Born: June 16, 1980 – Auckland
Test record: 1 Test (2001) – 0 points

A Kiwi in 2001 who played with five NRL clubs, Henry Perenara also boasts the distinction of having refereed at international level.

The New Lynn Stags and Bay Roskill Vikings junior represented New Zealand Secondary Schools in 1998. He played in Glenora Bears’ treble-winning 1999 team and represented New Zealand Māori on a tour of Papua New Guinea that year.

Perenara came through the Auckland Warriors’ ranks to make his NRL debut in 2000 a week after turning 20, playing three games for the Warriors before featuring in Aotearoa Māori’s matches against Scotland and Ireland at the World Cup.

Snapped up by Melbourne Storm, he forged a regular back-row spot in 2001 and lined up at lock in New Zealand’s 36-0 rout of France at Ericsson Stadium that year – his sole appearance for the Kiwis.

Perenara subsequently had stints with St George lllawarra (2003-04), Parramatta (2005-06) and Cronulla (2007) to lift his tally to 72 NRL games before hanging up the boots and joining the NRL’s referee cadet programme.

He became a first-grade referee in 2011 and controlled his first Test matches –Four Nations clash between England and Wales, and England versus Australia – later that year.

Perenara’s refereeing résumé would later include a 2013 World Cup match between England and Australia, a 2014 Four Nations showdown between New Zealand and Samoa, and New Zealand’s 2017 World Cup fixture against Scotland.

After handling more than 200 NRL games, Perenara retired from refereeing in 2021 due to a heart condition.