Sydney Wiremu "Syd" Eru (born 26 July 1971) is a New Zealand 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 who played the 1990s. A Kiwi representative hooker, he played club football for the Auckland Warriors.

Background

Eru was born in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Playing career

Eru played for the Upper Hutt Tigers in the

Wellington Rugby League Wellington Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Greater Wellington region. It is responsible for the local competition of the same name, as well as its representative team, the Wellingto ...

and Rockingham and Perth in Australia. In 1993 he was part of Upper Hutt's premiership winning team and played for

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 me ...

in their 27–22 victory over

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 ...

. He was then invited to be part of an Auckland Invitational XIII side that drew 16-all with the Balmain Tigers. He was signed by the Auckland Warriors for their debut season in the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995 as the backup hooker. However, by the end of the season he had replaced

Duane Mann Duane Darrin Mann (born 28 June 1965) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 2000s. A Tonga and New Zealand international representative , he captained both sides. Mann played his ...

, 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 ...

captain, as both the Auckland Warriors and the New Zealand hooker. He was subsequently rewarded with an improved contract. In 1998 he was targeted by a Welsh rugby league franchise, but the club - and the offer - did not eventuate. His career was frequently marred by injury, Eru played 59 games over five seasons for the Warriors. Eru remained with the Warriors until the end of the 1999 season, retiring to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. His retirement was forced due to a serious wrist-injury.

Representative career

Eru first came to national attention in 1990 when he played for the Junior Kiwis and made his debut for

. In 1991 he played for the Kiwi Colts side who defeated

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

28–8.Team of the Century - Week 7
''Wellington Rugby League'' Eru represented the New Zealand Māori in 1992 and 1993, debuting at the 1992 Pacific Cup. He was a Kiwi trailist in 1993, but missed selection for the 1993 tour of Great Britain and France. Eru made his

debut in 1995 and was selected to represent New Zealand at the

1995 Rugby League World Cup The 1995 Rugby League World Cup was held during October in the United Kingdom. It was the eleventh staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was marketed as the Halifax Centenary World Cup, reflecting the tournament's sponsorship and the fact ...

. At the tournament Eru tested positive for ephedrine. He played in twenty tests for New Zealand between 1995 and 1998, including stand out performances in victories over Great Britain in 1996 and Australia in 1997.Monie hands it to Eru after stalwart showing
''Sunday Star-Times, 27 October 1996

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eru, Sydney Wiremu 1971 births Living people Auckland rugby league team players Doping cases in rugby league Junior Kiwis players New Zealand Māori rugby league players New Zealand Māori rugby league team players New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand sportspeople in doping cases New Zealand Warriors players Rugby league hookers Rugby league players from Rotorua Upper Hutt Tigers players Wellington rugby league team players