Watene Was First Maori To Captain N.Z. League

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31416, 8 July 1967, Page 11

Watene Was First Maori To Captain N.Z. League

ONE of New Zealand's greatest Maori Rugby League players died recently. He was Mr T. P. Watene, the first full-blooded Maori to captain a New Zealand team.

Playing at a time when there were some illustrious names in the code, he was one of the movers in the formatian of the very powerful Manakau team in Auckland, a side composed almost entirely of Maoris. Steve Watene, as he was known among the Rugby League fraternity, combed the Maori settlements of the North Island in order to build up the side before it was accepted by the Auckland Rugby League. He ; brought together such play-; ers as G. Nepia, T. Chase, J. ; Broderick, L. Kawe and J. ; Hemi and In their first sea-1 son together they swept al-1 most everything before them. ; A player of no mean ver- ! satility, Watene’s football I did not end at club level. ! He played for New Zealand ; several times. One record that he was ; able to lay claim to was ! that of being the first full I blooded Maori to captain I New Zealand. ; He first did this in the ; two tests against England at ; Auckland in 1936 and he ■ scored points in each game ! although New Zealand lost <

both. As a goal kicker he was better than average, kicking one in the first and four in the second.

However, it is almost certain that his greatest day in Rugby League was in captaining a New Zealand Maori side to victory against an Australian test team in Auckland In 1937.

After playing as full-back in New Zealand’s win four days previously he was switched to the pack for the Maori game and played an important part in the 16-5 win.