Featured Player
Bruce Stephen Hemara
Born in Palmerston North on October 19, 1957 Bruce Hemara attended Central Normal School and P.N. Boys High School being in the 1st XV 1973-75. Joining Freyberg Old Boys in 1976 he went immediately into the senior team and the following year, at the age of 19, entered the rep. squad but did not get a run during the Shield era. One game in 1978 and two in 1979 were Hemara's only appearances in his first three years in the Manawatu squad. He would have played many more had it not been for the outstanding form of regular hooker Denis Clare. During 1980-81 Clare and Hemara shared the hooking duties but by 1982 Hemara became the established rake, playing many outstanding games showing great determination and speed about the field.
He missed selection in the Maori's team to tour Wales and Spain in October but was called into the side after Reid broke an arm in a game before departure. Selection for the Maori's tour was a proud moment for the 24 year old meat inspector as he was to be in the first Maori team to go to the northern hemisphere since his grandfather Moses Mete toured Australia, Ceylon, England, Wales, France and Canada with the 1926-27 N.Z. Maori team.
In Wales Bruce Hemara played in each of the first five games including once as a replacement loose forward and general opinion back home was that he was a certainty for the "test" against Wales. But no, tour coach Waka Nathan chose O'Carroll for the big game, a decision which became one of the mysteries of the tour.
Hemara was consistently in fine form during 1983 and won the Manawatu Player of the Year trophy, the first non All Black to win the title in seven years. It was Bruce's seventh year in the rep. squad yet the game against Auckland was the first time he played in a losing Manawatu side in an inter-provincial match on the Oval. With All Black captain Andy Dalton unavailable for the end of the season tour of Britain, Hemara was a contender to accompany Reid but the selectors chose Brett Wilson, a player who made a rapid rise to national level and disappeared equally as rapidly after the tour. After an impressive display in the 1984 All Black trial Hemara captained Manawatu in the early games before relinquishing the responsibility, A quiet person on and off the field he led by example, unfortunately his players did not give him total effort which in turn affected his own play.
His season was cut short when he suffered a broken arm whilst leading the southern zone team in the annual Prince of Wales Cup fixture. The injury deprived Hemara a chance for the All Black tour to Fiji as Dalton was unavailable. Dalton's replacement, John Mills, was rather a surprise selection and he, like Wilson the previous year, disappeared from contention next season. Although Hemara performed well in both the trial and Inter-Island fixture in 1985 Dalton and Reid were selected for the South African tour.
When the tour was cancelled the NZRFU arranged a brief tour to Argentina in October for the "would have" South African tourists. Dalton, who had employed a farm manager while in Africa was unable to retain him if he went to Argentina and so withdrew from the party. Bruce Hemara was then selected and the whole of the Manawatu were elated for we all knew he had been on the verge of selection for several years, it was just a matter of getting the break. He played three matches on tour.
It was a long road to the top for the popular Maori footballer and he served Manawatu faithfully, continuing the tradition of long serving hookers for Manawatu following on from Laurie Richardson, Gerald Nesdale, Brian Kitchen, Garth Thelin and Denis Clare. Whilst the Cavaliers were in South Africa in 1986 Bruce Hemara, 88kg and 1.78m tall, was chosen for the first test against France but had to withdraw because of injury, allowing Sean Fitzpatrick to make his All Black debut. Hemara had declined an invitation to join the Cavaliers after Dalton was injured. He continued to represent Manawatu until 1990 and has since coached at club level and in Spain and Andorra. He has recently returned to Manawatu and is firmly ensconced as part of the Turbos' Coaching Staff.
Abridged version from http://www.rugbymuseum.co.nz/ABProfilee.asp?level1=Database&Level2=ABC&IDID=376
