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John "Akers" AKURANGI
Date of Birth:
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maori All Black Team in 1998 and 1999.
Position:
Hooker
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Kevin Taituha NEPIA
Date of Birth:
27/12/1967
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maori All Black Team in 1992, 1994, 1995, and 1996
-
Auckland 1992 - 1996 [NPC Champions 1993-1996]
-
Blues 1996 ["Super 12" Champions]
-
Canterbury 1997 [NPC Champions]
-
Crusaders 1997-1998 [1998 "Super 12" Champions]
Position:
Prop Forward
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Robin M. BROOKE
Date of Birth:
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maoris All Black Team in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1995.
Position:
Lock Forward
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Zinzan V. "Zinny" BROOKE
Date of Birth:
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maori All Black team in 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1994.
Position:
Number Eight Forward
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Shane HOWARTH
Date of Birth:
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maoris All Black Team in 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1994.
Position:
Fullback
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Martin "Marty" BROOKE
Date of Birth:
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maori All Black Team in 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1990.
Position:
Lock Forward
More
H Tuhakaraina
Date of Birth:
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maori All Black in 1973.
Position:
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Keith R. DAVIS
Date of Birth:
21/05/1930
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maori All Black in 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1959.
Position:
Halfback
Biography:
Keith Davis' first game for Auckland A could not have been on a more momentous occasion. He was at halfback for the province on debut in the Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato, won by his side 9-0.
The dream opening continued for the following week he was in the Auckland side narrowly beaten by a single point by the touring Wallabies. And seven days later he was on the losing end of a shield defence, beaten 6-3 by Waikato who avenged the setback of a fortnight previously.
Davis, then just 22, had not been dropped suddenly into rugby's deep end. Before his entry into the A side he had appeared in 1951 and 1952 for the Auckland B side and early in the 1952 season he had been on an internal tour with the New Zealand Maori side.
A product of Sacred Heart College in Auckland (1st> XV 1947-49), Davis was singled out at an early age as an exceptional prospect and in his formative years received extensive one on one coaching from an All Black halfback of the 1930s, Merv Corner.
The fact Corner was also a national selector in 1950-53 was undoubtedly another big factor in Davis quickly jumping into the national limelight. After acting as reserve for the first test in 1952 against the Wallabies at Lancaster Park Davis displaced Ponty Reid for the second test at Athletic Park.
Davis retained his All Black place for the 1953-54 tour of Britain and France with the other halfback his cousin, Wellington's Vince Bevan. Despite Bevan's greater experience Davis, a sharp runner as well as a quick, snappy passer, was preferred for all five internationals and the tour finale against the Barbarians.
As Davis was only 23 when the toured ended it seemed reasonable to expect he would have a long international career. It did not quite eventuate with Davis suffering from some of the inconsistent selection policies of the 1950s. He also might have had good cause for lamenting some of the amateurish preparation which went into even All Blacks matches in those years.
When Davis was recalled to the All Blacks in 1955 for the second test against the Wallabies he was paired with a first five eighths Robin Archer, who came from the opposite end of the country and with whom he had never played previously. Not surprisingly neither Davis nor Archer did himself justice.
Davis, apart from being a reserve for the last two tests against the Springboks in 1956, did not reappear in the All Blacks until 1958 when he played all three of the home tests against the Wallabies. His playing span for the All Blacks thus covered seven seasons but contained only 10 tests.
Davis continued playing for Auckland until 1958 playing 54 games for the A team and having his last game for the union at first class level for a B selection against King Country in 1959.
Starting with the 1952 season, Davis also had an extensive involvement with New Zealand Maori sides, frequently as captain. He was on two overseas tour with the Maori, to the Pacific Islands in 1954 and to Australia in 1958. He was in the side beaten by the Springboks 37-0 in 1956, one of the worst experiences in his career, and his last major game for the Maori was against the 1959 Lions. Davis won the Tom French Cup as the outstanding Maori player in the country in each of the 1952,53 and 54 seasons.
Davis, who was involved in the liquor industry both as a brewery employee and a hotelier, later coached with Auckland's Marist club and in the 1960s helped coach and select national Maori sides.
His brother, Morrie Davis, represented Waikato and New Zealand Maoris whilst a half brother Mita Johnson represented Manawhenua and N Z Maoris.
Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL NAME
Keith Davis
BORN
Wednesday, 21 May 1930 in Whakatane
AGE
79
PHYSICAL
1.70m, 73kg
POSITION
Halfback
LAST SCHOOL
Sacred Heart College
RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)
Auckland Marist
PROVINCE
Auckland
ALL BLACK DEBUT
Saturday, 13 September 1952
v Australia at Wellington
aged 22 years, 115 days
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT
Saturday, 13 September 1952
v Australia at Wellington
aged 22 years, 115 days
LAST TEST
Saturday, 20 September 1958
v Australia at Auckland
aged 28 years, 122 days
ALL BLACK TESTS
10 (0 as Captain)
ALL BLACK GAMES
15 (0 as Captain)
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES
25 (0 as Captain)
ALL BLACK TEST POINTS
0pts
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS
12pts (4t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS
12pts (4t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)
ALL BLACK NUMBER
546
The All Black Games that Davis played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced
Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card.
1952
13 Sep vs Australia at Wellington 15-8
1953
31 Oct vs Southern Counties at Hove 24-0
4 Nov vs Cambridge University at Cambridge 22-11
11 Nov vs Oxford University at Oxford 14-5
28 Nov vs South of Scotland at Galashiels 32-0
2 Dec vs North of Scotland at Aberdeen 28-3
9 Dec vs South-Western Counties at Camborne 9-0
19 Dec vs Wales at Cardiff 8-13
26 Dec vs Combined Services at London 40-8
1954
9 Jan vs Ireland at Dublin 14-3
16 Jan vs Pontypool and Cross Keys at Pontypool 19-6
23 Jan vs Neath and Aberavon at Neath 11-5
30 Jan vs England at London 5-0
13 Feb vs Scotland at Edinburgh 3-0
20 Feb vs Barbarians at Cardiff 19-5
27 Feb vs France at Paris 0-3
1 Mar vs South-Eastern Counties at Ipswich 21-13
11 Mar vs University of British Columbia at Vancouver 42-3
13 Mar vs British Columbia Mainland at Vancouver 37-11
17 Mar vs University of California at Berkeley 14-6
20 Mar vs California All Stars at San Francisco 20-0
1955
3 Sep vs Australia at Dunedin 8-0
1958
23 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 25-3
6 Sep vs Australia at Christchurch 3-6
20 Sep vs Australia at Auckland 17-8
Points scored for the All Blacks
t
c
p
dg
pts
vs South-Western Counties, 9 Dec 1953
1
-
-
-
3
vs Barbarians, 20 Feb 1954
1
-
-
-
3
vs British Columbia Mainland, 13 Mar 1954
1
-
-
-
3
vs California All Stars, 20 Mar 1954
1
-
-
-
3
Totals
4
0
0
0
12
Test Record by Nation
P
W
D
L
t
c
p
dg
pts
Australia
5
4
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
England
1
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
France
1
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
Ireland
1
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Scotland
1
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Wales
1
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
Totals
10
7
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
Links
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K Ngawati
Date of Birth:
Representative Teams
-
NZ Maori All Black in 1954.
Position:
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T Kipa
Date of Birth:
Representative Teams
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NZ Maori All Black in 1949, 1950 and 1951.
Position:
More
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