The 19-year-old first five headhunted by Scott Robertson to help fill the Mo'unga void
Omaio, a small coastal village in the Opotiki district of the Bay of Plenty received plenty of unusual attention in November when stories tracing the background of Black Ferns captain Ruahei Demant were in abundance before the Black Ferns World Cup triumph over England.
If the new Crusaders first five-eighth Taha Kemara (Te Whanau a Apanui) has his own way Omaio won’t leave the headlines.
The 19-year-old was headhunted by Crusaders coach Scott Robertson to serve as a long-term replacement for All Blacks first-five Richie Mo’unga who will leave New Zealand Rugby in 2024 after signing a three-year deal with Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.
In 94 matches for the Crusaders, Mo’unga has scored 1053 points and won six consecutive championships. Is Kemara intimated by the prospect of filling such large boots?
“Not at all,” he emphatically responded to RugbyPass.
“It’s such an awesome opportunity to add to the legacy and the All Blacks have made me feel really comfortable so far. They are all accessible.
“It never crossed my mind being down here but when Razor offered a full-time gig and there was a backlog at the Chiefs it was a no-brainer.
“My first impression of Razor is that he’s a good guy who cares about people. In our first phone call, we spent 20 minutes talking about personal things before we even discussed rugby. That empathy is important to me.”
Robertson said shortly after signing Kemara to the Crusaders roster.
“We had to put a development plan together, he’s a year younger. For him to come in and be under Richie is huge, that’s a big part of it for us, to make sure he can get in and learn from the master, be guided around what it is to be a pro.”
Omaio translates as a place of peace and tranquillity. Kemara laughed the only things that ever happened were “hunting, fishing, and diving. He described the village as “super chill.”
The practical nouns and a cool temperament that often comes from being raised in a small town are evident in the way Kemara plays. He approaches the game without inhibitions.
“I like to be an attacking threat wherever I am on the field. I’m always looking for that small gap that might appear or space on the outside.
“I model a lot of my approach on Richie Mo’unga and last year was lucky to have Damian McKenzie show me the ropes with Waikato in the NPC.”
Life was comfortable for Kemara growing up in Omaio. His father Maxie was a police officer in Opotiki while his mother Kelli was a secondary school teacher. However, a hefty petrol bill traveling to sport and genuine ambition for success saw the Kemara family relocate to Hamilton where Taha soon flourished at Hamilton Boys’ High School.
He made the formidable First XV in Year 11 and helped Hamilton win three consecutive Super 8 titles between 2019 and 2021. In 2020 the First XV was unbeaten.
“I’m very lucky my parents made big sacrifices for my sister and me. Hamilton was a bit of a culture shock at first. I couldn’t believe how intense the training was but the Super 8 was awesome testing yourself against some of the best teams in the county,” he said.
“My best season was in Year 13 when I got a chance to be a leader in the team. I had some ups and downs off the field but the learnings and pride that came with being a leader of such a prestigious team were special. I was proud of the way I conducted myself.”
Kemara thrived for the Chiefs in Super Rugby Under 20 in May 2022. Ironically, he scored two tries and kicked three conversions in a 31-32 loss to the Crusaders and then scored another brace in a 58-26 demolition of the Hurricanes. That form was strangely insufficient to see him selected for the New Zealand U20s.
Waikato opportunities were limited because of the presence of All Black first five Damian McKenzie. However, Kemara showed he could cut loose when required.
In a 54-24 win against Southland, he scored two tries and slotted seven conversions. He also dotted down in a 53-6 slaying of Manawat?. Waikato failed to defend their Premiership title losing to Bay of Plenty in the quarter-finals.
Kemara is not the only bright prospect Waikato has lost to the Crusaders, halfback Noah Hotham partnered Kemara in the Hamilton Boys’ First XV.
“It’s surreal we’re both in Christchurch. It’s way different from the North Island, to be honest. It’s flat, I can see for miles.
“Noah is one of my best friends, our families are tight, and we’ve played a lot of footy together. It would be awesome to play Super Rugby with each other.”
If Kemara does succeed in Super Rugby, you can guarantee Omaio will throw a huge party. The Kemara family are friends with the Demant family.
“It was pretty buzzy to see Ruahei doing so well at the World Cup. I think they partied for days after the Black Ferns won. I want to make people from Omaio proud too.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
8 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
8 Go to comments