Quick fire questions with Northland Taniwha players. We feature a new player profile every week of the Mitre 10 Cup season.
Matt Matich
Loose Forward, Northland Taniwha
- If you could build your dream Coresteel shed, where would you build it and what would you put in it?
I would build my dream Coresteel shed at Farmlands Park (Shark Park) in Dargaville and fill it with kumara to fuel the next generation of rugby talent from the Northern Wairoa. - Where were you born?
Dargaville - Where did you attend high school?
Mt Albert Grammar - What club do you belong to?
Western Sharks - Favourite rugby player?
Noah Cooper - What is your job outside of rugby?
Rugby Development Officer - What’s the best advice you have been given?
Never reverse more than you have to.
View Northland Rugby photos from the 2017 season!
Matt Wright
Fullback, Northland Taniwha
- If you could build your dream Coresteel shed, where would you build it and what would you put in it?
I would build my dream Coresteel shed in my backyard. In the shed, I’d have all the essentials like a dart board, pool table and a fridge. - Where did you attend high school?
Rodney College - What club do you belong to?
Wellsford - What is your favourite food?
Pork ribs - Favourite movie?
Nacho Libre - Favourite rugby player?
Cory Jane - What is your job outside of rugby?
Tiler - Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Rarotonga - What’s the best advice you have been given?
At the end of the day, it’s night (Chooky)
Howard Sililoto
Prop, Northland Taniwha
- If you could build your dream Coresteel shed, where would you build it and what would you put in it?
I would build my dream Coresteel shed in the neighbourhood I grew up in, Glen Innes. I would turn it into a free gym for troubled youth, and target obesity in the area. In the shed, I’d have a boxing ring and weights and hold group training sessions. - Where did you attend high school?
Tamaki College / Mt Albert Grammar - What is your favourite food?
Mum’s Samoan Koko Rice - Favourite movie?
Dead Presidents - Do you have a pet?
A pitbull/labrador cross - What are your hobbies outside of rugby?
Boxing, MMA, Muay Thai and above all, family time - What is your job outside of rugby?
Fitness Trainer / Landscaper - Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Rarotonga - What’s the best advice you have been given?
Tough times never last, tough people do.
Josh Larsen
Lock, Northland Taniwha
- If you could build your dream Coresteel shed, where would you build it and what would you put in it?
I would build my dream Coresteel shed at Matapouri, facing open to the beach. I’d fill it with the ultimate coffee bean roaster and a machine to make some salty blends. A few surfboards tucked in there too. - Where did you attend high school?
Kerikeri High School/ Mt Albert Grammar - What is your favourite food?
Seafood and pasta - Favourite movie?
Moneyball - Do you have a pet?
Cat (Panther) - What are your hobbies outside of rugby?
Cooking, cafe/coffee enthusiast, travel and following the NFL. - What is your job outside of rugby?
Hostel Manager - Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Europe, in particular, Spain - What’s the best advice you have been given?
Live in the present, learn from the past and plan for the future.
Jordan Hyland
Utility, Northland Taniwha
- If you could build your dream Coresteel shed, where would you build it and what would you put in it?
I would build my dream Coresteel shed at Te Arai Point and fill it with a John Deere tractor, a Gator and a pool table. - Where did you attend high school?
Westlake Boys High School - What is your favourite food?
Mexican - Favourite movie?
Forrest Gump - Do you have a pet?
Dog (Billie) - Who’s your all-time favourite rugby player?
Doug Howlett - What is your job outside of rugby?
Drainlayer - Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Te Arai Point - What’s the best advice you have been given?
No pain, no gain
Ropate Rinakama
Prop, Northland Taniwha
- If you could build your dream Coresteel shed, where would you build it and what would you put in it?
I would build my dream Coresteel shed in Fiji and fill it with construction equipment. - Where did you attend high school?
Mt Albert Grammar - What are your favourite foods?
Traditional Fijian dish - Favourite movie?
The Blind Side - Do you have a pet?
A boxer - Who’s your all-time favourite rugby player?
Shaun Devine (Humble and a hard worker) - What is your job outside of rugby?
Operating heavy construction machines - Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Naivucini Village (Fiji) - What’s the best advice you have been given?
Be humble and have humility in your heart. Treat people with respect and kindness.
Tim Bond
Lock, Northland Taniwha
- If you could build your dream Coresteel shed, where would you build it and what would you put in it?
I would build my dream Coresteel shed at Wellingtons Bay and fill it with a new Hilux and a stabicraft centre console. - Where did you attend high school?
Christchurch Boys’ High School - What are your favourite foods?
Fish and chips - Favourite movie?
Any given Sunday - Do you have a pet?
A dog called Max - Who’s your all-time favourite rugby player?
Culum Reallick - What are your hobbies outside of rugby?
Diving and fishing - Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Tairua - What’s the best advice you have been given?
Enjoy it
Rene Ranger
Utility, Northland Taniwha
- If you could build your dream Coresteel shed, where would you build it and what would you put in it?
I would build my dream Coresteel shed anywhere in Northland that was rural and by the sea. It would be a two-bay shed with an additional room as a rumpus/bar. It would also have a boat cover at one end and a chiller for home-kill meat. In the main two bays, it would have workshop space and room for my truck and a couple of motorbikes. - Where did you attend high school?
Rodney College - What are your favourite foods?
Seafood and meat - Favourite TV programme?
Hunting Aotearoa - What’s your favourite type of music?
NZ Reggae - Who’s your all-time favourite rugby player?
Jonah Lomu (he changed the game) - What are your hobbies outside of rugby?
Hunting, fishing, 4×4 motorbikes and family - Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Far Far North - What’s the best advice you have been given?
Be yourself