Blair Edward Harding was a New Zealand

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 112 ...

player who represented

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in 1993.

Playing career

Harding played for Papanui 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 ...

competition. He played for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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, Kent, River Stour. ...

in 1993, being part of the side that defeated Auckland to win the National Provincial Competition. Harding was then selected by

Howie Tamati Howard Kevin Tamati (born 3 January 1953), generally known as Howie Tamati, is a New Zealand politician and former professional rugby league footballer and coach who played for New Zealand. He is the cousin of fellow international Kevin Tamati. ...

to be part of 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 ...

squad that toured Great Britain and France that year. In 1994 Papanui won the

's Pat Smith Challenge Trophy. Harding also played for the

Canterbury Country Cardinals The Canterbury Country Cardinals were a New Zealand rugby league club that represented Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury in the Lion Red Cup from 1994 to 1996. They were administered by the Canterbury Rugby League. The Country Cardinals drew f ...

in the new

Lion Red Cup The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994 to 1996 sponsored by brewers Lion Nathan. It was created due to the increase in public awareness of domestic rugby league due to the Auckland Warriors being a ...

competition.''Lion Red Rugby League Annual 1994'',

New Zealand Rugby Football 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 ''T ...

, 1994. p.110 In 1995 Harding moved across town to join the

Christchurch City Shiners The Christchurch City Shiners were a New Zealand rugby league club that represented Christchurch in the Lion Red Cup from 1994 to 1996. They were administered by the Canterbury Rugby League. Feeder clubs included Addington, Sydenham and Linwood ...

, Canterbury's other Lion Red Cup team. He also played for the New Zealand Māori side. Harding continued to represent

until 1997. He played for the Papanui Tigers during the 1998 season.

Death

Harding died on 11 January 2004, in Christchurch aged 32.
''The Press'', 12 September 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Blair Year of birth missing 2004 deaths New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players New Zealand national rugby league team players Canterbury rugby league team players Papanui Tigers players Hornby Panthers players Junior Kiwis players Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league centres