A player must be a Ponsonby member in the year(s) chosen for New Zealand to qualify for this list. There have been 48 All Blacks chosen from Ponsonby, more than from any other club in the country, and the list is headed by one of the legendary figures in New Zealand rugby, Dave Gallaher.
Click on the link above for a full list of the club's All Blacks, or on a name below for an individual profile.
Dave Gallaher: New Zealand 1903-04-05-06.
Morrie Wood: New Zealand 1904. Previously an All Black in 1901-03 from other unions.
Bolla Francis: New Zealand 1905-07-08-10.
Bill Cunningham: New Zealand 1907-08. Previously an All Black in 1901-05-06 from other clubs.
George Gillett: New Zealand 1907-08. Previously an All Black in 1905-06 from Canterbury.
George Nicholson: New Zealand 1907. Previously an All Black in 1903-04-05-06 from City club.
Joe O'Leary: New Zealand 1910-13.
Dougie McGregor: New Zealand 1913.
George Sellars: New Zealand 1913.
Len Righton: New Zealand 1923-25.
Fred Lucas: New Zealand 1923-24-25-28-30.
Herman Mattson: New Zealand 1925.
Rube McWilliams: New Zealand 1928-29-30.
Lew Hook: New Zealand 1928-29.
Bert Palmer: New Zealand 1928-29. Later an All Black in 1932 from Otahuhu.
Frank Solomon: New Zealand 1931-32.
Dave Solomon: New Zealand 1935-36.
Bill Carson: New Zealand 1938.
Bob Scott: New Zealand 1946-47-49-50-53-54.
Eric Boggs: New Zealand 1946-49.
Johnny Simpson: New Zealand 1947-49-50.
Percy Tetzlaff: New Zealand 1947.
Neville Black: New Zealand 1949.
Malcolm Dick: New Zealand 1963-64-65-66-67-69-70.
Ron Rangi: New Zealand 1964-65-66.
Bryan Williams: New Zealand 1970-71-72-73-74-75-76-77-78.
Peter Whiting: New Zealand 1971-72-73-74-76.
Andy Haden: New Zealand 1972-73-76-77-78-79-80-81-82-83-84-85.
John Mills: New Zealand 1984.
Mark Brooke-Cowden: New Zealand 1986-87.
Joe Stanley: New Zealand 1986-87-88-89-90-91.
Va'aiga Tuigamala: New Zealand 1989-90-91-92-93.
Craig Innes: New Zealand 1989-90-91.
Matthew Ridge: New Zealand 1989.
Olo Brown: New Zealand 1990-92-93-94-95-96-97-98.
Carlos Spencer: New Zealand 1995-96-97-98-2000-02-03-04.
Ofisa Tonu'u: New Zealand 1996-97-98.
Jeremy Stanley: New Zealand 1997.
Ali Williams: New Zealand 2002-03-04-05-06-07-08-11-12.
Ben Atiga: New Zealand 2003.
Sam Tuitupou: New Zealand 2004-06.
Troy Flavell: New Zealand 2006-07. Previously an All Black in 2000-01 from North Harbour.
Benson Stanley: New Zealand 2010.
Patrick Tuipulotu: New Zealand 2014-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-24.
Rieko Ioane: New Zealand 2016-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24.
Akira Ioane: New Zealand 2017-20-21-22.
Sonny Bill Williams: New Zealand 2019. Previously an All Black in 2010-11-12-14-15-17-18 from other clubs.
Caleb Clarke: New Zealand 2020-22-23-24.
A player must be a Ponsonby member in the year(s) chosen for New Zealand to qualify for this list. There have been 24 Black Ferns chosen from Ponsonby, which ranks third among all clubs in the country.
Click on the link above for a full list of the club's Black Ferns, or on a name below for an individual profile. Recently Wellington-based journalist Adam Julian has completed profiles of most Black Ferns and these have been put up on www.allblacks.com; links have been added for each of the Ponsonby players.
Tangaloa Edwards: New Zealand 1989.
Ana Nemaia: New Zealand 1989
Christine Papali'i: New Zealand 1989-90-92.
Nina Sio: New Zealand 1989-91-92. Later a Black Fern in 1994 from another club.
Elsie Paitai: New Zealand 1990-91.
Kimi Tiriamai: New Zealand 1990-91.
Sandra Wihongi: New Zealand 1990-92.
Anna Richards: New Zealand 1991-92-93-94. Previously a Black Fern in 1990, and later a Black Fern in 1996-97-98-99-2000-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-10, from other clubs.
Tracy Lemon: New Zealand 1991-94. Later a Black Fern in 1995 from College Rifles club.
Cheryl Waaka: New Zealand 2003-04. Previously a Black Fern in 1997-98-99-2000-01-02 from other clubs.
Linda Itunu: New Zealand 2003-04-06-07-08-09-10-14-15-17-18
Nicole Borthwick: New Zealand 2005.
Fa'anati Aniseko: New Zealand 2007.
Eloise Blackwell: New Zealand 2011-12-13-14-15-16-17-20-21. Also Black Fern in 2018-19 from Eden club.
Aleisha-Pearl Nelson: New Zealand 2012-14-15-16-17. Later a Black Fern from College Rifles club.
Portia Woodman: New Zealand 2013. Later a Black Fern from Ardmore Marist club.
Charmaine McMenamin: New Zealand 2013-16-17-18-19-20-22.
Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate: New Zealand 2014. Later a Black Fern from Ardmore Marist club.
Aldora Itunu: New Zealand 2015-16-17-18-20-21-24.
Theresa Fitzpatrick: New Zealand 2017-18-19-22.
Natahlia Moors: New Zealand 2018-19-20.
Cristo Tofa: New Zealand 2020. Previously a Black Fern from North Harbour.
Sylvia Brunt: New Zealand 2022-23-24.
Sophie Fisher: New Zealand 2023.
Ponsonby players have represented New Zealand Maori since the first official team was chosen to go to Australia in 1910. To date 20 players have taken the field for New Zealand Maori, and the list can be seen by clicking the link above. Note that the number of matches is only those played while a member of Ponsonby; Alby Pryor, for instance, played several more matches before coming to the club.
Click the link above for the full list, or on the names below for individual profiles.
George Sellars: New Zealand Maori 1910-12-14
Bill Cunningham: New Zealand Maori 1910-12
Jack Hall: New Zealand Maori 1910-12
Dick Pelham: New Zealand Maori 1926-27
Tom French: New Zealand Maori 1952-54-55-57
Dave Menzies: New Zealand Maori 1954-55-56
Alby Pryor: New Zealand Maori 1956-57-58-59-60
Ron Rangi: New Zealand Maori 1963-64-65-66
Del Naera: New Zealand Maori 1963
Danny Rota: New Zealand Maori 1969
Joe Whiu: New Zealand Maori 1976-77-78
Leon Toki: New Zealand Maori 1977-78
Mark Brooke-Cowden: New Zealand Maori 1985-86
Bernie Smith: New Zealand Maori 1986
Basil Ake: New Zealand Maori 1987
Jasin Goldsmith: New Zealand Maori 1991
Carlos Spencer: New Zealand Maori 1996-2000-02-05
David Gibson: New Zealand Maori 2003
Akira Ioane: New Zealand Maori 2015-16-17-18-19
Rieko Ioane: New Zealand Maori 2015-16-17
Leni Apisai: New Zealand Maori 2022
While women's rugby is not yet as big a sport in the Pacific Islands as it is in New Zealand, the Island nations are now regular attendees at World Cups and play occasional test matches outside that four-year cycle. Ponsonby has seen nine players chosen for Manu Sina, the Samoa women's test team, since 2002. Click the link above for the full list, or on a name below for individual profiles.
Louena Ahki: Samoa 2002
Mel Leaitua: Samoa 2002-06.
Sosefina Leaitua: Samoa 2002-06.
Ala Leavasa: Samoa 2002-06; World XV 2003.
Puna Tia: Samoa 2002-06; World XV 2003.
Barbara Tyrell-Tu'uga: Samoa 2002.
Cynthia Apineru: Samoa 2014.
Italia Tipelu: Samoa 2014.
Contessah Wright: Samoa 2014.
Twenty-one All Blacks have represented Ponsonby during their careers who were only chosen for New Zealand while with other clubs; the list even includes two Ponsonby Life Members, Keith Nelson and Lin Colling. While these men aren't counted in the list of the club's All Blacks, you can follow the link above for a full list, or click on the names below for individual profiles.
Ned Davy played briefly in Auckland as a member of the Ponsonby club in 1877. He had made his name in the Thames area and soon moved on to Wellington, from where he was the oldest man chosen to make the 1884 tour of Australia. His brother Henry ("Hookey") played for Ponies for some years.
Joe Warbrick played for Ponsonby as a 15-year-old schoolboy in 1877, and is believed to be the youngest-ever first-class player in New Zealand. By the time he was chosen in the first New Zealand team, in 1884, he was back in the Bay of Plenty, where the family was from.
Tim O'Connor was originally a stalwart of the Auckland club, who had to transfer to Ponsonby towards the end of his career when the District Scheme was introduced in 1891. He was also a member of that first New Zealand team in 1884.
Fred Murray was just a young player when the District Scheme was introduced in 1891 but already making a mark; unfortunately for Ponsonby he lived outside the district boundaries and was lost to the club. He was chosen for two early tours of Australia, in 1893 and 1897.
Frank Wilson played for Ponsonby towards the end of the District Scheme and first represented Auckland in 1906. Keenly sought by University when it was allowed to join Senior ranks in 1908, he played the rest of his peace-time rugby with the Students and made the All Blacks in 1910.
James Barrett, like Frank Wilson, was lost to Ponsonby when the District Scheme ran its course. He joined Marist when that club became a Senior entity, and was one of the club's first All Blacks when he was picked for the home matches against Australia in 1913.
Ces Badeley played for the club in the early days of World War I. On his return from the fighting he became a leading light with the Grammar Old Boys club, and made the All Blacks in 1920-21-24. A chronic knee injury all but ended his career just after he led the All Blacks to Australia. The 1915 Fourth Grade photo includes both Badeley brothers as young men.
Vic Badeley, like his brother, played for Ponsonby in 1915; Vic was only 16. The brothers were both starring in the Auckland Grammar First XV that year as well but managed to play for both teams. Vic Badeley won All Black honours from Grammar Old Boys in 1922 but suffered a career-ending head injury in 1924. The 1915 Fourth Grade photo includes both Badeley brothers as young men.
Tuna Swain made the 1928 All Blacks from Hawke's Bay, where he had also been part of the Ranfurly Shield era, and came to Auckland in early 1929 when he joined Ponsonby. However he only played a handful of matches before injuring a knee and never played again. He had declared himself unavailable for the 1929 Australian tour before his injury.
Ron Dobson played for Ponsonby after returning from war service - he was a member of the famed Kiwis - but transferred to Northcote after the memorable 1948 championship season, winning New Zealand selection for the home series against Australia in 1949.
Rex Orr played for Ponsonby towards the end of his career, the best part of which was spent with Otago during its great Ranfurly Shield days; he was an All Black at home in 1949. Orr left his teaching position and returned to the Air Force for some years, playing for Ponsonby while stationed at Hobsonville.
Noel Bowden was a member of a well-known Ponsonby family but gained his All Black jersey during the years he was teaching away from Auckland; he played against Australia in 1952 while in Taranaki. He returned to the club towards the end of his career, before taking a prominent part in off-field club affairs.
Keith Nelson is Ponsonby through and through but was only chosen for New Zealand while studying dentistry at Otago University in 1962-63-64. He played for Ponsonby before heading south and for many years after returning home, but was never again selected for the All Blacks.
Keith Murdoch played for the club in 1966, during a period of his life when he was travelling throughout New Zealand. He had been in Hawke's Bay in 1965 and then went cray-fishing off the Chatham Islands for a couple of years after leaving Auckland. He played for New Zealand in 1970 and 1972.
Lin Colling came to the club when he moved north from Otago in 1974, but his last New Zealand selection had been for the British tour in 1972-73. Despite continued good form, he was never chosen in his time in Auckland.
Terry Morrison was another Otago player to head north in the early 1970s and play for Ponsonby; despite playing his best rugby in his Auckland days his brief All Black career (he played in 1973) was over while he was still a student at Otago University.
Greg Burgess played for Ponsonby in between moving north from Otago University and transferring to Takapuna, shortly before he gained All Black selection in 1980; most of his representative rugby was played in his Takapuna days.
Jasin Goldsmith was already an All Black when he came to Ponsonby although he was only 19 when he made the move from Hamilton; he was the third-youngest player ever chosen for New Zealand when picked in 1988. Bad injuries virtually ended his career soon after he came to Auckland.
Isitolo Maka began his career with Ponsonby before moving south to get a chance with the Highlanders in Super rugby's early days, as his progress had been blocked by a long line of high-quality loose forwards in Auckland. His brief All Black career began and ended in 1998.
Kevin Senio began his club career with Ponsonby but a lack of opportunity caused him to move first to Counties-Manukau and then to Bay of Plenty, from where he was chosen for New Zealand in 2005. After ending his professional career Senio returned to Ponsonby as a player and then a coach.
Stephen Perofeta played briefly for Ponsonby in 2017, when he was a youngster on the verge of breaking into Super Rugby, and again in 2021 when he was not required by the Blues for a spell. Despite encouragement to stay, he returned to Taranaki, from where he was chosen for New Zealand in 2022.
There was also one near-miss: In 1914 Charles Gillespie, a 1913 All Black from Wellington, joined the club and was twice named to start but on both occasions he was a late withdrawal. As far as one can tell, he then left the club and never took the field in a Ponsonby jersey. His replacement in the team was a good one though - Bill Cunningham was persuaded to come out of retirement and fill the gap.
In 1955 Ponsonby invited the Olympic Year All Black, Mick Bremner, to turn out in the fund-raiser game against Petone. He did, playing a blinder, and probably put his name back in the selectors' minds for Springbok year, when he was recalled after three years in the wilderness. Although he was never a member at Ponsonby, he did turn out in the famous blue-and-black hoops.
National Selection Reps - Age Grades, New Zealand XV
This list includes all national selections apart from New Zealand or New Zealand Maori. Since a number of different names have been used for similar teams (New Zealand Colts, New Zealand Juniors, New Zealand Under-20s and so on) all players chosen for the various national selections are included here. Click on the link above for the full list.
Super Rugby was introduced in 1996 as the first fully professional competition in New Zealand, and as the flagship competition for the new SANZAR alliance. In its early stages it was organised on a regional basis, but gradually it developed into the franchise arrangement we know today, with players able to be contracted by any team that wants them. A full list of Ponsonby players to appear in Super Rugby can be seen by following the link above.
In 2021 the Blues and Chiefs played the first match between the respective women's teams. A competition featuring teams from four franchises was then played in 2022, with the format was a round robin with no playoffs; this was affected by Covid, with one match being scrapped and all matches played at one venue and in a compressed time frame. A year later semis and a final were introduced, with the competition spread over five weeks and most matches played as stand-alone fixtures, but agitation grows for overseas teams to be included. A list of Ponsonby players to have appeared in Super Rugby can be found by following the link above.
Selection for North Island used to be second only to being chosen for the All Blacks; in many cases the inter-Island match was regarded as almost a final trial. The match was played in 1897, 1902-14, 1919-29, 1931-39, 1943-86 and then as one-off games in 1995 and 2020. North Island also opposed the 1894 New South Wales touring team. Click the link above for a full list of Ponsonby players chosen for North Island.
Ponsonby has produced more than 270 Auckland A reps, who have played more than 4600 games in the blue and white hoops. Although no players from the club were in the first Auckland team chosen in 1875, they have been in the vast majority that have taken the field after that pioneering tour. Since 28 June 1983, when Auckland played King Country with a team that was somewhere between the A and B selection, Ponsonby players have been in 566 of the 567 Auckland teams to take the field to the end of 2024. The one exception was on 28 July 2004 in a Ranfurly Shield defence against Poverty Bay; Auckland was playing two defences in four days and chose two entirely different teams. As luck would have it the eight Ponsonby players all turned out in the second match, thus ending a run of 332 matches with one of the club's players in every Auckland team.
For the full list of Ponsonby players to have appeared for Auckland A, click on the link above.
Ponsonby has been a significant force in women's rugby in New Zealand almost from day one. More than 80 players from Ponsonby have been chosen to play for Auckland A; the general agreement among New Zealand's statisiticans is that first-class records for women's rugby started with the introduction on the NPC in 1999. Click on the link above for the complete list of Ponsonby's Auckland A players.
For nearly 70 years Auckland would often field a Second XV in first-class matches, either as 'Auckland B' or 'An Auckland XV'. The latter designation was also used for Auckland Colts sides that played first-class rugby in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as not-quite full-strength teams that met unions like Bay of Plenty and Waikato in the 1950s. The full list of 117 Ponsonby players who appeared in first-class matches for these teams can be viewed by clicking the link above.
From 2001 to 2005 Auckland fielded two teams in the Women's NPC. A total of 31 Ponsonby players appeared for Auckland B during those five seasons; click on the link above for the full list.
When New Zealand authorised the use of loan players, it was natural many smaller unions would come looking for someone to fill a vital spot in the metropolitan competitions. Ponsonby was often asked for the use of its players on loan arrangements, and more than 30 have so far appeared for other unions under this system. Click on the link above for the full list.
The first name on the list, James Heffernan, played 130 years ago and is an oddity. He played the full club season for Ponsonby but was transferred to Taranaki almost as soon as it ended, and was chosen in the rep team despite never joining or playing for a local club. By the time the 1891 season came around he was back in Auckland, and is therefore considered the first 'loan' player in New Zealand rugby. The rest are loan players as we understand the term today - representing a union (not Auckland) while still with the Ponsonby club.
Since women's rugby has always been stronger in the greater Auckland area than anywhere else in the country for most of its first-class existence, it is natural that some players have transferred for a season or two under the same agreements that apply in the men's game. So far 21 Ponsonby players have appeared for other unions as loan players, mostly North Harbour; click the link above for the full list.
Ponsonby has won the Auckland championship more often than any other club. Since the club is the oldest in Auckland one would expect a healthy number of titles but the 2019 success was the 50th, including four in pre-Union days. There was a flurry in the 1880s, which eventually led to the District Scheme being implemented, then a truly formidable side developed in the late 1900s which meant the scheme had to be dismantled - there was no other way of combatting the club's power with residential rules still in place. The Gallaher Shield was won for the first time in 1924 - it was awarded in 1922 - and since then it has filled its special cabinet on the wall after 36 seasons. The club holds the record with eight consecutive titles, in 2004-11; Ponsonby is also the only club to have had as many as four (1924-27). University, the nearest rival, has won 17 titles - a good haul, but one which only serves to underline Ponsonby's dominance.
Only Otago University, which won its 53rd Dunedin championship in 2019, has won more titles in New Zealand club rugby.
Click on the links for a brief resume of each title-winning season.
1891 (Club programme)
1933 (Shared)
Women's club rugby began in Auckland in 1986, and Ponsonby was one of the clubs that entered a side in that first competition. The new competition did bear a resemblance to the early days of the men's, in that a number of one-team clubs were established, only to fall by the wayside after a season or two. Ponsonby, then in the middle of one of the club's great periods, took things seriously from the start and those early teams were, by far, the strongest in town. It took eight years for anyone else to catch up, by which time the form women's rugby was to take in Auckland had been well established. A number of those early Ponsonby players made New Zealand teams and almost all were regular Auckland reps, although record-keeping was almost non-existent at that time and not until the NPC began in 1999 was any systematic approach adopted.
The Coleman Shield was presented in 1998, but it took a long time before it was seen in the Ponsonby clubrooms. That said, and given the attention paid to developing young players at Ponsonby in what is still the biggest growth area in the game, it was never likely to be another 27 years before it was back. After that 2020 win, Ponsonby returned to their former position as the team to beat, and it was a mighty effort for anyone to do that.
A brief summary of each championship season attached below; click on the year to go to the link.
Being awarded a Life Membership is the highest honour the club can bestow on one of its members. It's an uncommon award, making it even more highly prized by the recipient, and a member will normally only be nominated after a considerable period in harness. Unlike many clubs across a wide variety of sports and pastimes, Ponsonby does not consider a Life Membership a signal that it's time to retire or a vote of thanks to someone who is stepping back. It has been said at the AGM by Auckland Union officials that 'Ponsonby gets greater value from its Life Members than any other club', something of which the club is justifiably proud.
The list includes 11 All Blacks, one Black Fern and two Samoan internationals. It also includes a father and son combination (George and Jack Nicholson), two sets of brothers (Bob and Trevor Paterson, and Sir Bryan and Ces Williams), and two husband and wife pairings (Jack and Alva Scott, and Eddie and Sandra Ioane).
Click on the link above to see the full list, or on the names below to get an individual profile.
1905 JC Redman
1913 Jack Arneil
1913 Charles Jackson
1914 Bill Cunningham
1914 George Nicholson
1914 Charles Stichbury
1915 Joe O’Leary
1930 Thomas Aitken
1934 Alec Jensen
1934 Ernie Matthews
1944 Bob Notton
1944 Reg Tonkin
1945 Eric Skinner
1949 Bob Bowden
1950 Jack Scott
1954 Charlie Cammick
1954 Fred Lucas
1955 Buster Coughlan
1956 Nick Chitty
1958 Nev Conway
1958 Gordon Menzies
1958 Harold Wright
1959 Jack Johnson
1962 Owen Donaldson
1964 Mrs Dolly McKenty
1964 Mrs Alva Scott
1965 Leo Gribble
1968 Jack Cox
1969 Merv Scott
1975 Percy Tetzlaff
1978 Birke Lovett
1979 Don Johnston
1980 Dr Lloyd Drake
1981 Jack Bourke
1981 Bob Paterson
1983 Sir Bryan Williams
1984 Trevor Paterson
1986 Phil Adrian
1986 Jim Steen
1988 Jack Nicholson
1989 Roy Bowden
1992 Keith Nelson
1995 Max Mains
1995 Athol Rickard
1997 Alfred Tupu
1998 Lin Colling
2000 Neil Wolfgram
2001 John Ward
2002 Dr Peter Harwood
2004 Ces Williams
2007 Craig Partridge
2009 Murray Menzies
2010 Tom Aitken
2011 Jack Huch
2011 Peter Thorp
2016 Bob Banks
2016 Brian Lough
2016 Dennis Mansfield
2016 Grant Willoughby
2018 Eddie Ioane
2018 Mrs Sandra Ioane
2018 Joe Stanley
2019 Chris Clews
2019 Dave Gallaher (Posthumous)
2020 Dave Atkins
2020 Andy Haden
2020 Hugh Heeney
2020 Grant McCurrach
2022 Geoff Buchanan
2024 Grant Rutherford
2024 Dale Moyer
Any player who makes 100 appearances in the club's first team is automatically tagged with two labels: first, they're a quality player and one who maintained their best form for a prolonged period, and second, they're loyal.
Ponsonby has a distinguished list of match centurions, and it's one which began a long time ago. Albert Braund, the first name on the list, played in the late Victorian era and was almost certainly the first player in Auckland to represent his club 100 times. We can say this with a fair degree of certainty, as halfway through Braund's career the District Scheme was introduced and the majority of players were forced to transfer - in many cases, to a new club that had been established in order to make the scheme work. Braund was one of the few players who enjoyed a long career with his old club (only Grafton gave its players the same opportunity, as North Shore had drifted in and out of Senior rugby during the 1880s and all the other clubs were new organisations), and Grafton had nobody in this category.
Over time, and with expanded programmes, more names were added to the list. Sometimes they came in batches - normally when there were long programmes and the team didn't suffer much disruption over time - and sometimes there were quite wide gaps between each new addition. Until the mid-1980s they could be prominent national players, but the changing nature of the rugby season has meant that more recently the 100-gamer is a player who gets little recognition above club level.
One thing hasn't changed, though: the match centurion is a player talented well above average and one who has stuck with Ponsonby despite the liklihood of several offers to join other clubs or transfer to other unions. Even in the busiest years, it took six or seven seasons of almost injury-free rugby and regular selection to reach the milestone, so it's not one that was ever achieved easily.
All recent centurions (and researchers) owe a debt of thanks to Dennis Mansfield, took over the Senior team records from Cliff Bell in the 1990s, and who maintained them for many years, before handing over to Terry Hodges. Thanks to Cliff, Dennis and Terry, Ponsonby records were kept at a time when less and less attention was being given to club rugby, and without that work over many years this information would have been lost. Cliff's work established a good base to work from, Dennis expanded the scope of the record-keeping and built upon that base before Terry came along with his written pre- and post-game reports, which have filled a void left by the lack of newspaper coverage these days.
Click on the link above for the full list, or on an individual name below for a player profile.
Albert Braund (103 matches)
Len Righton (115 matches)
Alex Jamieson (122 matches)
Mal Fraser (145 matches)
Frank Solomon (135 matches)
Henry Bond (101 matches)
Bill Frankham (100 matches)
Percy Tetzlaff (minimum 130 matches)
George Bourke (approximately 130 matches)
Bert Taylor (approximately 125 matches)
Murray Menzies (minimum 270 matches)
Pohe (Peter) Ngakuru (minimum 109 matches)
Dave Menzies (minimum 135 matches)
Ron Whetton (minimum 118 matches)
Alec Munro (minimum 101 matches)
Hugh Stevens (minimum 115 matches)
Keith Nelson (minimum 207 matches)
Ken Williams (minimum 117 matches)
Malcolm Dick (minimum 134 matches)
Robin Currie (minimum 122 matches)
Ron Rangi (minimum 131 matches)
Peter Whiting (minimum 138 matches)
Dave McIntyre (minimum 113 matches)
Ben Hathaway (approximately 240 matches)
Bryan Williams (approximately 245 matches)
Trevor Paterson (minimum 103 matches)
Andy Haden (minimum 205 matches)
Lin Colling (minimum 110 matches)
Leon Toki (minimum 143 matches)
Guy Smith (minimum 215 matches)
Grant Rutherford (minimum 107 matches)
Grant McCurrach (minimum 112 matches)
Joe Stanley (minimum 105 matches)
Pat Galloway (102 matches)
Petaia Nee Nee (146 matches)
Paul Norwood (107 matches)
Levi Vao (116 matches)
Mike Turner (175 matches)
Peter Fatialofa (122 matches)
Peter Buffalora (111 matches)
Herati Matapo (173 matches)
Paul Ah Kuoi (109 matches)
Andrrew Tuala (101 matches)
Martin Stanley (106 matches)
Darren Kellett (101 matches)
Gavin Williams (112 matches)
Jason Chandler (107 matches)
Amosa Amosa (108 matches)
Alfred Uluinayau (102 matches)
Brett Williams (200 matches)
Brad Tauwhare (122 matches)
Mark Ama (129 matches)
Richard Tonga (102 matches)
Roger Tuamoheloa (103 matches)
Sefo Pasina (101 matches)
Sam Lawrence (112 matches)
Tevita Finau (143 matches)
Linda Itunu (minimum 100 matches)
Mark Hooper (113 matches)
Alex Matapo (103 matches)
Ben Bacon (104 matches)
Chay Raui (142 matches)
Willie Uili (128 matches)
Eloise Blackwell
Joe Royal
Match Double Centurions
Recently we have been able to reconstruct the playing careers of former players, and as part of that process we finally got to know who had played the most matches for the club. Brett Williams was the first player known to have made 200 Senior (or Premier) appearances but it was likely there were at least a few before him, and so it proved. Thanks to old team sheets, match reports and diligent team records in the Annual Reports, we have discovered a total of seven double centurions. In every case except Brett's, the match tally is a minimum figure because there are still missing team lists here and there. As it turned out, there wasn't anyone short of 200 who was particularly close so we are sure none of the old-timers are being short-changed. A luncheon to celebrate the seven, and present them with a '200' blazer, was held in May 2025 and was a first-class occasion.
Introduction to the Double Denturions Luncheon
The Double Centurions are:
Murray Menzies (1944-60; minimum 270 matches)
Keith Nelson (1958-75; minimum 207 matches)
Ben Hathaway (1967-78; approximately 240 matches)
Bryan Williams (1967-82; approximately 245 matches)
Andy Haden (1971-86; minimum 205 matches)
Guy Smith (1971-85; minimum 215 matches)
Brett Williams (2000-14; 200 matches)