New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) congratulates 12 new inductees to its prestigious Legends of League – nine Kiwis and three Kiwi Ferns.
The Kiwis receiving New Zealand Rugby League’s highest honour are Fred Ah Kuoi, Nathan Cayless, Frank Endacott, Sean Hoppe, Simon Mannering, Matthew Ridge, Dane Sorensen, Nigel Vagana and Graeme West.
Meanwhile, Zavana Aranga, Tasha Davie and Rachel White join the four inaugural 2022 Kiwi Ferns inductees as NZRL Legends of League.
A five-strong panel made up of now-former NZRL President, NZRL Life Member and former Kiwis captain and coach Howie Tamati, NZRL Life Member and 1994-2000 Kiwis coach Frank Endacott, 1995 Kiwi Ferns original and long-serving NZRL Kiwis and National Teams Manager Nadene Conlon, women’s rugby league icon and commentator Honey Hireme-Smiler, whose Kiwi Ferns tenure spanned 18 years, 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.
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.
Three players who debuted for New Zealand during the 1975 World Championships Series and went on to play a vital role in the Kiwis’ groundbreaking successes during the 1980s, as well as making an indelible mark at club level overseas – Fred Ah Kuoi, Graeme West and Dane Sorensen – were recognised with Legends of League selection.
Taranaki second-row giant West and Auckland centre/five-eighth Ah Kuoi were the Kiwis’ captains during the 1979 home series against Great Britain, while the trio all featured in the unforgettable, drought-breaking 1983 win over Australia in Brisbane. Ah Kuoi, who racked up 28 Test appearances, skippered a Kiwis side also containing Sorensen to a historic 3-0 cleansweep of the touring Lions in 1984.
All three stalwarts last represented New Zealand on the 1985 tour of Britain and France.
Ah Kuoi became a club legend at Hull FC, West was a Challenge Cup-winning captain at Wigan and Sorensen – who joins brother Kurt and uncle Bill in the Legends of League – played a then-record 216 games for Cronulla Sharks.
One of the most successful rugby union converts of all time, Matthew Ridge developed into one of the elite fullbacks of his generation, helped change the way goalkickers’ value was viewed by professional clubs, was arguably the most influential New Zealander in the Australian premiership in the 1990s and captained the Kiwis to a string of magnificent victories during a 25-Test tenure.
Ridge won a premiership with Manly Sea Eagles in 1996, skippered the Kiwis’ whitewash of the Lions later that year along with victories over Australia in 1997 and ’98, and finished with a then-record tally of Test points of New Zealand.
A long-time international teammate of Ridge’s, Northcote winger Sean Hoppe was a brilliant winger for Canberra Raiders, North Sydney Bears, Auckland Warriors and St Helens, while he set a new Kiwis record with 17 tries in 35 Tests between 1992 and 2002.
The pair played most of their Kiwis football under the coaching of Frank Endacott, who after carving out a highly successful coaching career at club and provincial in Canterbury, and junior representative levels, set new standards for longevity and success as a New Zealand Test coach.
‘Happy Frank’ oversaw the Kiwis in 35 Test matches from 1994-2000, encompassing 22 wins during a period when the Kiwis emerged as the Kangaroos’ undisputed number one challenger for international supremacy. Endacott also coached Auckland Warriors and led Wigan Warriors to a Super League grand final.
Electric three-quarter Nigel Vagana bridged two memorable Kiwis eras, celebrating in New Zealand’s iconic win over Australia in 1998 before being an elder statesman of teams that tipped up the Kangaroos in 2003 and ’05.
Vagana also broke Hoppe’s record with 19 tries in 38 Tests – several of which he plugged gaps at fullback and five-eighth – while he became the first New Zealander to score a century of tries in the Australian premiership during a decorated club career with the Warriors, Bulldogs, Sharks and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Nathan Cayless’ Kiwis legacy is preserved by his role as captain of New Zealand’s historic 2008 Rugby League World Cup triumph, while the rugged front-rower’s Test career spanned more than a decade and he skippered Parramatta Eels to two NRL grand finals during a record-breaking club tenure.
Cayless led the Kiwis in seven of his 38 Tests – retiring from international football after the 2008 World Cup – before becoming the first player in premiership history to skipper a club in 200 matches.
Simon Mannering became a modern era standard-bearer for consistency, durability, mental toughness and professional preparation during 14 seasons at the elite level. Meanwhile, the versatile Nelson product’s lead-by-example captaincy garnered glittering achievements in a career that encompassed 45 Tests for New Zealand and 301 games for the Warriors.
Illustrating his status as a modern great of the game, Mannering’s elevation to Legends of League status comes at his first opportunity after the five-year retirement cut-off, having retired in 2018. The ever-dependable Nelson product skippered the Warriors to the 2011 NRL grand final and the Kiwis in 11 Tests, including the 2014 Four Nations title win and a drought-breaking Anzac Test victory in 2015.
In 2022, building on the recent work to recognise and celebrate the New Zealand women’s team’s history, the warmly received decision was made to induct an initial group of four Kiwi Ferns to the Legends of League, with Luisa Avaiki, Nadene Conlon, Trish Hina and Leah Witehira unanimous choices by the panel.
A pair of 1995 originals, Zavana Aranga and Rachel White, were standout choices to join the Legends of League ranks this time around.
Aranga was a pointscoring machine and a respected leader during the Kiwi Ferns’ formative years. The classy Wellington centre/fullback was the first player to top a century of points for the New Zealand women’s team and captained her country to series wins over Australia in 1997 and Great Britain in 1998.
Auckland forward White was revered by contemporaries as a fierce, industrious competitor who put her body on the line every time she took the field. She was a mainstay in the all-conquering Kiwi Ferns line-up from the historic 1995 tour of Australia until 2002, including their victory in the first-ever World Cup in 2000.
Tasha Davie’s extraordinary Kiwi Ferns longevity is matched only by her dedication to rugby league, transitioning her love of the game from a Test career spanning 17 years into the coaching ranks.
Debuting for New Zealand off the bench in the 1998 series whitewash of Great Britain, versatile Aucklander Davie featured in World Cup triumphs in 2000 and 2008, while she last represented in the black-and-white jersey at the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines before taking on a multitude of junior, club and representative coaching roles.
New Zealand Rugby League congratulates the 12 new members of the Legends of League – a richly-deserved honour for some of the greatest Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns of all time.
Fred Ah Kuoi
Nathan Cayless
Frank Endacott
Sean Hoppe
Simon Mannering
Matthew Ridge
Dane Sorensen
Nigel Vagana
Graeme West
Zavana Aranga
Tasha Davie
Rachel White
