Waka Joseph Nathan (8 July 1940 – 24 September 2021) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player who played rugby union for the New Zealand national team (the "All Blacks") as a

flanker Flanker may refer to: * Flanker (perfume), a newly created perfume sharing attributes of an existing one * Flanker (rugby union), a position in rugby union (not found in rugby league) * ''Su-27 Flanker'' (video game), a 1996 computer game modelin ...

. His feats on the field gained him the nickname "The Black Panther".

Early life

Nathan was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

on 8 July 1940. He was one of nine children of Samuel Taia Nathan and Irene Huakore (née Randall). He attended Mangere Central Primary School and

Otahuhu College Otahuhu College is a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand for students years 9 to 13. Location It is located in the suburb of Ōtāhuhu and is a co-educational school. The main campus entrance is on Mangere Road, the Memorial Field sport ...

. Nathan's

whakapapa Genealogy is a fundamental principle in Māori culture, termed specifically in this context as ''whakapapa'' (, , lit. 'layering'). Reciting one's '' whakapapa'' proclaims one's identity among the Māori, places oneself in a wider context, and ...

included

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (also known as Ngāpuhi-Nui-Tonu or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland regions of New Zealand centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, the estimate ...

Te Roroa Te Roroa is a Māori people, Māori iwi from the region between the Kaipara Harbour and the Hokianga Harbour in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. They are part of the Ngāti Whātua confederation of tribes. In the early 19th century ...

and

Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zeal ...

. Nathan first played rugby as a child for his primary school and secondary school. He played a notable match against Seddon Memorial Technical College during a curtain raiser to the 1956 Test match between New Zealand and Australia at

Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...

, together with his friend Mack Herewini. Otahuhu College then won the Auckland Schoolboys' competition the following year. Nathan went on to play for the Otahuhu Rugby Club.

Rugby union career

Nathan played as an

Auckland Rugby Union The Auckland Rugby Union is a New Zealand provincial rugby union. The union was established in 1883 and was originally responsible for the administration of the sport in most of the former Auckland Province, although its boundaries have since s ...

representative, making his debut in 1959 before the age of 19. He ultimately made 88 appearances and scored 51 points. He notably scored a last-minute try against Canterbury, enabling his teammate Mike Cormack to score the

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...

and seal a 19–18 victory that saw Auckland successfully defending the

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challenge ...

in 1960. Nathan debuted for the New Zealand Māori in 1960 and played six years with the team. He also played for the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

from 1962 to 1967 as a breakaway. During his All Blacks career, he was on tour to Australia, the British Isles and France. Nathan had several strong performances at the start of the 1963–64 tour, before missing six games with a broken finger. He then sustained a broken jaw against

Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...

and was informed that the injury would keep him sidelined for six months. He nonetheless scored 11 tries in 15 matches on that tour, the third-most among his teammates. He was given the nickname ''Le Panthère Noir'' ("the Black Panther") by the rugby reporter of a French newspaper, who was impressed by Nathan's ability to pursue opponents on the field like the animal. Nathan was conferred the

Tom French Cup In rugby union, the Tom French Cup is an honour awarded by New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to the Tom French Memorial Māori player of the year. The cup has been awarded annually since 1949, when it was donated to the New Zealand Māori coach To ...

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

player of the year in 1962 and 1966. Injuries – including another broken jaw during the 1967 tour in Britain – reduced Nathan to playing 14 tests for New Zealand with 14 wins with the team. He finished his test career unbeaten with 23 tries. He was described by

Colin Meads Sir Colin Earl Meads (3 June 1936 – 20 August 2017) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played 55 test matches (133 games), most frequently in the lock forward position, for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 1957 until 1 ...

as "the most virile runner with the ball in hand".

Post-playing career

After his retirement from playing, Nathan was a selector and manager of the New Zealand Māori from 1971 to 1977. He also managed the New Zealand Māori on their tour of Wales and Spain in 1982. He was later chosen by New Zealand Rugby to jog onto the field and open the proceedings for the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. Nathan was a life member of Auckland Rugby and the Otahuhu Rugby Club. He briefly served as President of the Auckland Rugby Union from 2003 to 2004, before becoming Patron of the Auckland Rugby Board. Auckland Rugby also established the Waka Nathan Challenge Cup, in recognition of Nathan's efforts to the union as a player and administrator. The competition is played between local premier club rugby teams.

Personal life

Nathan was married to Janis for 56 years until his death. Together, they had three children: Alana, Claudine, and Janine. Nathan died on 24 September 2021 in Auckland. He was 81, and suffered from

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

in the years leading up to his death. He first exhibited symptoms of the disease after the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup, was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The World Rugby, International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japa ...

and underwent surgery to correct displaced

vertebra Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...

e in order to reduce pressure to the lower part of his head.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nathan, Waka 1940 births 2021 deaths Auckland rugby union players Deaths from dementia in New Zealand Māori All Blacks players New Zealand international rugby union players People educated at Otahuhu College Rugby union players from Auckland Rugby union flankers Ngāpuhi people Te Roroa people Waikato Tainui people New Zealand rugby union players