RUGBY – WHUTUPŌRO

From early colonial times Māori had eagerly competed against Pākehā in boats and on horses. Cricket seemed too arcane – what was the point of a game which often had no winner after a whole day’s play? – but rugby football appealed to Māori.

The first Māori rugby player whose name is on record was Wirihana, who turned out for Wanganui Country in 1872 in a 20-a-side fixture against Wanganui Town. The scoreless match was replayed and eventually abandoned after the Town captain led his men from the field in protest against their rivals’ ‘rough-and-tumble’ tactics).

While some all-Māori clubs were formed, such as Kiri Kiri near Thames, mixed-race teams were more common in areas like Poverty Bay that had substantial Māori populations.

Tribes that had allied themselves with the Crown during the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s seem to have taken up rugby sooner than other iwi. With this proviso, it does appear that the teams which represented the provincial unions that were formed from 1879 were selected on the basis of merit.

Following is a list and brief BIO of notable Māori rugby players, their Iwi, whanau, playing, coaching records and their honours, in age order where possible.