Arthur Jennings (rugby union)


Arthur Grahn Jennings is a Fijian-born former politician and New Zealand rugby union international. A lock, Jennings represented Bay of Plenty at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, on their 1967 tour of Britain, France and Canada. He played six games for the All Blacks on that tour but did not appear in any test matches. During the 1980s he served as a member of the House of Representatives in Fiji.

Biography

Of Fijian, Tongan and English ancestry, Jennings was born in Fiji but was educated in New Zealand from an early age. He was the first Fijian to play for the All Blacks, and is the uncle of Tongan and Australian rugby league representative Michael Jennings.
In 1982 Jennings contested the Western general national constituency as a National Federation Party candidate, and was elected to the House of Representatives. However, he left the NFP in November 1985, and subsequently lost his seat in 1987, and later unsuccessfully contested the 1999 elections as an independent.