Doug Howlett made a monumental contribution to New Zealand rugby as a long serving All Black wing between 2000 and 2007. Though a heavy try-scorer with pace and enough skill to occasionally appear at fullback he always had to be at his best, for other crack wings like Joe Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Rico Gear were in their prime in the latter part of those seasons, too. The early part of his test career had also clashed with another charismatic trio in Jonah Lomu, Jeff Wilson and Tana Umaga.

But Howlett from an early age was clearly destined for stardom. At Auckland Grammar he was not only an exceptional rugby player but a track runner of promise who had he concentrated on this sport might have been good enough to have been a Commonwealth Games participant at least. He was still at Grammar when in 1996 he made his first appearance for the Auckland representative side.

As a teenager in the late 1990s Howlett had difficulty cracking some powerful Auckland and Blues sides, but his talents had been quickly spotted. In 1997 he appeared as a replacement draft player with the Highlanders, scoring three tries against the Chiefs in his Super 12 debut.

In 1998 he was drafted to the Hurricanes and between 1997-99 he was a leading player in the New Zealand Colts sides.

After making the Blues for the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Howlett gained his All Black jersey for the 2000 early season international against Tonga, coming on as a second spell replacement and making an instant impact. With his first touch he scored a try and then added another. A debut against Tonga had added meaning for Howlett as he had part Tongan heritage, though born and raised in New Zealand.

Howlett was not used for the remaining domestic tests of 2000, but went on the tour at the end of the season of France and Italy, playing all three internationals and scoring a try in each.

In 2001, with Lomu and Wilson still available, Howlett mainly shared the All Blacks’ wing spots, but by 2002 he was fast emerging as the first choice, which he would pretty well remain until the 2006 season, despite the rise of Rokocoko, Sivivatu and Gear.

However, in 2006 he suffered the disappointment of being rested, in favour of the other three, for the end of year tour and then was not among the 22 rested from the 2007 Super 14 and out on special conditioning programmes.

That may have been a blessing in disguise for Howlett. He had a full season with the Blues, played with renewed zest and significantly was one of the better performed All Blacks through the 2007 season. Unlike so many of the others, he never gave an impression of being under-done.

His good form at the 2007 World Cup in France continued and it was a major surprise, and in hindsight, a big blunder, when he not only was omitted for the quarterfinal against France but not even placed in the reserves. The official explanation was that he was spelled so that a judgement could be made on whether Rokocoko or Sivivatu should partner him in the later semi-final and final. Unfortunately, those games never eventuated.

Frustration as a result of this may have been a factor when Howlett, completely out of character, was involved in a car-park incident.

Howlett then took up an overseas contract. The World Cup disappointments of both 2003 and 2007 notwithstanding, he is entitled to rank among the great All Black wings. His 173 tries in all first class rugby placed him only behind John Kirwan and Bernie Fraser. He appeared in 103 Super 12/14 matches, including the Blues’ triumphant 2003 season. And his 49 tries in 62 tests meant that at the 2007 World Cup he ousted Christian Cullen as New Zealand’s record-holder.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Douglas Charles Howlett

BORN

Thursday, 21 September 1978 in Auckland

AGE

31

PHYSICAL

1.85m, 93kg

POSITION

Wing

LAST SCHOOL

Auckland Grammar

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Auckland Marist

PROVINCE

Auckland

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Friday, 16 June 2000
v Tonga at Albany
aged 21 years, 269 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Friday, 16 June 2000
v Tonga at Albany
aged 21 years, 269 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 29 September 2007
v Romania at Toulouse
aged 29 years, 8 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

62 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

1 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

63 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

245pts (49t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

245pts (49t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

992

The All Black Games that Howlett played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

2000

 16 Jun vs Tonga at Albany 102-0 (+) 

 11 Nov vs France at Paris 39-26  

 18 Nov vs France at Marseille 33-42  

 25 Nov vs Italy at Genova 56-19  

2001

 16 Jun vs Samoa at Albany 50-6  

 23 Jun vs Argentina at Christchurch 67-19 (+) 

 30 Jun vs France at Wellington 37-12 (+) 

 21 Jul vs South Africa at Cape Town 12-3  

 11 Aug vs Australia at Dunedin 15-23 (-) 

 1 Sep vs Australia at Sydney 26-29 (-) 

 17 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 40-29  

 24 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 37-6  

 1 Dec vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 24-20  

2002

 8 Jun vs Italy at Hamilton 64-10 (-) 

 15 Jun vs Ireland at Dunedin 15-6 (-) 

 22 Jun vs Ireland at Auckland 40-8 (+) 

 29 Jun vs Fiji at Wellington 68-18  

 13 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 12-6  

 20 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 41-20 (-) 

 3 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 14-16  

 10 Aug vs South Africa at Durban 30-23  

 9 Nov vs England at London 28-31  

 16 Nov vs France at Paris 20-20  

 23 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 43-17  

2003

 14 Jun vs England at Wellington 13-15  

 21 Jun vs Wales at Hamilton 55-3  

 28 Jun vs France at Christchurch 31-23  

 19 Jul vs South Africa at Pretoria 52-16  

 26 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 50-21 (-) 

 9 Aug vs South Africa at Dunedin 19-11  

 16 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 21-17  

 11 Oct vs Italy at Melbourne 70-7  

 17 Oct vs Canada at Melbourne 68-6 (+) 

 24 Oct vs Tonga at Brisbane 91-7  

 2 Nov vs Wales at Sydney 53-37  

 8 Nov vs South Africa at Melbourne 29-9  

 15 Nov vs Australia at Sydney 10-22  

 20 Nov vs France at Sydney 40-13  

2004

 12 Jun vs England at Dunedin 36-3  

 17 Jul vs Australia at Wellington 16-7  

 24 Jul vs South Africa at Christchurch 23-21  

 7 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 18-23  

 14 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 26-40  

 20 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 26-25  

 27 Nov vs France at Paris 45-6 (-) 

 4 Dec vs Barbarians at London 47-19  

2005

 10 Jun vs Fiji at Albany 91-0  

 25 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 21-3  

 3 Sep vs Australia at Auckland 34-24  

 12 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 45-7  

2006

 10 Jun vs Ireland at Hamilton 34-23  

 17 Jun vs Ireland at Auckland 27-17  

 22 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 35-17  

 19 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 34-27  

 2 Sep vs South Africa at Rustenberg 20-21  

2007

 9 Jun vs France at Wellington 61-10 (+) 

 16 Jun vs Canada at Hamilton 64-13  

 14 Jul vs South Africa at Christchurch 33-6 (-) 

 21 Jul vs Australia at Auckland 26-12  

 8 Sep vs Italy at Marseille 76-14  

 23 Sep vs Scotland at Edinburgh 40-0  

 29 Sep vs Romania at Toulouse 85-8 (+) 

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Tonga, 16 Jun 2000

2

-

-

-

10

vs France, 11 Nov 2000

1

-

-

-

5

vs France, 18 Nov 2000

1

-

-

-

5

vs Italy, 25 Nov 2000

1

-

-

-

5

vs Samoa, 16 Jun 2001

1

-

-

-

5

vs Argentina, 23 Jun 2001

1

-

-

-

5

vs France, 30 Jun 2001

1

-

-

-

5

vs Australia, 1 Sep 2001

1

-

-

-

5

vs Ireland, 17 Nov 2001

1

-

-

-

5

vs Ireland, 15 Jun 2002

1

-

-

-

5

vs Fiji, 29 Jun 2002

1

-

-

-

5

vs South Africa, 20 Jul 2002

1

-

-

-

5

vs South Africa, 10 Aug 2002

1

-

-

-

5

vs England, 9 Nov 2002

1

-

-

-

5

vs Wales, 23 Nov 2002

2

-

-

-

10

vs England, 14 Jun 2003

1

-

-

-

5

vs Wales, 21 Jun 2003

1

-

-

-

5

vs South Africa, 19 Jul 2003

2

-

-

-

10

vs Australia, 26 Jul 2003

1

-

-

-

5

vs Australia, 16 Aug 2003

2

-

-

-

10

vs Italy, 11 Oct 2003

2

-

-

-

10

vs Tonga, 24 Oct 2003

2

-

-

-

10

vs Wales, 2 Nov 2003

2

-

-

-

10

vs France, 20 Nov 2003

1

-

-

-

5

vs England, 12 Jun 2004

1

-

-

-

5

vs Australia, 17 Jul 2004

1

-

-

-

5

vs South Africa, 24 Jul 2004

1

-

-

-

5

vs Fiji, 10 Jun 2005

2

-

-

-

10

vs Australia, 3 Sep 2005

3

-

-

-

15

vs Ireland, 12 Nov 2005

2

-

-

-

10

vs Ireland, 10 Jun 2006

1

-

-

-

5

vs Canada, 16 Jun 2007

1

-

-

-

5

vs Italy, 8 Sep 2007

3

-

-

-

15

vs Scotland, 23 Sep 2007

2

-

-

-

10

vs Romania, 29 Sep 2007

1

-

-

-

5

Totals

49

0

0

0

245

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Argentina

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Australia

12

7

-

5

8

-

-

-

40

British & Irish Lions

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Canada

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

England

3

1

-

2

3

-

-

-

15

Fiji

2

2

-

-

3

-

-

-

15

France

8

6

1

1

4

-

-

-

20

Ireland

6

6

-

-

5

-

-

-

25

Italy

4

4

-

-

6

-

-

-

30

Romania

1

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Samoa

1

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Scotland

2

2

-

-

2

-

-

-

10

South Africa

11

9

-

2

5

-

-

-

25

Tonga

2

2

-

-

4

-

-

-

20

Wales

4

4

-

-

5

-

-

-

25

Totals

61

50

1

10

49

0

0

0

245