Riki Papakura

Riki Papakura

Personal information
Nickname	Dick[1]
Born	New Zealand
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	70 kg (11 st 0 lb)
Playing information
Position	Fullback, Centre
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
	Unknown (Rotorua)
1911	Warrington	1	0	0	0	0
	Total	1	0	0	0	0
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1908–1909	New Zealand Māori
1909	Rotorua
1909	Auckland
1910	Australasia	2	0	0	0	0
Source: RLP

Riki "Dick" Papakura was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented the New Zealand Māori side and Australasia and played professionally for Warrington. His position of preference was at fullback or in the centres.

Playing career

From Rotorua, Papakura toured Australia twice with the New Zealand Māori side; in 1908 with the original touring party and again as captain of the 1909 New Zealand Māori side, he also represented Australasia.

In 1909 Papakura played for Rotorua against an Auckland XIII before playing for Auckland against Wellington.^[2]

In 1910 Papakura was one of three New Zealanders invited to Sydney to represent Australasia against the touring Great Britain Lions, alongside Albert Asher and Con Sullivan.^[3] Papakura played in both "Test" matches at fullback.

In 1911 Papakura travelled to England to attend the Festival of Empire.^[4] He was recommended to Warrington by 1910 Lion Frank Shugars and 1908 All Gold Massa Johnston and joined the club in September. He twice appeared for Warrington A but gave the impression of being overweight and unfit.^[4]

Papakura played centre for Warrington's first grade team in 14 October 1911 in a 13–8 win over Broughton Rangers at Wilderspool.^[1] This match was part of the 1911–12 Northern Rugby Football Union season. Papakura was New Zealand's first overseas transfer, as he was granted a clearance by the New Zealand Rugby League on 6 October and Warrington paid a 20 pound fee that was forwarded to the Rotorua sub-league.^[5]

After his one and only first grade appearance, Papakura was again named in the Warrington A side. However, he realised he had failed to secure a place in the Warrington first grade team and so he returned to the Festival of Empire in London.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} One appearance only wire2wolves.com
2. ^ Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN 9781869693664, p.p.26-29.
3. ^ The Meeting Of The Giants 1908.com
4. ^ ^{a b c} John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 years: Māori rugby league, 1908–2008. Huia Publishers. pp. 64. ISBN 1869693310, 9781869693312. http://books.google.com/books?id=nklWo8vw-iIC&printsec=frontcover. 
5. ^ Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987. p.16

Persondata
Name	Papakura, Riki
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	New Zealand
Date of death
Place of death