The 1999 New Zealand rugby league season was the 92nd season of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the National Provincial competition that was run by the

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood '' ...

International competitions

The

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team ( Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

competed in and co-hosted the inaugural Tri-Nations tournament. They lost the final to Australia after defeating both Australia and Great Britain in pool play. Earlier in the season the Kiwis had lost the ANZAC Test to Australia and had defeated

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

in a Test Match notable for

Stacey Jones Stacey William Jones (born 7 May 1976) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, who has been named amongst the greatest New Zealand has ever produced. He played as a , but he has also briefly played at during his disting ...

breaking his arm during the match. New Zealand were coached by

Frank Endacott Frank Morris Endacott , also known by the nickname of "Happy Frank", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, and coach. Background His son, Shane, also played rugby league. Playing career Endacott played for Addington an ...

and included; Tri-Nations captain

Richie Barnett Richie Barnett (born 21 April 1971) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative , he also captained the side during his career, during which he pla ...

Sean Hoppe Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

Willie Talau Viliamu "Willie" Talau (born 25 January 1976) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A Samoa and New Zealand international representative , he played in the National Rugby League (NRL) for the Canterb ...

Ruben Wiki Ruben James Wiki (born 21 January 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative centre-turned-prop forward, he retired with the record for most ...

Lesley Vainikolo Lesley Paea 'I'muli Vainikolo (born 4 May 1979) is a former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. A dual code international, he has played for the New Zealand Kiwis in rugby league and England in rugby union. He began his caree ...

Robbie Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. People Given name Robbie * Robbie Amell (born ...

and

Henry Paul Henry Paul (born 10 February 1974), also known by the nickname of "HP", is a former dual-code international rugby league and rugby union footballer. Paul represented New Zealand in rugby league and England in rugby union and rugby sevens. He ...

Jason Lowrie Jason Anthony Lowrie (born 22 January 1970) is a New Zealand rugby league coach and former player who represented New Zealand. Background He is the grand-nephew of fellow international Sam Lowrie.Coffey and Wood ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of In ...

Nigel Nigel ( ) is an English language, English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is commonly found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walte ...

and

Joe Vagana Joseph Sonny Vagana (born 21 January 1975), also known by the nickname of "Big Joe", is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a Prop forward in the 1990s and 2000s. During his career Vagana played for the Auckland Warriors, ...

Nathan Cayless Nathan Frederick Cayless (born 28 March 1978) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and has coached in the 2010s. He played at representative level for New Zealand (captain), and ...

, ANZAC Test captain

Jarrod McCracken Jarrod McCracken (born 27 March 1970) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He is a former captain of the New Zealand national rugby league team and is the son of New Zealand rugby league internation ...

Logan Swann Logan Swann (born 10 February 1975) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. Swann is related to several other international rugby league players, notably cousins Willie Swann and Anthony Swann ...

, David Kidwell,

Matt Rua Matthew Rua (born 20 July 1977) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played in the National Rugby League for the Melbourne Storm, w ...

Terry Hermansson Terry Brian Hermansson, is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. An international representative , he played club football in England, Australia and New Zealand. Playing career Hermansson was a Schoolboy Kiwi in 1982 and ma ...

, Richard Swain,

Brian Jellick Brian Andrew Jellick is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative er, he played his club football in New Zealand, England and Australia. Playing care ...

Tony Puletua Anthony Puletua (born 25 June 1979), also known by the nickname of "TP", is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League. A New Zealand and Samoan international, Puletua previou ...

, Stephen Kearney,

Gene Ngamu Gene Robert Ngamu (born 27 January 1974) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. He played mainly as a or , and is probably best known for his combination with Stacey Jones at the Auckland Warriors and the Kiwis. Early years Ngamu s ...

and Craig Smith. The New Zealand Māori rugby league team played, and lost to,

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

in the curtain raiser to the Tri-Nations final. The team was: Alex Chan, Steve Matthews, Lewis, Steve Berryman,

Jared Mills Jared Mills (born 11 February 1975) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented Aotearoa Māori in the 2000 World Cup. Playing career Mills played 22 first grade games for the Western Suburbs Magpies in 1998 ...

, Luke Goodwin, Willie Rangi,

Paul Rauhihi Paul Rauhihi (born 3 July 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. Rauhihi played in both the National Rugby League and Super League as a . Background Rauhihi was born in Porirua, New Zeal ...

, Tukere Barlow, John Edmonds, Robert Henare, Darren Rameka, Andrew Wynyard. Substitutions: Gavin Bailey,

Martin Moana Martin Moana (born 13 August 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who was an international representative and played club football in England and New Zealand. Early years Moana started his senior career in 1989, pl ...

, Frank Watene, Wairangi Koopu. Coach:

Cameron Bell Cameron Bell (born 18 September 1986) is a Scottish football coach and former player. Bell played as a goalkeeper for several Scottish clubs and once for the Scotland national team. Bell began his senior career with Kilmarnock and, after loa ...

. Referee: David Pakieto. The Māori's had already toured Papua New Guinea earlier in the year. This team included

Henry Perenara Henry Edward Perenara (born 16 June 1980) is a New Zealand rugby league referee and former professional footballer who represented New Zealand. He played as a , though he could also play in the . He is also the first NRL referee in history to s ...

Jamie Cook Jamie Robert Cook (born 8 July 1985) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist and a founding member of the indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, with whom he has recorded seven studio albums. Arctic Monkeys Jamie Coo ...

, Shontayne Hape and James Stosic. The

Junior Kiwis The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Super ...

included

.Junior Kiwi enjoys life in fast lane
''Sunday Star-Times'', 19 September 1999 The New Zealand Universities team attended the Student World Cup in Great Britain. They won Pool B, accounting for Wales and Canada, and advanced through the finals. They defeated the England Students team 46-16 at The Boulevard, winning the World Cup.

National competitions

Rugby League Cup

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

started the year holding the

Rugby League Cup The Rugby League Cup is a New Zealand rugby league trophy that is contested between districts on a challenge basis. The trophy used to be known as the Northern Union Challenge Cup. It is the oldest rugby league competition in New Zealand. Histo ...

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

then challenged for the trophy, defeating Waikato 68-8 on 24 April.

National Provincial Competition

The New Zealand Rugby League ran a National Provincial Competition throughout the season. Auckland was divided into North and South. However a combined

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

side defeated New South Wales Country 33-6. This side was coached by Stan Martin and included 8

Glenora Bears The Glenora Bears are a rugby league football club based in Glen Eden, New Zealand who compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. History The club was established in 1931 when the Auckland Rugby League Junior Management Com ...

players, including

Boycie Nelson Boycie Nelson is a New Zealand coach who is the assistant coach of the New Zealand Warriors Holden Cup team and former rugby league former footballer who played as a goal-kicking . Playing career New Zealand Nelson grew up playing rugby league ...

and Steve Buckingham.

The Teams

* Northland Wild Boars. *Auckland North were coached by the Dominic Clark (Glenora). The squad was: Jarrod Trott (Northcote), Steve Matthews (Glenora), Peter Lewis (Warriors), David Bailey (Glenora),

(Glenora), Len Macginley (Hibiscus), Aaron Tucker (Glenora), Reece Guy (Hibiscus), Junior Fiu (Glenora), Brett Kingham (Glenora), Kosta Malamatinos (Glenora), Richard White (Hibiscus), Keneti Asiata (Northcote), Wairangi Koopu (Glenora), Greg Ashby (Glenora),

(Warriors), Cliff Beverley (Warriors), Lee Weatherill (Marist/Bay Roskill), Clinton Pouesi (Glenora),

(Northcote),

Shane Endacott Shane Endacott (born ) is a New Zealand rugby league coach and former player. His position of preference was Five Eighth; however, he was also often used at lock, hooker or in the centres. He is the son of New Zealand national rugby league team ...

(Warriors).

was later bought into the squad. *Auckland South were coached by Stan Martin (Mangere East). The squad was: Tama Hohaia (Mangere East), Corey Palmer (Otahuhu), Charlie Kennedy (Mangere East), Ben Fahey (Otahuhu), Loni Filimeohala (Otahuhu), Fergie Edwards (Mangere East), Gus Malietoa-Brown (Tornadoes), Lionel Pereira (Manurewa), Scott Welsh (Manurewa), Dean Clark (Otahuhu), Channerith Ly (Manurewa), Shane Edwards (Otahuhu), Gaivin Welsh (Manurewa), Sam Hanson (Ellersllie), Eric Pele (Manukau), Jason Arama (Manurewa),

Esau Mann Esau Mann (born 11 May 1971) is a Tongan former professional rugby league footballer who represented Tonga at the 2000 World Cup. He is a cousin and brother of fellow internationals Duane and George Mann. Playing career With the launch of the ...

(Mangere East), Bryan Henare (Warriors),

Phillip Leuluai Phillip Leuluai (born 16 July 1977) is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a or occasional for the Salford City Reds in the Super League. Background Leuluai in Greenlane, Auckland, New Zealand. He is of Samoa ...

(Otahuhu), Sinave Gasu (Otahuhu),

Clinton Toopi Clinton James Te-Whata Toopi (born 29 February 1980) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New Zealand international representative , he played his club football in the ...

(Warriors), Wayne Barnett (Manurewa), Herman Lomafa (Mangere East), Eneasi Finefeuiaki (Mangere East), Aleo Kapua (Ellerslie).Injury gives Hoppe a starting chance
''New Zealand Herald'', 16 March 1999

Henry Fa'afili Henry Fa'afili (born 30 May 1980) is a Samoan-born New Zealand former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He played representative rugby league (RL) for New Zealand Secondary Schools, t ...

and Hare Te Rangi also played for the side.Coffey, John and Bernie Wood ''Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009'', 2009. . *

were coached by Dennis Beazley and included Tukere Barlow. *The

Bay of Plenty Stags The Bay of Plenty rugby league team (also known as the Bay of Plenty Lakers) are a New Zealand rugby league team who represents the Bay of Plenty Rugby League in New Zealand Rugby League competitions. Between 1994 and 1996 they competed in the ...

included former Kiwi Mark Woods.Focus on Kiwi prop
''The Press'', 26 June 1999 *The Taranaki Sharks included James Stosic and three NSWRL First Division players signed from the

Cronulla Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...

. They also named Tino Brown and

Billy Weepu Billy Weepu is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played for the Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL, and is now a news camera operator. He is the brother of rugby union player Piri Weepu. Playing career Early years Weepu started his ...

, who had both already played for Wellington.Canterbury to protest Taranaki win
''Taranaki Daily News'', 27 September 1999 They were both ruled ineligible by the NZRL Appeals committee. *

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

included Paul Whatuira,

and Paul Howell. Wellington also lost to New South Wales Country 44-10. *

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

were coached by Gerard Stokes and included Maurice Emslie,

Lusi Sione Lusi Sione is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played for Workington Town and represented the Canterbury and New Zealand 'A'. Playing career Sione started his career in the Lion Red Cup, playing for the Canterbury ...

and Mike Dorreen. Aaron Whittaker made a comeback half way through the season, despite having retired from representative football.

Finals

Canterbury, Taranaki, Auckland North and Auckland South all qualified for the finals.Taranaki has second thoughts on ineligible players
''The Press'', 25 September 1999 In a MacIntyre final four playoff system Taranaki defeated Canterbury 41-32 in the first round. Auckland North defeated Taranaki 20-18 to qualify for the grand final against Auckland South. The final was won by Auckland South who defeated Auckland North 24-22.

Australian competitions

The

Auckland Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

competed in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

competition. They finished 11th out of 20 teams and failed to make the playoffs.

Club competitions

Auckland

The

won the pre-season Roope Rooster, the minor premiership Rukutai Shield and the grand final Fox Memorial to complete a clean sweep of the

Auckland Rugby League club trophies The Auckland Rugby League competition has been competed for since 1909 when the first organised match was played between North Shore and City Rovers (won 44–22 by North Shore). The following year an official champion was crowned for the first tim ...

. In the final, played at

Carlaw Park Carlaw Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Parnell, a central suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It neighboured the Auckland Domain's Northern end. It was primarily used for rugby league and had a peak spectator capacity of around 28,000 in the 1 ...

, Glenora defeated Otahuhu 24-4. Glenora included

, David Bailey,

, Steve Buckingham and Wairangi Koopu. The Super 12 tournament had been expanded to include two new teams; the

Eastern Tornadoes The Eastern Tornadoes were a New Zealand rugby league franchise that competed in the New Zealand Rugby League's Bartercard Cup and Auckland Rugby League's Super 12 competitions. They were formed to represent the rugby league clubs of East Auck ...

and the

Hibiscus Coast Raiders The Hibiscus Coast Raiders are a rugby league club based on the Hibiscus Coast, New Zealand. They compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition and between 2000 and 2005 were also involved in the Bartercard Cup competition. History ...

. Gus Malietoa-Brown played for the Eastern Tornadoes while Dean Clark and

played for Otahuhu and

represented Mangere East. The

Mount Albert Lions The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 the Lions won the Fox Memorial. A ...

won the Sharman Cup.

Wellington

Canterbury

Halswell and Horby met in the

Canterbury Rugby League Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby lea ...

grand final which was held at

Rugby League Park Orangetheory Stadium is a rugby football stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was formerly called AMI Stadium, and before that, the Addington Showgrounds. History The park is part of a complex with Christchurch Arena and Addington Raceway a ...

on 19 September. Halswell won 30-12. Mike Dorreen and Aaron Whittaker played for Halswell Scott Codyre was named the outstanding player of the year.

Aranui High School Aranui High School was a large secondary school for years 9–13, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Aranui high school took its name from the suburb of Aranui, meaning 'big pathway' in Māori. Aranui High School was a coeducational alternative to oth ...

won the Canterbury secondary schools senior competition.

Other Competitions

Turangawaewae won the

Waikato Rugby League Waikato Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of rugby league in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The WRL are represented by the Waikato rugby league team. They are currently part of the Upper Central Zone alo ...

grand final, defeating Hukanui 32-22 at Davies Park in Huntly. Former Kiwi Kelly Shelford played for the Hamilton City Tigers. Marist defeated the Waitara Bears 28-20 in the

Taranaki Rugby League Taranaki Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. The TRL are represented by the Taranaki rugby league team. They are in the Mid-Central zone along with the ...

grand final.Taranaki Grand Final Countdown
''rleague.com'', 11 July 2003

References

{{1999 in rugby league New Zealand rugby league seasons