RUBEN WIKI
Ruben Wiki ONZM is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Ruben Wiki’s career in rugby league was one of enduring success and excellence, beginning with the Canberra Raiders in 1993 and ending with the New Zealand Warriors fifteen years later. Multi-talented and immensely popular, Wiki proved himself to be among the finest of all rugby league players during 16 first-grade seasons which included an illustrious club career on both sides of the Tasman.
A New Zealand international representative centre-turned-prop forward, he retired with the record for most international appearances of any rugby league player in history. As of 2023, he is still the highest capped Kiwi player ever. At club level Wiki played for the Canberra Raiders, winning the 1994 NSWRL Premiership with them before finishing his career with the New Zealand Warriors. He currently works as the NZRL's High Performance Manager and a High Performance Assistant with the New Zealand Warriors. One of the toughest players of his era, Ruben Wiki had a decorated 311-game premiership career for the Canberra Raiders and New Zealand Warriors.
Of Samoan and Maori heritage, Wiki was an Otahuhu Leopards junior. Alongside future All Black captain Tana Umaga, Wiki wreaked havoc for the Junior Kiwis in 1992. He represented the New Zealand Maori side in 1992 and 1993, playing on the wing at the 1992 Pacific Cup. Wiki commenced playing in Australia's Winfield Cup for the Canberra Raiders' first grade side in the 1993 NSWRFL season.
In 1994, he teamed up with Mal Meninga as centre to score a premiership win for the Canberra Raiders in which they beat Canterbury 36-12 to send Immortal Meninga out a winner in his last ever game. Twice voted Canberra’s player of the year (2002-03), Wiki scored 60 tries for the Green Machine, including four tries in a match on two occasions – against Newcastle in 1994 and the Cowboys in 1996. He was then involved in controversy when both the Canberra Raiders and new Auckland Warriors tried to register him for the 1995 season. After a long dispute Wiki stayed with Canberra. Wiki was selected for the New Zealand team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. In the final against Australia he played at centre in the Kiwis' 22–20 loss.
Wiki joined the New Zealand Warriors in 2005. Wiki will probably be remembered most as the captain of the Kiwi team that scored an historic 24–0 victory over the Kangaroos in the 2005 Tri-nations. This was the first series win since 1978 and the first time in 20 years that New Zealand had kept Australia scoreless in a test match. In the final Wiki was named man-of-the-match and became the first player of any nation to reach 50 test caps.
Wiki became only the tenth player and first New Zealander to play 300 first grade games in the NRL when he started at prop in the Warriors 28–26 victory against the Wests Tigers on 29 June 2008. He played, what was meant to be his final game with the All Golds as part of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup against the New Zealand Maori rugby league team. Later that year he was an assistant to the New Zealand team which won the Rugby League World Cup. Wiki snubbed the chance to join a Super League side for the 2009 season, and entered into retirement from first grade rugby league in 2008.
Ruben Wiki’s extraordinary career garnered the most elite of achievements: a then-world record 55 Tests for the Kiwis, selection in the New Zealand Team of the Century, the first non-Australian to make 300 first-grade appearances in the Australian premiership and one of just three Kiwis to be inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame.