How Canterbury league's finest hour sparked a marriage proposal
Frank Endacott’s era-defining champion 1993 Canterbury league team has held a successful reunion – even though they sadly missed seeing the master coach’s horse race at Addington. The Class of 93 gathered at Christchurch’s harness racing headquarters last weekend just an Aaron Whittaker spiral bomb from the old Addington Showgrounds pitch where they won the Rugby League Cup 30 years ago.
Canterbury had thrashed Auckland 40-12 earlier in the 1993 season, but the northerners whistled up a bunch of Kiwis from overseas for the grand final.
Endacott's men – backed by 10,000 fans – stunned Tawera Nikau and his teammates 36-12 in one of the greatest results in Canterbury league history. Eleven Canterbury men became Kiwis – some called up for the 1993 northern hemisphere tour – and Endacott got a job as Warriors assistant and Kiwis head coach in 1994.
Backline general and Kiwi international Mark Nixon captained Canterbury and organised the reunion. He joins Back Chat to chew the fat.
How many guys made it to the reunion?
About 15 out of the 20. Sadly, Blair Harding has passed away, Tuuts [Brendon Tuuta] got stuck in Wellington, trying to make it back from the Chatham Islands, and Marty Crequer, Shane Ngataki and Hemi Newson couldn’t make it. Some of the guys hadn’t seen each other for 20 or 25 years.
How far did some come?
Simon Angell came over from Perth and Aaron Whittaker and Bergy (Phil Bergman] from the Sunshine Coast, Whetu Taewa made it up from Cromwell, and Paul Johnson, who runs Miles Better Pies now in Te Anau. Neville Diggs, our manager, who’s 84, was there, and Frank, of course.
What sort of nick is everyone in?
Some of them are a little bit smaller, nobody’s got bigger, except me! Whetu drives a [speedway] sprint car, so he has to be a bit smaller.
Why do you think 1993 was rated Canterbury League’s finest hours?
It was definitely one of the greatest wins, but I don’t think you could call it an upset. We were always going to win, we were just a far better side then. They had some bigger names, like [Kiwis] Tawera Nikau, Craig Innes, Duane Mann and the Ropati brothers, but a lot of us had been playing overseas too. We’d all played in the same team for a while, and with the Lion Red Series coming in in 94, we were going to split up, so we were up for it. At the training session the day before, Frank cut it short because we were going too good.
What’s your special memory?
We bewildered them with our set plays down the blindside, which worked terrifically. For the first and second shots, they didn’t know where the ball was going to come, whether Logan [Edwards] would double-pump or draw and pass. Then we just hung in, and played to our strengths.
Did the atmosphere lift you?
Yeah, for sure. When we went out there, I couldn’t believe there were so many people. I thought they might have to delay the kickoff to let everyone in. It just captured the imagination of Christchurch. The first time we beat Auckland in ’90, there were only 900 there. Each year, the crowd seemed to get bigger. Other
Canterbury sides, like the rugby team, weren’t going that flash, and we got onto a roll. Everyone in town knew someone in the team, there was a lot of working-class support for league, the people’s game.
How important was Coach Endacott?
His man-management skills were second to none. He just knew the boys well, and was nice and relaxed and kept a happy and harmonious atmosphere. There was no pressure on Logan Edwards to turn up on time in the changing room, we just knew he’d turn up. A lot of the lads liked a punt and a beer, and enjoyed being together. Ron Simanu, one of the only married guys then, loved a chocolate sundae and had to have one from McDonald's before any game.
How did you celebrate?
Aaron Whittaker asked his wife to marry him at the after-match function, which was quite funny. Next day we went to the Canterbury Rugby League offices for a feed and a few drinks. Things got a bit silly after that... and then we realised the Kiwis team was going to be named, and everyone had to be a bit responsible.
You had a couple of tests for the Kiwis in PNG in 1990 and went on the 1993 tour. Why did you retire quite young?
I was on the bench for three other tests but we didn’t put the subs on, which p….d me off, but I played about nine games on the 93 tour. Then I went to Featherstone Rovers and came back with a fractured shin. When I came back, I got knocked out and got a fractured skull, and now I’m deaf in one ear. I was 29, but the specialist said I couldn’t risk one more tackle in the head. I don’t know who cried first, me or my ex-wife… maybe she was thinking, “Good, he might be home now”.
Weren’t you supposed to be watching Frank Endacott’s champion pacer, Millwood Nike, race at your reunion?
It could have won the Oaks and gone 18 straight [victories], but it pulled a tendon. It didn’t detract from the day, but it probably made Frank more relaxed. We were hoping he’d put more money on the bar, if it had won.
Will there be another reunion? Phil Bergman said, “let’s go again in 10 years”. We might look at a trip to Vegas to see a NRL game there.