Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate / Sport

Taniwha true blood brothers

By Kristin Edge
Reporter·Northern Advocate·
21 Sep, 2009 03:31 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Sky TV commentatorIt will be a hairy encounter when the Northland front row comes face to face with their Manawatu rugby counterparts tomorrow.
And it could be very scratchy or ticklish, depending on how the Taniwha and Turbos pack down. Observant Taniwha fans will notice the team is looking, well, hairier,
lately.
The boys in Cambridge Blue have hung up their razors in a bid to grow "Beards for Blood" and raise money for the New Zealand Leukaemia Foundation.
The only other team in the Air New Zealand Cup to take up the challenge is Manawatu. Individual players in some of the other sides are lending their support.
The razors will be out of action for the next six weeks as the whiskers go wild.
A week into the campaign and tight-head prop Karl Haitana is leading the way with an impressive set of woolly mutton chops and an equally impressive mullet.
"I thought I would rough it up and have a good tidy up at the end of the competition," Mr Haitana said.
"I'm going for the natural look and letting it grow wild like gorse. It's for a good cause."
He has no ambitions of becoming a ZZ Top look a-like and will be first in line to have it shaved off. Mr Haitana anticipates stiff competition from lock Dan Goodwin and captain Jared Payne.
At the other end of the hairy scale is hooker Mikaele Tuu'u, who says he grows facial hair like a 12-year-old.
"Believe it or not I'm going for the full beard but it doesn't grow that much on the sides."
Prop Bronson Murray rounds off the Taniwha front row with a hairy lip and bushy chops.
The push for players to develop their facial hair was sparked by Sky television rugby commentator Scott Stevenson who wants people to donate blood and help those with leukaemia. A website will be created to document the progress of the player's beards.
Mr Stevenson was impressed the Taniwha side had taken on the challenge.
 "It's a fantastic gesture by the Taniwha."
He said a day would be set to shave  the beards and he hoped a local hairdresser would donate their time  to do the job.
While the beards go wild the Taniwha will be hoping it's not a close shave but an easy win went they play tomorrow.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Sport

Māori All Blacks beaten by Scotland

05 Jul 05:39 AM
Northern Advocate

'Incredible': Northland retirees become world champs in new sport

27 Jun 07:00 PM
Sport

NZ shearers prepare for Scotland's toughest sheep

25 Jun 10:36 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Māori All Blacks beaten by Scotland

Māori All Blacks beaten by Scotland

05 Jul 05:39 AM

Visitors bounce back after a flying start from the hosts in Whangārei.

'Incredible': Northland retirees become world champs in new sport

'Incredible': Northland retirees become world champs in new sport

27 Jun 07:00 PM
NZ shearers prepare for Scotland's toughest sheep

NZ shearers prepare for Scotland's toughest sheep

25 Jun 10:36 PM
How Paralympic aspirations helped Eligh Fountain overcome mental battles - On The Up

How Paralympic aspirations helped Eligh Fountain overcome mental battles - On The Up

25 Jun 06:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP