Waka Nathan, a star loose forward for the All Blacks in the 1960s, has died aged 81.
Nathan, who suffered from dementia in his later years, was nicknamed the Black Panther and played 14 tests for New Zealand, never being on the losing side.
He made his All Blacks debut in 1962 on a tour of Australia and was a standout for the side on their tour of Great Britain in 1963-64 despite suffering a broken jaw, scoring 11 tries in 15 matches.
He was described by Colin Meads as “that most virile runner with the ball in hand, great at exerting pressure close to the forwards.”
Nathan played 88 games for Auckland after making his debut as an 18-year-old. Late in the 1960 season, he scored a dramatic last-minute try for his province against Canterbury which fullback Mike Cormack converted to retain the Ranfurly Shield with a 19-18 win, the All Blacks website reported.
He was a former President of the Auckland Rugby Union, Patron of the Auckland Rugby Union and an Auckland Rugby life member.
He was a New Zealand Māori selector between 1971-77 and managed the New Zealand Māori on their tour of Wales in 1982.
Nathan was also given the honour from New Zealand Rugby to run onto the field and start the proceedings for the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 at Eden Park.
He was honoured by Auckland Rugby for his commitment and devotion to the union as a player and administrator with the creation of the Waka Nathan Challenge Cup, which Auckland Rugby’s premier club teams compete for.
