Jeff Karika Explained

Birth Name:Jeffrey Archer Karika
Height:1.780NaN0
Weight:85kg (187lb)
Ru Position:Flanker
Province1:Hawke's Bay
Provinceyears1:1992-1999
Provinceapps1:53
Provincepoints1:80
Province2:Central Vikings
Provinceyears2:1997-1998
Provinceapps2:20
Provincepoints2:35
Repteam1:Cook Islands
Repyears1:1997-1999

Jeffrey Archer Karika is a former New Zealand rugby player who played internationally for the Cook Islands.

Biography

Karika made his debut in first-class rugby as a flanker for the Hawke's Bay team in 1992. He scored two tries in his first season.[1] In the 1997 season he began playing for the Central Vikings, a combined team of Hawke's Bay and Manawatu.[2] He was in the team that played the Vikings first ever game which was against the touring Fijian team.[3] Towards the end of the 1998 season, he tore two-thirds of the ligaments off his left thumb in a round-robin game against Nelson Bays and was out of play for the rest of the season.[4]

Karika was noted for his ability to outplay more established opposing openside flankers, despite being a lot shorter and a lot lighter than most flankers. His defensive work rate and ability to force turnovers was frequently recognised by rugby journalists.[5] He had the nickname "Turbo" and played internationally for the Cook Islands team in the late 1990s, including qualification matches for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.[6]

After retiring from playing, Karika was a development team coach for the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union.[7]

His daughter Sarah won the gold medal for the under-19 girls beach relay team at the 2011 national surf lifesaving championships.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Howitt, Bob . Radio New Zealand Sport Rugby Annual 1992 . 1992 . Moa Beckett . Auckland . 1 86947 114 8 . 102-3 .
  2. News: Peter . Lampp . Vikings run a tight ship . . 31 May 1997 . 32 .
  3. News: Touring Fijians aspire to pull off miracle . . 31 May 1997 . 6 .
  4. News: Peter . Lampp . Tearaway Karika may be ready for final . . 19 October 1998 . 20 .
  5. News: Shane . Hurndell . 'Turbo' set to go non-stop again . . 18 March 2011 . A12 .
  6. News: Peter . Lampp . 'Turbo' set to go non-stop again . . 4 September 1997 . 20 .
  7. News: New blood in Hawke's Bay teams . . 26 May 2003 . D8 .