickets to the June double-header as NZRL aims to break the world record for a women’s rugby league crowd attendance.
For tickets to Kiwi Ferns v MMT, June 25th at Mt Smart Stadium please click here.
June 14, 2022
In anticipation of the June 25th New Zealand v Tonga double header, NZRL and Tonga Rugby League will host ‘Coming Together’ – Whakakotahi | Fakatahataha, 4:00pm Wednesday 22nd June at Otahuhu Rugby League Club.
This community event celebrates the return of rugby league to Aotearoa’s shores as the teams unite with fans before doing battle next Saturday at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium.
Fans are encouraged to get down to Otahuhu Rugby League club to see their favourite players and win a bunch of cool MMT, Kiwis & Kiwi Ferns prizes.
NZRL will announce which players will be in attendance next week.
Due to strict NRL covid protocols, unfortunately, there can be no direct player and fan interaction e.g, photos with players or signing sessions. However, fans can have a front-row seat to our own NZ v Mate Ma’a Tonga footy show with endless prizes and signed merch to giveaway.
Get down to Otahuhu Rugby League club next Wednesday afternoon to see your Kiwis, Kiwi Ferns and Mate Ma’a Tonga Men and Women, and be a part of all the action as we celebrate the return of Test match rugby league to Aotearoa.
Coming Together – Whakakotahi | Fakatahataha is supported by the Local Activation Fund Programme and/or Discount Programme, administered by Auckland Unlimited on behalf of the New Zealand Government.
COMING TOGETHER
Whakakotahi | Fakatahataha
Wednesday, June 22
Otahuhu Rugby League Club
From 3:30pm – 5:00pm
June 13, 2022
2022 sees the return of the prestigious Pirtek Volunteer of the Month award, where our rugby league community gets a chance to see their hard mahi recognised across the motu. This award is gifted to a volunteer who displays the core values of NZRL’s Kiwi Way: being family first, innovative, inclusive, respectful, respectful and humble. We are excited to announce that the first winner in 2022 and the month of May is Tim O’Leary.
Tim took over far north’s Kerikeri Mako’s suddenly after the previous manager’s unforeseen passing. O’Leary has remained at the club for several years as the Makos suffered tragedy as a fire struck down its clubrooms. After three years of lobbying to the council, the building was demolished, leaving the Kerikeri outfit without basic necessities for a rugby league club.
O’Leary was instrumental in gathering gazebos for changerooms, organising the team to be able to use showers at the nearby gym and aftermatch at the local pub. Tim has also invested a lot of personal funds into the logistics of the club to keep it afloat, evening paying for fees and players’ boots.
The dedicated father of five contributes a lot of his time between his family and the Kerikeri Makos and is a focal point for the Northland club.
Pirtek CEO Chris Bourke says, “The Kerikeri Makos are fortunate to have someone like Tim O’Leary amongst the club.”
“Tim is the epitome of what volunteering is within our rugby league community. The club has faced a number of extraordinary challenges and tragedy, and Tim has stepped up every time, ensuring the continuity of rugby league in the area.”
“it is not easy to sacrifice so much of your time and family commitments, but O’Leary puts his best foot forward for everything he does.”
“Tim is well-deserving of the Pirtek Volunteer of the Month and first of 2022.”
Volunteers will be chosen based off how well they demonstrate our Kiwi Way values:
We are family first – stronger together.
Innovative and Courageous – punch above our weight.
We are responsible.
We are inclusive, respectful and humble.
Each winner receives $200 worth of vouchers.
#TheKiwiWay #MoreThanAGame
Position: Appointed Director, Rugby League Northland Zone of NZRL
Location: Te Tai Tokerau | Tamaki Makaurau
Rugby League is ‘more than a game’, it is part of our nation’s social fabric and has a critical role in developing rangatahi in our communities. Through the ‘more than a game’ philosophy we aspire to transform lives and community wellbeing through rugby league.
Rugby League Northland Zone (RLN) is an Incorporated Society responsible for the sport in the Northland area. It is responsible for club competitions, representative teams and ensuring coaches, managers, trainers, refs and volunteers are supported.
RLN supports local and representative competitions, premier and junior teams, and clubs within the Northland area. RLN also works with schools in the region delivering ‘Leadership through League’, ‘Adam Blair’, ‘Kiwi Tag’, ‘Lightning League (Girls only)’, ‘League 9’s’ and ‘League Festivals’ in primary, intermediate and secondary schools.
RLN are seeking to appoint one director due to a retirement, which will see the board at seven members. A succession plan for the Chair is also in play.
RLN has in place a Community Manager and supporting roles including a Development Manager, a Development Officer and a Competition, Communication and Administration Manager. The supporting roles report to the Community Manager.
Hei whakahere | What we offer
Appointment term: the term is four years with the possibility of reappointment, subject to effective performance and rotation, up to a maximum of two further terms.
Location: to ensure regional connection it is desirable for the director to live in the north or the Auckland area or have a meaningful connection.
Commitment: Board meetings are held monthly except January, starting at 5.30pm. Virtual meetings, AGM and events supporting the development of the sport in the region are expected.
The role is voluntary but could be a pathway to the national board or other governance opportunities.
It is important the successful candidate has the time available to undertake the role effectively, taking note of the director’s duty to act with due care, diligence, and skill in the best interests of RLN.
RLN would be shortlisting for interviews in early July.
To apply for this role please do so at www.appointbetterboards.co.nz:
For further information call Jane Moore at New Zealand Rugby League on 021 022 42717
Applications close Friday 24 June 2022.
08 June 2022
Are you passionate about making a difference and having your say in shaping the future of rugby league in New Zealand?
New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) are looking for 4 to 5 passionate youth (aged between 16 to 20 years old) to support and co-design the establishment of a Youth Advisory Group.
The aim is to work with selected youth to co-design the Youth Advisory Group, ensuring it is a meaningful and impactful foundation that works for youth before looking to expand the group further in 2023. We know our youth have vital insights, knowledge and experiences that will be invaluable to creating greater opportunities for our community and the future of rugby league in New Zealand.
What we are looking for
Selected youth will be expected to provide and share their experiences and knowledge, contribute towards set tasks created through meetings, and work collaboratively with all members of the group and NZRL.
Youth would be expected to meet monthly to complete the following objectives below in collaboration with NZRL before expanding the group in 2023.
Objectives
If this sounds like something you would be interested in being a part of, please fill out this form here.
Expression of interest will be open until Friday 17th June. If you have any questions or queries, please feel free to email Yvaan.hapuku-lambert@nzrl.co.nz
as seen on https://www.broncos.com.au
The Broncos have added outstanding power and experience to their forward pack with international Neta Nu’uausala joining Brisbane’s NRLW squad for the 2022 season.
The 27-year-old prop joins the Broncos off the back of a strong NRLW season for the Knights where she was awarded Player of the Year, making five appearances for more than 450 running metres – 190m of those post-contact, as well as 14 tackle busts, five offloads and a try.
The hard-running forward was a standout against the Broncos in Round 2 running for 127 metres with four tackle busts and three offloads.
A Kiwi Ferns representative representing New Zealand from 2016-19 including a World Cup, Nu’uausala brings power and leadership to a pack already boasting Amber Hall, Chelsea Lenarduzzi, Tallisha Harden, Kaitlyn Phillips, Sara Sautia and Lavinia Gould.
Nu’uausala becomes the 15th player to be announced for the Broncos’ 2022 NRLW campaign, with Jaime Chapman, Ali Brigginshaw, Julia Robinson, Tarryn Aiken, Shenae Ciesiolka, Amy Turner, Emily Bass and Jada Ferguson also part of the squad.
Broncos NRLW Coach Kelvin Wright said, “Neta has always been one of the best front rowers in the game and brings a great deal of power, she makes a really big impact in attack and defence.
“It’s really exciting to have her on board and I have no doubt that her best footy is ahead of her. She had a fantastic season for the Knights, picking up their Player of the Year award so it’s great to have her come and join us up in Brisbane.
”Neta will be leading from the front and taking us forward and she is a great addition to our club both on and off the field.”
The Broncos’ NRLW preseason will begin in mid-July with the NRLW season to kick-off on the weekend of August 20/21.
06 June 2022
Mr Benjamin (Benji) Quentin Marshall
For services to rugby league
Benji Marshall says he would be happy knowing he had inspired just one Kiwi kid to reach for the stars.
But Marshall went way beyond that in an extraordinary league career that reshaped how the game could be played.
And yet to this day, no one has played rugby league quite like the exhilarating Benji Marshall.
He was a football wizard who took the magic to a new level.
It started from the get-go, with the 20-year-old inspiring the unfancied Wests Tigers to win the 2005 NRL title, including some awe-inspiring Marshall moments in the grand final win over North Queensland.
And from that point, there’s no doubt that thousands of kids, in union and league, would have had their creative juices flowing after watching Marshall play.
There were so many elements to his career, including repeatedly coming back from serious injuries, mainly to his slender shoulders.
At his best, he bounced off the turf like no one else, and he always bounced back from adversity.
“I was just a small kid from Whakatāne with no right to get to where I got to in achieving all the things I did,” he said.
“Hopefully with me doing what I did it inspires others, especially young Kiwi kids. If you can change one life, that’s enough.”
The 37-year-old Marshall, who retired late last year, became the longest-serving Kiwis captain, was at the heart of the famous 2008 World Cup win, and played 31 tests.
He will always be remembered best for his golden years with Wests, but he was also a part of the Souths side which made last year’s grand final and played for a couple of other NRL clubs with mixed fortunes.
He stayed loyal to the Kiwi cause even when overlooked, and made an emotional return as captain three years ago.
“One of the biggest things in playing the game is that you want to get to the highest level and for me, representing the Kiwis, it doesn’t get any better,” he said.
“So to be out for that long and then get the opportunity to not just play again, but be an integral part of that side, to captain the team in the Tonga test, was pretty special.
“Then also at the end of that season to play against Great Britain, to finish that way, was also incredible.”
30 May 2022
GENERAL MANAGER
The Southern Zone Rugby League (SZRL) encompasses the whole of Te Waipounamu. As a Zone of New Zealand Rugby League, SZRL is responsible for the growth and development of rugby league alongside the districts and clubs in Te Waipounamu.
Since 2010, the SZRL has actively supported its clubs and districts to increase game participation by creating a positive environment for players, officials, volunteers, and whānau alike. Driven by our vision: to create stronger more connected communities, and with our core values of courage, inclusiveness, respect, passion, and dedication, the Southern Zone is focused on making a positive difference to communities all over Te Waipounamu.
After more than 12 successful years at the helm, the incumbent General Manager has decided to embark on a new adventure. Our Zone is therefore seeking a new energetic and engaging leader who can positively build on the strong structural and financial base that has been established.
Reporting to the Southern Zone Board of Directors, you will be a strategic and commercially astute leader, taking overall responsibility for all the activities of SZRL, in line with its strategic, community, and financial goals. Understanding the dynamics of sport and a relevant tertiary qualification are highly desirable, however superior communication skills with a track record of fostering stakeholder engagement and building relationships with the ability to relate at all levels of the community will be essential.
To provide the level of leadership necessary to be successful in this role, the General Manager will possess the following attributes:
If you possess the qualities, passion, and drive required to lead the SZRL in its path forward and want to make the most of this significant and exciting opportunity, please apply by sending a CV and covering letter to steve@nzrl.co.nz.
A Position Description for the role is available on request or by going to the Southern Zone website www.sporty.co.nz/sirl
Applications close 5pm Monday 20th June 2022
27 May 2022
The mighty Black and White is back.
To celebrate, NZRL is gifting the ultimate die-hard NZ fan + nine of their friends and whānau with a corporate table at the June 25th NZ v Tonga Test Double Header at Mt Smart Stadium.
Seem like a bit of you? Here’s how to enter:
Show us you’re the loudest and proudest New Zealand supporter there is.
Be as creative or detailed as you like; send us a video, photos or stories; we want to see it all.
How to enter:
Comment on our post who you’d take.
Post your entry or direct message us on NZRL socials – @nzrugbyleague (Insta) or @nzkiwis (FB).
Email your entry to media@nzrl.co.nz
The competition closes Thursday 9th June.
The Prize
Celebrate the return of rugby league to Aotearoa in style with a prize valued at nearly $3000.
Kiwi and Kiwi Ferns fans, show us you’re the loudest and proudest there is. It’s been too long, we’ve missed you.
as seen on nzherald.co.nz
Rugby league legends Jerry Seuseu and Ali Lauiti’iti are tackling mental health in young Māori and Pacific Islanders head-on.
The two ex-NRL stars are ambassadors for the New Zealand Rugby League Wellbeing Programme.
They travel the country talking at grassroots rugby league clubs to players, friends, coaches and anyone who wants to participate in the It Ain’t Weak To Speak campaign.
Seuseu told the Herald when he was playing professional rugby league for the Warriors, Kiwis and in the UK for Wigan, asking for help to deal with mental health issues was frowned upon.
“We were basically told to harden up and do your best,” Seuseu recalls.
“It wasn’t very fashionable to talk about mental health and people had to deal with it quietly. Fortunately for Ali and myself, we had a good Christian upbringing and that certainly helped us in our careers.
“That’s what it was like back then, but we have moved on and we encourage our young people to use their voices and be heard.
“Our statistics tell us mental health [challenges are] everywhere and our youth are suffering the most. It’s no weakness to reach out if you are struggling and not in a good space.”
Having hung up their playing boots a few years ago, Seuseu and Lauiti’iti want to give back to the community that supported them throughout their long and illustrious careers. They both still live in and around South Auckland.
Seuseu played 209 matches – 37 for Counties-Manukau (1995-1996), 132 for the Warriors (1997-2004) and 40 in the UK Super League for the Wigan Warriors (2005-2006). He also represented Samoa four times in 2000 and the Kiwis 11 times, from 2001-2004.
Lauiti’iti was one of the most gifted players to ever pull on a Warriors or New Zealand rugby league jersey, because of his athleticism and skills.
He was a 115-game Warrior from 1998-2003, played 200 games for UK Super League club Leeds from 2004-2011 and also for Wakefield Trinity in 94 matches from 2012-2015.
Seuseu said communities face their own unique dilemmas but youth issues are not dissimilar around the motu (nation).
“We are finding that wherever we go to speak with youth, each area has its own unique issues.
“Our team spoke in Invercargill and the group wanted to talk about alcohol and driving, because they had a tragedy a few weeks prior involving teenagers,” Seuseu said.
“There was a group of 60 and all of them knew those involved and were trying to come to terms with the accident and make sense of their loss.
“We also spoke with a group from Manurewa and people told us they might be a difficult group. But we gave them the opportunity and they were real conversant on how they felt.”
Seuseu said giving teenagers coping strategies and mechanisms was a big part of the programme, and it was rewarding work.
“We get a lot out of doing this as well,” Seuseu said.
The NZRL and the Warriors are working alongside Le Va, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) whose vision is to support whānau and communities for better health and wellbeing outcomes.
“In Auckland, the youth we speak to are more worried about their identity, social media and what is affecting them,” Seuseu said.
“Sometimes the conversations with youth are awkward but they have to be had.
“Ali and I try to talk with youth in a safe and engaging way, sometimes we use our PI humour, and that always brings a laugh,” Seuseu said.
Lauiti’iti said talking with youth about suicide was confronting but had to be discussed for the sake of our young people.
“We try to equip our youth with tools to deal with suicide, and although it is hard and confronting we have to speak about it,” Lauiti’iti said.
“But it’s also having the courage to step out and help out if you see one of your mates, or you, are not in the right space.”
In Auckland, 80 per cent of league players are Māori or Pasifika. Outside of Tāmaki Makaurau, 80 per cent of rugby league players are Māori.
WHERE TO GET HELP
If it is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
For counselling and support:
Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP)
Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Need to talk? Call or text 1737
Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202
For children and young people:
Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234
What’s Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)
The Lowdown: Text 5626 or webchat
For help with specific issues:
Alcohol and Drug Helpline: Call 0800 787 797
Anxiety Helpline: Call 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY)
OutLine: Call 0800 688 5463 (0800 OUTLINE) (6pm-9pm)
Safe to talk (sexual harm): Call 0800 044 334 or text 4334
All services are free and available 24/7 unless otherwise specified.
For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts on its website.
26 May 2022
A decade after savouring premiership glory with Manly as a couple of fresh-faced youngsters, Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans will share another significant moment at AAMI Park on Thursday when the resilient and respected ‘Foz’ plays his 250th NRL game.
Foran was 21 and Cherry-Evans 22 when they teamed up in the halves to take the Sea Eagles to grand final glory in 2011, the start of a five-year partnership that was split when the Kiwi five-eighth headed to the Eels in 2016.
Stints at the Warriors (2017) and Bulldogs (2018-20) followed before Foran found his way ‘home’ to Brookvale last season to reunite with Cherry-Evans, who has gone on to become Sea Eagles royalty with 272 games in maroon and white.
Since that emotional night at ANZ Stadium in 2011, Foran has played 191 games, his career derailed by serious shoulder, hamstring, back and ankle injuries, while DCE has added 245 games to his tally.
Foran freely admits there were times he feared he’d never make it anywhere near 250 games, but his love for the game and the contest kept him going.
“I’ve had plenty of tough spots and a number of times I wondered whether I’d be able to keep playing so it’s always nice to pick yourself up and be able to keep going and that is something I’ve prided myself on,” Foran said.
“I’m very fortunate that I’m able to play this great game every single week and I want to play for as long as I can.
“The mental and physical challenges are both as tough as one another and at times go hand in hand. I’m just glad I have been able to learn along the way and build plenty of resilience.
“Deep down I love rugby league. I enjoy the competitive side and I enjoy trying to push my body as hard as I can and for as long as I can, and at the end of the day if you’ve got that will then you’re able to keep going.”
Given his injury history and the fact he was closing in on his 31st birthday, many questioned the wisdom of Manly taking a punt on Foran in 2021.
When the dust had settled on the Sea Eagles’ season, the reward had far outweighed the risk, a fully fit Foran producing 11 try assists and 18 line break assists in 25 matches – the first time since 2014 he had played more than 20 games in a season.
“I never thought I would come back to Manly after my first stint here and then being able to come back and get the opportunity to play here for the last couple of years has been a dream come true,” Foran said.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to play my 250th in these colours – it means a lot to me.”
In a week where the season-ending injury to superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic has dominated the headlines and his own headspace, Cherry-Evans was happy to take time out to pay tribute to milestone man Foran.
“As a mate, and thinking about the journey he has been on, I can’t wait to be out there and support him this week and hopefully get a win,” Cherry-Evans said.
“As a team-mate you want to make sure you go out and make these milestones a special night for them.
DCE talks Turbo injury and Foran’s milestone,
“It’s a night Kieran and his family will never forget and we do have that added motivation to go out there and play better for someone who is loved at this club.
“We are really clear on what’s coming down there [in Melbourne] this week.
“Craig Bellamy will have his team bouncing off walls ready to get into us but as much as we have acknowledged where their season is at and what they’ll be like I feel like we’ll be a little bit more desperate and emotionally we’ve got a bit more to play on this weekend – one of our most loved team-mates playing his 250th.”
Apart from the motivation to rip in for Foran, there’s another much loved Manly man who’ll have his team-mates walking taller on Thursday night and that’s Jorge Taufua.
The 30-year-old winger is set to play his first NRL game since suffering a ruptured Achilles in round 17 of the 2020 season and Cherry-Evans said the return of the renowned hitman will lift spirits after a tough week.
“Jorge’s return is something the boys will really get around. He’s had a hell of a story himself to come back from injury after injury,” Cherry-Evans said.
“He’s my longest team-mate and we’ve built up a great relationship.
“Just the way he goes about his business – he never asks for help, never wants anyone’s handouts or freebies, he’s just someone who consistently works hard and wants to help the team out where he can.
“To do an Achilles at that age is tough but he has worked so hard and done a fantastic job to get his body right.”
As if Manly needed any added motivation to try and take down old foe Melbourne, they have it in spades with Foran and Taufua – two resilient and respected warriors who don’t the meaning of the word quit.
May 25, 2022
Former New South Wales Women’s Origin assistant Milton Dymock has been appointed Head Coach of the Mate Ma’a Tonga Women’s side. He is partnered by former NRL and Mate Ma’a Tonga players Jim Dymock and Andrew Emelio.
Milton Dymock is a well-regarded coach and has plenty of experience in the women’s game. He served as an assistant for the NSW Women’s Origin side in 2019 and 2020 helping them to a victory in his first year. Milton has also coached in the Tarsha Gale Cup as South’s Head Coach from 2017 to 2018 and as an assistant in 2019 for the Sydney Roosters. Dymock has coached the NSW Tongan juniors since 2006 whilst also being appointed by many clubs to assist in defensive training, notably the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and St Helens.
Milton is joined by assistant coaches, brother Jim Dymock and former Tongan representative Andrew Emelio, who are respected in the modern game.
Jim Dymock has represented Mate Ma’a Tonga as a player (1994-95) and a coach (2006-08) and played 200 games in the NRL and 95 in the Super League. Dymock has also served as Head Coach for the Bulldogs (2011) and an assistant coach at the Roosters, Sharks, and aforementioned Bulldogs. He is currently working as the assistant coach of the Gold Coast Titans.
Emelio also enjoyed success professionally, representing Tonga six times and playing 53 games between the NRL and Super League. Emelio represented Mate Ma’a Tonga in the 2008 World Cup Squad and brings valuable experience to the Mate Ma’a Tonga Women’s backline.
Dymock spoke on his newly appointed role, “I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in the Women’s game for a few years, and I am truly honoured to be a part of this Women’s Mate Ma’a Tonga side. We have a talented side and staff, and we hope to pass on our experience to make this campaign memorable.”
Also involved in the coaching staff is Dion Briggs, who led the women’s side as they ran out 66-8 winners over Niue in 2020. Briggs brings experience and rapport with the New Zealand based players and adds valuable insight and direction to the women’s outfit.
Briggs had this to say, “It is an excellent opportunity for Tongan players based in Aotearoa to showcase their talent on the big stage. It doesn’t get much bigger than a game against the Kiwi Ferns.”
“I am looking forward to this campaign and believe we are setting a strong foundation moving ahead to the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.”
The Tongan women last played in their 2020 test against Niue and have not run out against the Kiwi Ferns since 2008, where they were defeated 42-4 by the eventual World Champions.
The Mate Ma’a Tonga Women’s team will be selected from the best available players across Australia and New Zealand, kickstarting their campaign towards a 2025 world cup appearance.
Tickets to see Mate Ma’a Tonga Women take on the New Zealand Kiwi Ferns are available from TicketMaster. Watch all the action live from Mt Smart Stadium or on Sky Sport in a matchup worthy of the wait!
23rd May 2022
Prior to 2012, no student from Tokoroa High School’s first XIII Rugby League team had gone on to tertiary education. Principal William Ford and daughter Tairi decided to prioritise their efforts in changing this, initiating the SUP3 (Supported academic learning) programme, which focused on creating a pathway for students to transition into education past high school. Since then, multiple rugby league starlets have gone on to university and tertiary courses and in recent years Ford and his staff have opened the programme up to the broader year 13 cohort.
After working with the Warriors, Tairi Ford returned to Tokoroa in 2018 to upstart the SUP3 programme, which focuses on three specialised subjects that would grant students university entrance (UE). Students had three domain classes with specialist teachers, where students could receive their UE and NCEA level 13 qualifications while being managed by Ford.
Tairi has been directing the programme for multiple years and has watched it grow from 14 young rugby league players to over 70 year 13 students.
“We used Rugby League as the hook. We knew our rangatahi loved the game, so we coupled their education directly to their ability to play for the school team.” Ford said.
“My father birthed the programme”, Tairi added, talking about Principal William Ford. “He wanted to invest more into the care and wellness of our young people.”
“Many of our boys have not experienced much outside of Tokoroa, and even less have experienced a higher form of education. So, we wanted to give our youth the best chance to do that.”
Former students of Tokoroa High School have gone on to study Medical Science at Otago, Law at Waikato University, and the fullback of the 2016 Tokoroa side has also returned, working as a physiotherapist in the blue-collar town.
Tokoroa High School Principal and former Kiwi’s trainer William Ford had this to say.
“Rugby league is a big part of the community here in Tokoroa. Most of our rangatahi are connected to either the Pacific Sharks or Forestland Falcon’s rugby league clubs which are influential hubs in our region.”
“As a school, we wanted to emphasise the importance of tertiary education and showcase there is more to life than just the labour than just the mill. Rugby League gave us an avenue to do that.”
May 23, 2022
New Zealand Rugby League, in partnership with Mainstream, aims to record the highest ever attendance for a Women’s rugby league international, which currently sits at 18,000.
The record attendance was set at the 2008 Women’s Rugby League World Cup Final, where the Kiwi Ferns met Australia’s Jillaroos. 18 000 fans flocked to Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium that evening as the Kiwi Ferns won their third World Cup in a row – 34 points to nil.
The women’s game in New Zealand has skyrocketed in recent years with the development of the Sky Sport Women’s Premiership, National District 9’s and the plethora of youth and school competitions. These grassroots investments have led to a World 9’s Kiwi Ferns victory and the emergence of young Kiwi Ferns and Tongan representatives in the NRLW arena.
Off the back of the growing popularity of the game, NZRL and Mainstream believe there is no better time to chase a world record rugby league crowd than June 25 when the Kiwi Ferns face Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium, marking the return of international rugby league after a two-year hiatus.
The Kiwi Ferns last faced Tonga 14 years ago, when they earned a 40 point victory at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Both nations now meet again in June off the back of 2020 victories; the rookie lead Kiwi Ferns earned a 28-8 win over Fetu Samoa, while Tonga had a dominant 66-8 performance over Niue.
NZRL Head of Women’s Rugby League and participant in the 2008 grand final, Luisa Avaiki says, “Despite the Covid hiatus, our game and our female athletes continue to grow from strength to strength. There’s been widespread coverage of the NRLW over the ditch, imagine if we can celebrate the return of women’s Test match rugby league, back home to New Zealand with a new world record crowd attendance.”
Avaiki adds, “If we can rally our New Zealand based Kiwi and Pacific rugby league communities to get behind the women’s Test, just as much as the men’s, the impact on the game, players and fans will be monumental. Thank you also to Mainstream for their ongoing support of our women’s game.”
The late George Mann and his wife Mele Vaohoi Mann, the Founders of Tonga Rugby League and advocates for over 28 years quote the below.
“As Tongan Women’s National Rugby League representatives, we must be an inspiration on and off the rugby league field to inspire future players to represent our Kingdom.
“Mou hu ki loto mala’e o vainga ke tafe toto ma’a Tonga, ke mou mate maa Tonga”. In 2022 it takes a village to develop and inspire Tongan Women’s Rugby League players. HE KOE HAKAU OE AHONI KOE FONUA OE KAHAU. For an atom of today is an island of tomorrow.”
New Zealand Rugby League sends its deepest condolences to the whānau of Mele Vaohoi Mann who passed away last week.
THE RETURN
Te Hokinga Mai | Toe Foki Mai
Saturday, 25 June Mt Smart Stadium Auckland
3:10pm NZT Kiwi Ferns v Tonga
Tickets from Ticketmaster!
May 20, 2022
New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is proud to announce that 2022 will see the much-awaited return of the National Secondary Schools Tournament, one of the most significant events in the rugby league calendar.
After a three year hiatus, schools from around the motu will be able to again showcase their rugby league talent as the best young players in Aotearoa battle it out in the Bay of Plenty. Puketawhero Park and the International Stadium in Rotorua will host the competition for the first time.
The 2022 National Secondary Schools tournament will also introduce two new grades, with the U15 Boys Carnival and the inaugural Girls Championship adding more exciting rugby league to an already blockbuster event.
The competition will be spread over eight days, with the U15 Boys Carnival kicking off on Saturday, 27 August, from Bay of Plenty’s Puketawhero Park. The Senior Boys and Girls grades will conclude the tournament, playing their finals on Saturday the 3rd of September.
Senior Secondary Schools qualify through Zonal and regional qualifiers to reach the Rotorua-based competition. Each team entering the National Secondary Schools Tournament must have a referral from their respective Zone contact.
If you would like to receive more information, please register your interest here: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/198093
National Secondary Schools Tournament
U15 Boys Carnival, Saturday 27 – Monday 29 August 2022
Venue; Puketawhero Park, Rotorua
– Up to 16 teams
– Composite schools permitted.
Senior Boys, Tuesday 30 August – Saturday 3 September 2022
Senior Boys Premiership
– Up to 12 teams
Senior Boys Championship
Girls, Tuesday 30 August – Saturday 3 September 2022
Venue; International Stadium, Rotorua
Girls Championship
Team Accommodation in Rotorua
New Zealand Rugby League work alongside and recommend Rotorua Information Site to assist with team accommodation for teams travelling to Rotorua.
If teams are needing assistance in finding accommodation please contact Kyle Kydd.
Kyle Kydd, Visitor Experience Manager; M +64 217 600 52 | e: Kyle.Kydd@rotoruaNZ.com
Canterbury Rugby League is pleased to announce the appointment of Malcolm Humm as CRL’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Malcolm’s acceptance of the role renews his association with Canterbury Rugby League, having played for Halswell over a ten-year period which cumulated in two premiership wins in 1985 and 1988. Malcolm represented Canterbury U18’s and Victoria, Australia. In the early 2000’s he was also the strength and conditioning coach for the Canterbury Bulls.
Malcolm has over 20 years’ experience in sport leadership roles with peak bodies, government sporting agencies, franchises and clubs.
He has business experience where, more recently he has been delivering strategic planning and leadership services to regional, national and international sports organisations out of his own business Humm Consulting Ltd.
In his role as High Performance Director Malcolm led the NZ Paralympic high-performance programme to three Paralympic Games (Beijing, London and Rio).
Additional key leadership roles he has held have been Interim CEO at Paralympics New Zealand and GM Performance at Netball Mainland.
In conjunction with Malcolm’s work and rugby league experience he has a Bachelor of Physical Education (BPhEd) degree from University of Otago and in 2016 completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) through University of Canterbury.
Canterbury Rugby League feel fortunate to obtain Malcolm for the role where he will bring rugby league, sport and business knowledge to the game. He will be graduating his hours from 16th May through to Tuesday 7th June 2022 when he will then be aboard full-time.
Please join Canterbury Rugby League and the CRL Board in congratulating and welcoming Malcolm into the CEO role.
April 28 2022
After over two years without Test match rugby league, New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is proud to announce, the international game is finally returning home.
Saturday 25 June will see Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium play host as the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns line up against Pacific rivals Tonga in a blockbuster double-header worthy of the wait.
The rugby league spectacle coincides with Matariki – the Māori New Year, falling on the inaugural public holiday weekend. The long-awaited international clashes will celebrate the return home to Aotearoa and the re-uniting of players with their New Zealand fans and communities.
Fourteen years have passed since the Kiwi Ferns faced Tonga women, where they earned a 40 point victory at the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Both nations will now meet again off the back of 2020 victories; the rookie lead Kiwi Ferns earned a 28-8 win over Fetu Samoa, while Tonga women had a dominant 66-8 performance over Niue.
As both teams take the field come June 25, NZRL aims to achieve a new world record crowd attendance for a women’s rugby league match, which currently sits at 18,000.
Pre pandemic, the No.1 ranked Kiwis were hot off a series win against Great Britain and a 34-14 victory against their Tongan rivals in 2019. Despite their loss to the Kiwis, Tonga achieved a historic 16-12 upset over the Kangaroos in the same year.
After a two year hiatus, Saturday 25 June will see the return of arguably the biggest rivalry in international rugby league, as both nations will look to assert their dominance ahead of the October Rugby League World Cup.
NZRL CEO Greg Peters says this has been a long time coming.
“What a great feeling to finally have our Ferns and Kiwis back on the park, and even better at home. To celebrate Matariki weekend with an international Test double header that unites our fans and communities in celebration is special.”
Peters adds, “We have been working with the NRL for some time now to produce an international weekend on both sides of the Tasman during the origin window. June 25 will also see Samoa play Cook Islands and PNG face Fiji in Campbelltown before Ampol State of Origin the following day.
“We encourage everyone to make their way to Mt Smart come June 25 to break the crowd attendance record for a women’s Test and celebrate the return of international rugby league to New Zealand shores after some challenging years.”
Tonga Head Coach Kristian Woolf says, “We are excited about the opportunity to represent the proud nation of Tonga for the first time since the successful campaign against Australia and Great Britain back in 2019.
“This opportunity has been a long time coming, so we can’t wait to face the Kiwis again. This will be an important match for us as we look to reunite the team and also give some of our young players a chance to represent their country ahead of the World Cup,” Woolf concludes.
Hon. Poasi Mataele Tei, Acting Prime Minister of Tonga, says, “This is very exciting news for Tonga, and we welcome the opportunity with open hearts. It has been a tough ride for all Tongans around the world, especially the last three months, but this match between New Zealand and Tonga will certainly uplift Tongan spirits as we look forward to another successful World Cup campaign in England.”
Auckland Unlimited Head of Major Events, Chris Simpson, says the excitement’s building in Tāmaki Makaurau for what will be a fantastic event.
“Aucklanders are avid rugby league supporters, and to have New Zealand and Tonga play at Mt Smart will be exhilarating,” says Simpson.
“We encourage league fans from across New Zealand to make Mt Smart and Tāmaki Makaurau their destinations of choice this Matariki long weekend – it’s going to be huge!”
International Rugby League Chair Troy Grant says, “It is great to see international rugby league back on the menu in the Southern Hemisphere, and what a blockbuster to go with. I think the whole world is waiting to see clashes such as the Kiwis against Tonga as it’s the appetiser for what is to come at the World Cup and then on a regular basis from 2023 onwards.”
5:20pm NZT Kiwis v Tonga
LIVE on Sky Sport 4 and Channel 9 for Australian viewers.
Tickets on sale Tuesday from Ticketmaster, NZRL to release ticket link in the coming days.
21 April 2022
New Zealand Rugby League is mourning the passing of Kiwi #346 and former Auckland fullback Roy Moore, who toured Australia in 1952, and Great Britain and France with the 1955-56 Kiwis, representing his country in five Tests.
The Mount Albert goalkicker played four tour matches in Australia in ’52, slotting a total of 20 goals against Newcastle, Central Queensland, Central West Queensland and Toowoomba. Fellow Aucklander – and future New Zealand Team of the Century fullback – Des White occupied the custodian role for the Tests.
The following season, Moore was one of several Aucklanders who guested for the American All-Stars team during their 1953 tour Down Under.
With White unavailable, Moore was called up to the Test team for the two matches against the touring French side in 1955. Moore scored all New Zealand’s points on debut via a try and three goals, but the visitors won the opening Test 19-9 at Carlaw Park. He kicked another two goals as the Kiwis squared the series with an 11-6 victory at the same venue.
Chosen as one of two fullbacks (with Otahuhu’s Dick Haggie) for the Kiwis’ Northern Hemisphere tour later that year, Moore featured in the 25-6 first-Test loss to Great Britain in Manchester. He also played in the second and third Tests against France.
Moore turned out in another 10 tour games in England and France, scoring 47 points from three tries and 19 goals.
A regular at ex-Kiwi reunions in recent years, Moore will be dearly missed by the local rugby league community. NZRL extends its sincere condolences to his family and friends.
April 18 2022
Bruce Pulman Park played host to the U18 finals of the National District 9’s Competition on a windy day in the South of Auckland.
The National District 9’s final day kicked off with the seventh vs eighth playoff as Southland vs Canterbury kicked off a southern derby. In a tightly contested match, Southland’s three length of the field tries were not enough as they went down 16-12 in the day’s first game. Manawatu and Southland boys then took the field, with the contest going deep into golden point, where a late try in the left corner from Manawatu sealed the 16-12 victory.
Fifth vs sixth saw Waikato girls take on Auckland’s Glenora Bears. A fightback late was not enough for the Waikato side as Glenora won the match 18-10. Wellington then took on locals Manurewa Marlins as both teams traded blows during the half, with the scores at 4-4 going into the break. The Marlins took control of the second half, scoring two unanswered tries to win a comfortably, 12-4.
Otahuhu and Bay of Plenty girls played another scintillating golden point affair as both teams couldn’t be separated after 18 minutes. With only seconds remaining in golden point, quick thinking from the Bay of Plenty side saw them cross over and take the 14-10 win. Otahuhu boys went up against Waikato in their third vs fourth matchup as late tries from both teams saw another golden point thriller. Both teams went into the extra period on 18 points. When a 40-metre field-goal effort from Waikato excruciatingly hit the left upright, Otahuhu capitalised and took the game 22-18.
The first vs second finals kicked off as Auckland’s Howick Hornets faced off against the Wellington Orcas. Howick hit first to go up 4-0 early. Wellington, however, scored two consecutive tries off Howick’s mistakes to go into the half up 8-4. On the back of several penalties, Howick finally found a way through going over in the right corner to tie the game with under three minutes remaining. A late raid in the dying embers saw Wellington snatch the game at the death, winning 12-8 to capture the first U18s Girls National District 9’s title.
The boys saw Canterbury vs the Bay of Plenty after an early battle back and forth, Canterbury opened the scoring early and on the stroke as they took a convincing 8-0 lead into the break. The South Island side proved dominant, scoring three second-half tries to run out 20-0 winners and take home the U18s Boys National District 9’s trophy for 2022.
