Alama Ieremia and New Zealand gained mutual benefit from the loose international eligibility regulations which were in place until the mid 1990s when stiffer requirements were put in place. For without the old laxity Ieremia would never have been able to have been an All Black and instead would have had to play out his career with Samoa.

Though Ieremia came to New Zealand in his teens and started playing representative rugby with Wellington as a 21-year old midfield back in 1992 it was to his native Samoa that he gave his first allegiance. He played internationals for Samoa during the 1992-93 season and was on the tour of New Zealand in 1993, playing in seven matches and for Manu Samoa against the All Blacks at Eden Park in the first official international between the two countries.

But the following year Ieremia and the halfback Ofisa Tonu'u, as they were entitled to do at the time, changed their allegiances to New Zealand and both subsequently became All Blacks.

Ieremia's promotion was rapid for after the All Blacks had lost a two-test series against France in 1994 he was introduced for the three tests against the Springboks, playing at second five eighths with Frank Bunce, another who had been blooded by Samoa at test level, outside him at centre.

Ieremia was in the 1995 World Cup squad, but played only the pool match against Japan. For most of 1995 and 1996 the All Blacks' preference was for Walter Little as Bunce's partner and it was only an injury to Little that gave Ieremia his first extensive run as a regular test selection in 1997.

An injury during the 1998 Super 12 ruled him out of All Black selection that year. But he returned in 1999 and for the first part of the international progamme he was used mainly at centre but for the bulk of the World Cup later in the year he was back at second five.

In 2000 he was again an All Black first choice, mainly again as a centre. Ieremia, a cheerful, articulate personality, was a strong, incisive runner and at 1.87m and 100kg an imposing and powerful defender. He also had well developed skills and a solid boot. At his best, and when free from injury, he was one of the most consistently successful midfielders New Zealand rugby has had.

When he left New Zealand rugby at the end of the 2000 season to take up an overseas contract Ieremia had played 40 matches for the All Blacks, including 30 tests.

He was also extremely effective for Wellington in the NPC and for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, forming an effective midfield pairing with Jason O'Halloran. He was sorely missed by the Hurricanes when affected by injuries in each of the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

Ieremia played in 41 Super 12 games for the Hurricanes and the last of his 65 appearances for Wellington was in the 2000 NPC first division final when he came on as a replacement to share in the triumph over Canterbury.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Alama Ieremia

BORN

Tuesday, 27 October 1970 in Apia

AGE

39

PHYSICAL

1.86m, 100kg

POSITION

Second five-eighth and centre three-quarter

LAST SCHOOL

Samoa College (Apia)

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Western Suburbs

PROVINCE

Wellington

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 9 July 1994
v South Africa at Dunedin
aged 23 years, 255 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 9 July 1994
v South Africa at Dunedin
aged 23 years, 255 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 19 August 2000
v South Africa at Johannesburg
aged 29 years, 297 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

30 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

10 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

40 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

25pts (5t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

20pts (4t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

45pts (9t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

942

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

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1994

 9 Jul vs South Africa at Dunedin 22-14  

 23 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 13-9  

 6 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 18-18  

1995

 4 Jun vs Japan at Bloemfontein 145-17  

 25 Oct vs Italy 'A' at Catania 51-21  

 1 Nov vs French Barbarians at Toulon 34-19  

 7 Nov vs Cote Basque-Landes at Bayonne 47-20  

 14 Nov vs French Selection at Nancy 55-17  

1996

 6 Aug vs Boland Invitation XV at Worcester 32-21  

 10 Aug vs South Africa at Cape Town 29-18 (+) 

 20 Aug vs Western Transvaal at Potchefstroom 31-0  

 27 Aug vs Griqualand West at Kimberley 18-18  

 31 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 22-32 (+) 

1997

 5 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 30-13 (+) 

 19 Jul vs South Africa at Johannesburg 35-32 (+) 

 26 Jul vs Australia at Melbourne 33-18  

 9 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 55-35  

 16 Aug vs Australia at Dunedin 36-24  

 8 Nov vs Llanelli at Llanelli 81-3  

 15 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 63-15  

 22 Nov vs England at Manchester 25-8 (-) 

 2 Dec vs England 'A' at Leicester 30-19  

1999

 11 Jun vs New Zealand 'A' at Christchurch 22-11  

 18 Jun vs Samoa at Albany 71-13  

 26 Jun vs France at Wellington 54-7 (-) 

 10 Jul vs South Africa at Dunedin 28-0  

 24 Jul vs Australia at Auckland 34-15  

 7 Aug vs South Africa at Pretoria 34-18  

 28 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 7-28  

 3 Oct vs Tonga at Bristol 45-9 (-) 

 9 Oct vs England at London 30-16 (-) 

 24 Oct vs Scotland at Edinburgh 30-18  

 31 Oct vs France at London 31-43 (-) 

 4 Nov vs South Africa at Cardiff 18-22  

2000

 16 Jun vs Tonga at Albany 102-0  

 24 Jun vs Scotland at Dunedin 69-20  

 1 Jul vs Scotland at Auckland 48-14  

 15 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 39-35  

 5 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 23-24  

 19 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 40-46  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Japan, 4 Jun 1995

1

-

-

-

5

vs Italy 'A', 25 Oct 1995

1

-

-

-

5

vs Cote Basque-Landes, 7 Nov 1995

1

-

-

-

5

vs Western Transvaal, 20 Aug 1996

1

-

-

-

5

vs South Africa, 9 Aug 1997

1

-

-

-

5

vs Llanelli, 8 Nov 1997

1

-

-

-

5

vs Ireland, 15 Nov 1997

1

-

-

-

5

vs Tonga, 16 Jun 2000

1

-

-

-

5

vs Scotland, 1 Jul 2000

1

-

-

-

5

Totals

9

0

0

0

45

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Australia

7

5

-

2

-

-

-

-

-

England

2

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

France

2

1

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Ireland

1

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Japan

1

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Samoa

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Scotland

3

3

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

South Africa

11

7

1

3

1

-

-

-

5

Tonga

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

Totals

30

23

1

6

5

0

0

0

25