Latham Tawhai

Latham Tawhai (born 23 August 1972) is a rugby league coach and former player from New Zealand. He has also represented his country in softball.

Latham Tawhai

Personal information
Full name	Latham Dean Henare Tawhai[1]
Born	(1972-08-23) 23 August 1972 (age 52) Auckland, New Zealand
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	82 kg (12 st 13 lb)
Playing information
Position	Five-eighth, Halfback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 19?? Northcote 1994–96 North Harbour 62 16 51 2 167 1996–97 Keighley Cougars 13 2 0 0 8 1997–99 Hunslet Hawks 77 32 0 11 139 2000–21 Doncaster Dragons 38 21 0 3 87 2001–02 Rochdale Hornets 51 12 2 1 53 2003 Hull Kingston Rovers 26 8 3 4 42 2004 Hunslet Hawks 24 8 5 4 46 2005 Doncaster Lakers 21 3 0 0 12 2006 London Skolars 5 3 0 3 12 Total 317 105 61 28 566 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P Auckland New Zealand Māori
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 2005–07 London Skolars
Source: [2]

Playing career

A Northcote Tigers junior, Tawhai played in the Auckland Rugby League competition before being selected for Auckland, and making the North Harbour Lion Red Cup side.^[3]

After playing for the champion North Harbour Sea Eagles in the Lion Red Cup, Tawhai represented New Zealand at the inaugural Super League World Nines, helping the side to victory before signing for Keighley in 1996. He later went on to play for Hunslet (winning the Tom Bergin Trophy for Man of the Match in the 1999 Grand Final^[4]), Rochdale Hornets, Doncaster and Hull Kingston Rovers.^[5]

Tawhai then left Hull KR to take up a player-coach role at Hunslet in 2004.^[6]

Coaching career

Tawhai was part of the RFL's coaching pathway starting with the Leeds Service Area and Rhinos Scholarship Programme. He went on to assist with the Bradford Bulls Foundation before coaching on the RFL's Elite Player Camps.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005 after guiding local amateur club Drighlington to success in the Pennine Premier League, the Yorkshire Cup Final and winning the Pennine League Coach of the Year, he moved to London where he became the first full-time coach at the London Skolars. In October 2007, after London Skolars best ever season, Latham was named the Co-operative National League Two Coach of the year. He left Skolars at the end of 2007 to become assistant coach at Harlequins RL under Brian McDermott.^[7] He remained with the renamed London Broncos until mid-season 2012 when he left the club, moving to Wales for personal and business reasons.^[8]

Other sports

Tawhai was a New Zealand Fastpitch softball representative.^[9] He went on to play in the United States with the Larry Miller Club in Salt Lake City and make the USA National U23 Tournament Team.^{[citation needed]}

After being resident in the UK for a number of years, he represented Great Britain at the 2004 World Softball Championships.^{[citation needed]}

Tawhai was also an Auckland Rugby Union Junior representative.^{[citation needed]}