As fullback, he played in the four matches in Australia before the tour, two in New Zealand, then played in each of the 30 tour matches. He won lavish praise for his faultless displays of kicking, tackling and fielding the ball and was named as one of the five Players of the Year by the Wisden Rugby Almanack. Nepia, a member of the dominant Hawke’s Bay teams of the 1920s, completed 39 consecutive appearances for the All Blacks when he played against New South Wales in 1925. He played in two matches for the All Blacks in 1929 plus all four tests against the 1930 British Isles team. Nepia continued to play until 1935, when he played in the trials for the team to tour Britain, then switched to league in England. He returned in 1937 and played league for New Zealand and reappeared in rugby after World War II. He became, at 45, the oldest person to play first-class rugby in New Zealand when he captained the Olympians against Poverty Bay in 1950 Return to the Inductee list