‘Will never be forgotten’: Former All Black, Counties Manukau great dies

Former All Blacks and Counties winger Robert Kururangi has died aged 69. 

He died on September 30, with no cause of death given. 

Kururangi played eight matches for the All Blacks during their 1978 tour of the British Isles, scoring four tries but did not play in a test match. 

While he never kicked on with the All Blacks, Kururangi made a name for himself for the Steelers in the NPC, playing in 91 fixtures and scoring 48 tries for the province between 1977 and 1984. 

In 1979, he played eight games for the Counties side featuring fellow All Blacks Bruce Robertson and Andy Dalton, which won their first and only first division NPC title. 

He also took part in the 1982 New Zealand Māori rugby union tour of Wales and Spain. 

Counties held a moment’s silence for Kururangi and former rugby journalist Phil Gifford, before their Ranfurly Shield defence against Hawke’s Bay on Saturday. They also wore black armbands. 

Robert Kururangi, then aged 66 years in 2023. Photo / File 

The team went on to defend the Log of Wood 12-7 to lock it away for the summer, which was made more special with many Steelers alumni in attendance. 

In a social media post, Counties Manukau Rugby described Kururangi as a respected member of their rugby whānau. 

“Robert’s contribution to the Red, White and Black hoops will never be forgotten,” the post read. 

“Our thoughts are with his whānau, friends and teammates during this difficult time.” 

Originally from the East Coast, Kururangi attended Gisborne Boys’ High School where he played two years of First XV rugby, while representing the North Island at under-16 and under-18 levels. 

He moved north and played club rugby for Ardmore before being selected for Counties. 

He was also a serviceman in the New Zealand Army. 

In 2023, Kururangi stood trial in the Manukau District Court for seven alleged historic charges of sexually violating and indecently assaulting his daughter when she was between 5 and 8 years old. 

He was found not guilty on all seven charges, telling the Herald at the time: “I had to defend myself”. 

“I had to dig deep, talk to a lot of my family and get comfort from the fact they were right behind me. It was embarrassing for my family.” 

This year, he was fined $6000 on three charges under the Animal Products Act after a successful prosecution by New Zealand Food Safety over an illegal home-kill operation.