Rugby league legends from both sides of the Tasman are set to reunite in Christchurch in November for a reunion more than 40 years in the making for some.

They include former Kiwis and Wigan coach Sir Graham Lowe, now spearheading a South Island team’s bid to join the NRL, as well as several former Kiwis from the 1970s and 80s, Kevin Tamati, Mark Graham, Dane O’Hara, Brent Todd, Mark Broadhurst, Clayton Friend and Kurt Sorensen, among many others.

Graham, who was voted the best player produced by New Zealand in the decade between 1907 and 2006, became the first New Zealander to be inducted into the NRL’s Hall of Fame in 2018.

He captained a Kiwis side, coached by Lowe, that included O’Hara, Friend, Tamati and Sorensen in 1985 which famously beat the Kangaroos 18-0 at Carlaw Park in Auckland, the first time since the 1950s Australia had been held scoreless in a test. Friend scored two tries in the win.

 

Kangaroos and Parramatta Eels legend Ray Price is set to attend the reunion from across the Tasman. Photo: Supplied

More recent names include former Raiders and Warriors centre and prop Ruben Wiki, who played a record 55 tests between 1994 and 2006, Terry Hermansson (four tests, 1994-99) and current NZRL president Tawera Mikau (19 tests, 1990-97).

Former Kangaroos lock Ray Price (22 tests, 1978-84), who played more than 250 times for the Parramatta Eels from 1976-86, is one of several from across the ditch who will also attend.

The reunion is expected to gather between 100-200 former players, coaches, administrators and other members of the wider league community.

 

Kiwis wing Dane O'Hara played 36 tests for the Kiwis, then a record number of appearances. Photo: Supplied

It is the brainchild of Glen Hewison, a former Kaiapoi Bulldogs premier player who now runs the ‘Rugby League Legends’ Facebook page, and was sparked by one phone call to Hewison from Graham.

“Mark Graham called up and he goes ‘hey Glen, I’m going to be in Christchurch in November’, he said he’s hoping to catch up this year,” said Hewison.

“Without even thinking I just said, ‘yeah mate, we’ve got a reunion on the seventh of November’, and when I got off the phone I thought I’d better get into it.”

 

The reunion will be organised by Glen Hewison, a former Kaiapoi Bulldogs premier player who now runs the Facebook page Rugby League Legends. Photo: Supplied

The reunion will be held at the Papanui Leagues Club over the weekend of November 6-7. Hewison is organising it alongside O’Hara, a former wing who played a then-record 36 tests for the Kiwis from 1977-86.

“Some of them will be seeing each other for the first time in 40 years,” said Hewison.

“Dane, he was roommate with Michael O’Donnell, they haven’t seen each other for 20-something years, and they were roommates for three months on tour in the UK.

“It’s going to be great to see them catching up.”

O’Donnell, a former centre for Marist-Western Suburbs, played 10 tests from 1977-81.

 

Former Raiders and Warriors centre and prop Ruben Wiki is one of a more recent crop of players who will be at the reunion in November. Photo: Getty

Hewison said they would be remembering old friends Jim Fisher and Mocky Brereton, who died recently aged 85 and 79 respectively. Both played for the Kiwis in the 1960s and 70s and were set to attend the reunion.

“We were going to have it at another club, but they’ve got stairs going up, and so we changed it to Papanui because they’ve got the wheelchair access, which was for those two,” Hewison said.

“We’re going to do something for them, and have a few photos up. There’s a lot to do in the next two months, to try and get organised.”