Norm Berryman Explained

Norm Berryman
Birth Name:Norman Rangi Berryman
Birth Date:15 April 1973
Birth Place:Wellington, New Zealand
Death Place:Perth, Western Australia
Height:1.8m (05.9feet)
Weight:108kg (238lb)
Ru Position:Centre, Winger
Repteam1:All Blacks
Repteam2:Māori All Blacks
Repyears1:1998
Repyears2:1995–2000, 2003
Repcaps1:1
Reppoints1:0
Ru Ntupdate:2015-06-25
Super1:Chiefs
Super2:Blues
Super3:Crusaders
Superapps2:3
Superapps3:30
Superpoints2:0
Superpoints3:75
Superyears1:1996
Superyears2:1997
Superyears3:1998–2000
Province1:Northland
Provinceyears1:1991–2000, 2003
Provinceapps1:107
Ru Provinceupdate:2015-06-25
Clubs1:Castres Olympique
Clubs2:CS Bourgoin-Jallieu
Ru Clubupdate:2007-01-17
School:Church College

Norman Rangi Berryman (15 April 1973 – 22 June 2015) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played as a winger and centre.[1] He played one Test for the All Blacks, and represented Northland, the Crusaders and the Chiefs in New Zealand. In France, he played for Castres Olympique and CS Bourgoin-Jallieu.

Representative career

Berryman first played first class rugby as an 18-year-old for Northland in the National Provincial Championship (NPC), in 1991.[1] The next year he played in the New Zealand (All Black) trial, but wasn't picked for the national team. He continued to play for Northland, and in 1996 joined the Chiefs for the new Super 12. Berryman was drafted into the Blues in 1997, and eventually into the Crusaders in 1998. With the Crusaders he won three Super 12 championships (1998, 1999, and 2000).[1]

Teammate Justin Marshall: "At the Crusaders, we were very structured and defence orientated and he definitely wasn't that. [Berryman] would play off the cuff and he enabled us to use our defence to swing on to attack. It was vital. And the crowd loved him."[2]

During the 2000 NPC, he left New Zealand for France, playing for Castres Olympique then CS Bourgoin-Jallieu. He returned to New Zealand in May 2003.[3] Berryman rejoined Northland for the 2003 NPC, playing his 100th game for the team that year.[4] In 2004, Berryman moved to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, where he played for Southern Districts in 2005.[5]

International career

Berryman played one Test for the All Blacks, as a replacement against South Africa in 1998.[1] He also played for New Zealand A in the tour to Samoa that year, and in 1999.

He was a member of the New Zealand Māori in 1992, and from 1995–2000.[6] [3] On his return to New Zealand in 2003 he was selected for the Māori again, this time for their tour of Canada.[3] [7]

Personal life

Berryman was born in Wellington, moving to Whangarei as a child. He began playing rugby at Whangarei Intermediate School, continuing through Whangarei Boys' High School and Church College. He had six children. His niece, Kennedy Cherrington, is an Australian dual-code rugby player.[8]

From 2004, Berryman lived in Australia–first residing in Sydney, then Western Australia. In Perth, he stayed involved in club rugby, playing in the third-grade Kalamunda team, and coaching at his son's club, Wanneroo. He died of a heart attack in Perth on 22 June 2015, aged 42.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Accessed 1 March 2009
  2. Web site: All Blacks greats on the passing of Norm Berryman. NZ Herald. 25 June 2015.
  3. News: Au revoir France ... bonjour Canada . The New Zealand Herald. 19 July 2003.
  4. News: No 4. for Berryman . Dominion Post. 23 August 2003 .
  5. News: Rebels secure All Black Norm . Sunday Telegraph (Sydney) . 66 . 10 April 2005 . Smith . Terry.
  6. Book: Palenski. Ron. The All Blackography. 2014. Mower. 978-1-927262-16-0. 42.
  7. News: Berryman buzzing over NZ Maori recall . NZPA . 17 July 2003.
  8. Web site: Commonwealth Youth Games 2017: Peerless Australia strike gold in women's rugby sevens. 22 July 2017. The Courier-Mail. 29 October 2022. Tucker, Jim. The Bahamas.
  9. Web site: Norman Berryman dies of heart attack. stuff.co.nz. 23 June 2015.