A  Little History
Who has played in the Roller Mills Tournament? Over the years the Northern Roller Mills tournament has been host to many well known rugby players who have gone on to represent the country with the All Blacks. One of the most renowned of these players is Colin Meads. The Meads have firm roots in the Te Kuiti area. Being brought up on a sheep station after moving there when Colin was 8. Colin, more commonly known as 'Pine Tree' was an All Black for 15 years and has since become what many would call the 'most famous rugby player in the world'. For his many loyal fans, Colin is the archetypal Kiwi, a solid and reliable type who gets on the job without any fuss. He played the game for the love of it, proud to represent his country, not for the fame and status of it. Don Clarke is another famous all Black who started his rugby career at The NRM tournament. Also known as 'The Boot' for his phenomenal goal kicking ability, Clarke played 89 games as an All Black and during this time scored 781 points. This was a record that stood for 24 years until it was broken by Grant Fox in 1988. Grant Fox was also a young Roller Mills Representative who went on to become what many call the true pioneer of the modern art of goal kicking, in particular the technicalities of leaning the ball forward, which has been adopted by world class kickers since. Every Representative that plays in the Roller Mills Tournament knows that with enough work and dedication, they can follow the footsteps of many great players who started their careers at the roller mills games. |