Nathan Cayless

NZ-born P’matta junior chose to represent the birthplace of his parents when he started his international career. An Australian schoolboy representative in 1995-96, Cayless earned his first Kiwi Test jersey in 1998 in his second season in the Eels’ top grade. The rugged prop was named P’matta captain in 2000, at 21 the youngest captain in the club’s history, and following NZ’s loss to Australia in the World Cup (in which he came off the interchange bench) he assumed the NZ Test captaincy for the match against France. By the end of the year, Cayless had played in 19 Tests but nothing could take the sting out of the Eels’ 30-24 grand final loss in which his team was summarily out-played by Newcastle. Off-season surgery for a knee injury ruled him out of the Kiwis’ tour of Great Britain and France in 2002. Cayless, the older brother of Jason Cayless, again played against Australia in October 2004 before taking part in the Kiwis unsuccessful Tri Nations campaign in England. In the one-off Test against Australia in May 2006 Cayless partnered his brother in the front row in the Kiwis 50-12 loss before coming off the interchange bench in the Kiwis’ 16-12 loss in extra-time in the Tri-Nations final in November.