Bryan Henare (born 24 September 1974 in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand) is a former professional

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 ...

footballer. Henare was usually a or a second-rower.

Playing career

Auckland Rugby League

Otahuhu Leopards The Otahuhu Leopards are a rugby league club based in Otahuhu, Auckland. Founded in 1911 Auckland Rugby League season, 1911, the club has produced 49 New Zealand national rugby league team players. The club competes in the Fox Memorial competit ...

junior, Henare toured Great Britain in 1993 with 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 ...

and he represented a New Zealand President's XIII in 1996. Henare also toured with the

New Zealand Māori rugby league team New Zealand Māori rugby league team is a rugby league representative side made up of New Zealand Māori players. The side represents the New Zealand Māori Rugby league. Like its union counterpart, the rugby league team previously competed in ...

in 1995. Henare played in the

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 ...

in 1995 for the Auckland Warriors colts side. Early on in his career Henare attracted interest from the

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...

but eventually opted to remain in Auckland.

National Rugby League

Henare played for 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 ...

, making their first grade squad in 1996. He played in 22 games for the club, although a serious knee injury hampered his 1998 season. In 1999 Henare represented Auckland South in the National Provincial Competition.

Super League

Henare moved to England, signing with St. Helens ( Heritage № 1097) at the start of the 2000 season. Having won the 1999 Championship, St. Helens contested in the

2000 World Club Challenge The 2000 World Club Challenge was contested by 1999 NRL season premiers, the Melbourne Storm and 1999's Super League IV champions, St. Helens. The match was played on 22 January at JJB Stadium, Wigan before a crowd of 13,394. The Melbourne Storm ...

against

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 ...

Premiers the

Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...

, with Henare playing at second-row forward in the loss. He was with the club for two years before moving to the

Oldham Bears Oldham R.L.F.C., also known as the Roughyeds, is a professional rugby league football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The club currently competes in the RFL League 1, the third tier of British Rugby League. Formed in 1876 as Oldh ...

( Heritage № 1119) in 2002, initially on loan. Henare then moved to the

Leigh Centurions The Leigh Leopards are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England, who compete in the Betfred Super League. The club was founded in 1878, and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern R ...

at the start of 2003.Henare tied up by Red Tape
''Lancashire Evening Telegraph'', 23 January 2003

References

External links

Players profile at rugbyleague.co.nzSaints Heritage Society profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henare, Bryan 1974 births Living people Auckland rugby league team players Featherstone Rovers players Junior Kiwis players Leigh Centurions players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand Warriors players Oldham R.L.F.C. players Otahuhu Leopards players Rugby league hookers Rugby league players from Auckland Rugby league second-rows St Helens R.F.C. players