Rugby: Te Roi Tataurangi’s legacy lives on through trophy at Te Awamutu College

Waikato Herald·

26 Sep, 2023 01:15 AM2 mins to read

Te Awamutu College Rugby Club coach of the year Mark Harrison with the TWM Tataurangi Award (centre) is flanked by Phil Tataurangi and Michael Earwaker. Photo / Tanja Allen

Te Awamutu College alumnus and former professional golfer Phil Tataurangi and his family have gifted Te Awamutu College Rugby Club the T.W.M. Tataurangi Award trophy for coach of the year.

The award is in memory of his father Te Roi Wiremu Mikaera Tataurangi, who was a coach and assistant coach of the Te Awamutu College First XV during the 1980s.

Sadly Te Roi Tataurangi passed away in 1990, aged just 47.

Te Awamutu College Rugby Club president and Under-55kg team coach Mark Harrison was the inaugural recipient of the award, handed out last Tuesday night.

“Being part of a First XV family and a rugby family here at the college was a great period of time for our family,” Phil Tataurangi says.

Although his father represented the Māori All Blacks, New Zealand Universities, the New Zealand Juniors and played 93 games for Auckland, Tataurangi says that his time coaching at the college was among his fondest rugby memories.

Te Roi Tataurangi (left) was the assistant coach of the victorious 1983 Te Awamutu College First XV that won the Tricolor Trophy.

Tataurangi had acted as a sort of team mascot for these teams as he was still primary school age.

“When we had a reunion of the [1980s] teams earlier this year, a lot of memories came back around the connections and the friendships that were made,” he says.

“[Our family] felt compelled to put this trophy together, Dad’s been passed away for a number of years but having the reunion, coming back to TA and reconnecting was cool.

“We thought it was a good way to not only [recognise] Dad’s involvement with rugby and his time here with the college. So, we wanted to recognise not only the recipient of coach of the year but all the coaches - whether they’re teachers here at the school, parents, uncles, aunties, grandparents, whoever they are.

“The time and effort they put in for all players to enjoy the sport doesn’t go unrecognised but I’m sure it’s just as much fun for them as it is for the players.”