Born: January 18, 1968 - Whangārei
Test record: 25 Tests (1989-93, 1995) - 6 tries (24 points)
Tours: 1989 tour of Britain and France, 1993 tour of Britain and France, 1995 World Cup
Gifted and versatile, Taranaki product Tony Kemp played 25 Tests for New Zealand at centre, fullback, five-eighth and lock from 1989-95.
Kemp was born in Whangārei and raised in Waitara, before coming to prominence with Wellington club Randwick Kingfishers - scoring a try in a grand final loss and representing Junior Kiwis in 1987. He had scored 15 tries in 20 games the previous off-season with English Second Division outfit Doncaster.
As the overwhelming initial success story of the NZRL's rookie scheme, the 20-year-old played 19 games in Newcastle Knights' foundation season in the NSWRL premiership. But Kemp ultimately took the NZRL to court in a bid to remain with the Knights rather than returning home - an eventual win that proved a game-changer for Kiwi players looking to capitalise on opportunities overseas.
Relations with the NZRL smoothed over in time for Kemp to make his Test debut for the Kiwis midway through 1989, featuring in the centres in all three home Tests against Australia. He subsequently played in all five Tests on tour at the end of the season, coming off the bench in the first two Tests against Great Britan and lining up at fullback in the decider, and wearing the No.1 in both matches against France (scoring a try in the latter).
Firmly established as a key player for New Zealand by 1990, Kemp played centre and came off the bench in the first two home Tests against Great Britain. He then scored tries from five-eighth in the third-Test win over the Lions and series-opening victory in Papua New Guinea.
The robust utility-back was in the No.6 again for the Kiwis' stunning 24-8 upset of Australia in Melbourne, but that would be his only Test appearance in 1991. Kevin Iro's return at centre saw Dave Watson move to five-eighth and Kemp was left out for the remainder of the series.
Kemp returned to the New Zealand line-up at centre in 1992, scoring tries in the one-off thrashing of the Kumuls and the series-opening eclipse of the Lions. He came off the bench in the drawn first Test against Australia in 1993, before reverting to five-eighth for the remaining two Tests, and for two of the Tests against Great Britain and the one-off clash with France on tour at the end of the year.
Wrapping up a six-season, 87-game stint with Newcastle, Kemp joined English heavyweights Castleford for the 1993-94 winter and played in the club's Regal Trophy win over Wigan. He was superb at five-eighth the following season for 'Cas', scoring 18 tries, and was recalled by the Kiwis for the 1995 World Cup after playing eight games in the fledgling South Queensland Crushers' maiden season.
Kemp scored a try in the comeback win over Tonga and featured in the comfortable victory over Papua New Guinea, both at lock, then played his last game for New Zealand in the epic extra-time loss to Australia in the semis at five-eighth.
Joining Leeds for the 1995-96 campaign, Kemp's four seasons with the Rhinos were significantly disrupted by injuries. But it was there that he began his coaching journey, guiding Leeds' Alliance team to championship win in 1998.
Kemp joined Wakefield Trinity in 1999 but retired during the following season to step in as coach of the financially stricken club. He then returned to New Zealand as Daniel Anderson's assistant at the Warriors, playing an underrated role in their 2001-03 surge.
Anderson's abrupt exit after a rough start to 2004 pitched Kemp into the Warriors hot-seat, first as a caretaker coach for the rest of 2004 then as fulltime head coach in 2005. Despite an improved 10-win campaign in his first full season in charge, Kemp was let go by the Warriors at the end of 2005. He later managed the Kiwis during their triumphant 2010 Four Nations campaign and became a prominent media personality.
Kemp was named at stand-off in the Taranaki (2009) and Wellington (2012) Teams of the Century.