Brendon Tuuta

Brendon Ephia Tuuta[6] (born 29 April 1965) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer of Māori descent.

Brendon Tuuta
Personal information
Full nameBrendon Ephia Tuuta
Born (1965-04-29) 29 April 1965
New Zealand
Playing information
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight90 kg (14 st 2 lb)
PositionStand-off, Five-eighth, Second-row, Lock
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1989–90 Western Suburbs 34 3 0 0 12
1990–95 Featherstone[1] 152+3 29 0 1 117
1995 Western Reds 9 1 0 0 4
1995–97 Castleford Tigers[2] 52+8 4 0 0 16
1998 Warrington[3] 20+2 4 0 0 16
1999 Featherstone
Total 280 41 0 1 165
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
Canterbury
South Island
1989–95 New Zealand 16 1 0 0 4
Source: [4][5]

Tuuta played a variety of positions including stand-off, scrum-half, second-row and loose forward. He was known as "the baby-faced assassin" and had a reputation as a brawler.[7]

Background

He is related to Lewis Brown.[8]

Early years

Originally from the Chatham Islands, Tuuta played much of his youth league for Canterbury.

Tuuta withdrew from the New Zealand Māori squad for the 1986 Pacific Cup.[9]

He was a New Zealand international between 1989 and 1995 and played at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. During his début in 1989 he was involved in an incident where it was claimed he kneed Paul Vautin.[10] At the end of the 1989 season he toured England with the Kiwis and played in Featherstone for the first time.[11]

Playing career

Tuuta first played professionally when he played for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership between 1989 and 1990.[12]

He then moved to the Featherstone Rovers in England, playing in the second division.[13] In 1993 he was suspended for six matches for breaking Nigel Heslop's jaw with a punch.[14] He played loose forward in the Rovers' 20–16 victory over Workington Town in the 1992–93 Division Two Premiership Final at Old Trafford, Manchester on 19 May 1993.[15]

Tuuta was a Canterbury representative and famously returned to New Zealand for the 1993 provincial grand final where Canterbury upset Auckland, earning the man of the match award that day.[16]

During the 1995 Australian season, he returned to play for the Western Reds,[17] before signing for the Castleford Tigers for the English 1995/96 season.[18]

Tuuta joined the Warrington Wolves for the 1998 season but struggled with knee problems.[19] Despite deciding to retire after 1998 he reconsidered and returned to the Featherstone Rovers for one more season.[20]

Honours

Tuuta is a Featherstone Rovers' Hall of Fame inductee.[21]

References
  1. Rothmans RL Yearbooks Vol 11 p50, Vol 12 p59, Vol 13 p53, Vol 14 p52, Vol 15 p 61, Vol 16 p49
  2. Rothmans RL Yearbook 16 p38, Rothmans RL Yearbook 17 p51, Rothmans RL Yearbook 18 p47
  3. Rothmans RL Yearbook 1999 page 120
  4. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  5. "Tribute to Canterbury Rugby League - Significant Results and Famous players". planetnz.com.
  6. "TUUTA, BRENDON EPHIA 1989, 1992 – 95 – KIWI #608". nzleague.co.nz. 2 April 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  7. "Your Favorite Moments". eraofthebiff.com. 7 August 2008. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
  8. "New Warrior leaps to aid of snatch-and-run victim". The Sunday Star-Times. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  9. John Coffey, Bernie Wood. 100 Years: Maori Rugby League, 1908–2008. Auckland, Huia Publishers, 2008. ISBN 1-86969-331-0
  10. "Tuuta Comes Out Of His Cocoon With A Halo". rotorua.com.au. 14 July 1989. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  11. "Rovers v New Zealand 1989: Our Introduction To Brendon Tuuta". fevshop.com. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  12. "Ask a tricky question and get some Tricky answers". smh.com.au. 30 August 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2003.
  13. "Leeds have to tame Tuuta". independent.co.uk. 30 March 1995. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  14. "Tuuta out for six matches". independent.co.uk. 19 March 1993. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  15. "Rovers Dig Deep To Lift The 1993 RL Premiership". Great Players – Great Games. 31 December 2010. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  16. Smith, Tony (30 May 2009). "Nothing better than bettering Auckland". The Press. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  17. "Perth / Western Reds". rl1908.com. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 21 June 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  18. "Profile at thecastlefordtigers.co.uk". thecastlefordtigers.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  19. "Tuuta Retires". runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk. 2 October 1998. Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  20. "Fearsome Fev for Ford fiesta". The Racing Post at thefreelibrary.com. 6 February 1999. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  21. "Featherstone Rovers legends added to Hall of Fame". pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk. 5 November 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.

Sources
  • Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. Wetherill Park, New South Wales: Gary Allen Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-1-877082-93-1.
  • Ron Bailey (2002). 100 Greats Featherstone Rovers Rugby League Football Club. The Mill, Brimscombe Port,Stroud,Gloucestershire: Tempus Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7524-2713-X.
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