Born: August 1, 1936 - Auckland
Died: July 30, 2022 - Auckland
Test record: 20 Tests (1961-66) - 3 tries (12 points)
Tours: 1959 tour of Australia, 1961 tour of Britain and France, 1963 tour of Australia, 1965 tour of Britain and France
Champion Auckland second-rower Don Hammond played 20 Tests for the Kiwis during the 1960s, captained his country on a tour of Britain and France and was inducted into the NZRL Legends of League in 2010.
The Mount Albert product debuted for New Zealand on the 1959 tour of Australia, scoring five tries in seven minor matches. He earned his Test spurs two years later, playing both Tests of the drawn home series against Australia partnering captain Ron Ackland in the second-row.
With Ackland unavailable, Hammond was named captain of the 1961 Kiwis side to tour Britain and France. Among 17 appearances on tour, Hammond led New Zealand in all six Tests - scoring tries in the series-opening win over Great Britain at Leeds and the drawn first Test against France at Bordeaux.
Hammond featured in the 2-0 series win over Great Britain in 1962 (with Mel Cooke assuming the captaincy). He played in the first Test against Australia at the SCG in 1963 but injury ended his tour early, before lining up in the non-Test encounter with South Africa later that season.
The hard-hitting 28-year-old shone in the 1964 cleansweep of France, scoring a try in the third Test at Carlaw Park, and was named New Zealand's Player of the Year.
Hammond rounded out an outstanding Kiwis career in 1965, playing in both Tests of the drawn home series against Australia, and in all three Tests against Great Britain and one against France on the end-of-year tour.
The veteran of 61 games for New Zealand retired in 1968 and later became president of the Kiwis Association.