Born: March 31, 1946 – Auckland
Died: June 13, 1998 – Brisbane
Test record: 10 Tests – 1 try, 23 goals (49 points)
Tours: 1967 tour of Australia, 1968 World Cup, 1971 tour of Britain and France

Goalkicking prop Henry Tatana’s 10-Test career concluded as a key part of the Kiwis’ 1971 ‘Grand Slam’ feat, subsequently playing five seasons in the NSWRL premiership with Canterbury-Bankstown and St George.

A rugby union player at Kaitaia College, Tatana played rugby league with Auckland club City-Newton but earned his maiden New Zealand call-up from Glenora, chosen to tour Australia in 1967. The 21-year-old played 10 matches on tour – including the first Test loss at the SCG – and kicked five goals in a win over Western Division, as well as scoring tries in victories against Toowoomba and Ipswich.

Tatana played against France as a replacement and started in the front-row against Australia at the 1968 World Cup. He also represented New Zealand Māori against NSW Country and scored 32 points on Northern Zone’s tour of Queensland that year.

After two seasons on the outer, Tatana returned to the Test line-up for the one-off clash with Australia in 1971. He was one of the heroes of a famous 24-3 victory at a mud-caked Carlaw Park, kicking six goals. Three days later he contributed three goals to Auckland’s 15-14 defeat of the tourists at the same venue.

Tatana subsequently played in all six Tests of the Kiwis’ historic away series wins over Great Britain and France in 1971. He booted three goals in an 18-13 win at Salford in the first Test and scored a try and four goals in the 17-14 victory in the second Test at Castleford, while he landed 10 goals across New Zealand’s wins in the first two Tests in France.

Tatana top-scored on the iconic tour with 145 points (five tries, 65 goals) from a team-high 21 appearances. But he was lured to Sydney by Canterbury-Bankstown in 1972, precluding him from representing New Zealand again.

Tatana scored a century of points in four straight seasons for Canterbury (1973-74) and St George (1975-76), while he created history by becoming the first New Zealand to play in two Sydney grand finals. He came off the bench in the Berries’ 19-14 loss to Eastern Suburbs in 1974 and was at prop for the Saints’ 38-0 defeat to the Roosters in 1975.

Accepting the captain-coach role with Cessnock Goannas in 1977, Tatana led the club to a Newcastle premiership win – booting the Goannas to a 21-17 grand final over Maitland – at his first attempt and later served as its president. He passed away in Brisbane in 1998, aged just 53, and was buried in the Nukulba Cemetery in Cessnock. The Goannas present the Henry Tatana Coach Award to a player each year.