Position Full-back or wing Team Pld Height 1.8 m | Years Team Pld T | |
Full name John Kakuhura Raymond Timu Born 8 May 1969 (age 47)
Dannevirke, New Zealand ( 1969-05-08 ) Weight 82 kg (12 st 13 lb; 181 lb) Education Lindisfarne College, University of Otago | ||
John Kakuhura Raymond Timu (born 8 May 1969) is a New Zealand former rugby league and rugby union footballer of the 1980s and 1990s who achieved international selection for his country in both rugby codes, appearing in 26 tests for the All Blacks in union and nine for the Kiwis in league. Timu's usual position was centre. In union he would play at full-back or on the wing.
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Rugby union
Timu played representative rugby union for Otago. He was selected to play for New Zealand in the 1991 Rugby World Cup. Also in 1991 Timu was awarded the Tom French Cup as Māori player of the year. In the 1992 South Africa vs New Zealand rugby union match he played for the All Blacks, scoring a try. He was then selected to go on the 1993 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain.
Rugby league
Timu commenced his professional rugby league career in 1995 with the newly re-branded Sydney Bulldogs club. In his first season, he was selected to play for the New Zealand national team in the second and third matches of the 1995 Trans-Tasman Test series. Timu played in the centres for the Bulldogs in their victory in the 1995 Winfield Cup Grand Final. He was selected for New Zealand's 1995 Rugby League World Cup squad but didn't play any games due to injury.
During the 1996 Great Britain Lions tour Timu as selected to play for New Zealand at centre in all three Test matches, scoring two tries in the first. Timu was selected to play for New Zealand at centre in the 1997 Anzac Test. After the 1997 Super League season he left the Bulldogs to play in England.
Timu played for the London Broncos at centre in the 1999 Challenge Cup Final.