Daniel Rona: the concreter on a 30-day deal who scored in an NPC final and a Super Rugby semi-final

In the summer of 2022-23 Daniel Rona was a concreter from Taranaki on a 30-day training contract with the Chiefs, there to fill a gap in pre-season. By the end of the 2025 season he had scored 16 Super Rugby tries, including one in a semi-final, started a Super Rugby final, scored in Taranaki's NPC-winning final, and played for the Māori All Blacks and the All Blacks XV. He is 26 and starts 2027 on 45 games for the Chiefs.

Taranaki roots

Rona was born on 10 April 2000 and grew up in Taranaki. He is of Te Ātiawa descent, the Māori All Blacks recorded when they first picked him. His half-brother is Curtis Rona, born in Waitara, who played rugby league in the NRL and then three rugby Tests for Australia in 2017.

Daniel went to New Plymouth Boys' High School, where he started out as a halfback before moving into the midfield of the First XV, RugbyPass reported. Wikipedia, citing Stuff, records that he also began as a halfback at the Clifton club before shifting to centre. In 2019 the Taranaki Rugby Academy signed him.

Taranaki

Rona's NPC debut came on 25 October 2020 against Waikato at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, and he scored a try, though Waikato won 27-20. In 2021 he played in all ten of Taranaki's wins as they went through the Championship division unbeaten, and he scored against Northland at Okara Park in Whangārei on 15 August 2021, a 48-14 win. He added two tries in 2022, one of them against Canterbury at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth on 20 August 2022, a 16-10 win.

A 30-day deal

In late 2022 the Chiefs called him into their pre-season as a replacement player while their All Blacks were away, and in March 2023 they gave him a 30-day development contract. His Super Rugby debut came off the bench in a 28-7 win over the Highlanders at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on 10 March 2023.

Injuries to Anton Lienert-Brown and Alex Nankivell opened the midfield for him, and he started every game from round six to round 11. His first Super Rugby try came in a 33-17 win over the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium in Wellington on 15 April 2023, and on 5 May 2023 he scored twice in a 52-28 win over the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.

On 23 May 2023 the Chiefs signed him on a three-year contract. "Concreter no more," the club posted. Head coach Clayton McMillan said: "He has been on our radar since he debuted for Taranaki."

An NPC title

That October Taranaki went all the way. In the final against Hawke's Bay at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth on 21 October 2023, Rona started at second five-eighth. In the 11th minute, after charges at the line from Kaylum Boshier and Pita Gus Sowakula, the ball was moved to the blindside and Rona scored. In the second half he gave the pass for Adam Lennox's try, NZ Rugby's provincial report recorded, and Taranaki won 22-19 for their first NPC title since 2014.

He has kept scoring for Taranaki since: five tries in 2024, including two against Waikato at Yarrow Stadium on 8 September 2024 and two against Tasman at Trafalgar Park in Nelson on 6 October 2024, then two in 2025 and one in 2026. By RUGBE's count from Wikipedia's season records, that is 13 NPC tries.

Tries in the big games

The 2024 Super Rugby season was his best for tries. He scored seven, including a hat-trick in a 56-7 win over the Western Force at FMG Stadium Waikato on 4 May 2024. In the semi-final against the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium in Wellington on 15 June 2024 he scored in a 30-19 win that sent the Chiefs to the final. In the final against the Blues at Eden Park in Auckland on 22 June 2024 he came off the bench in the 61st minute, and the Blues won 41-10.

He scored six more tries in 2025, among them two against the Hurricanes in Wellington on 3 May 2025, and on 21 June 2025 he started at centre in the final against the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch, which the Crusaders won 16-12. His Super Rugby total is 16 tries, 80 points, by RUGBE's count from Wikipedia's match records, which matches Wikipedia's career figure.

Māori All Blacks and the All Blacks XV

Rona was one of the debutants named in the Māori All Blacks squad for Japan in June 2024. He started at centre against a Japan XV at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo on 29 June 2024, a 36-10 win. He was picked again in 2025 and started on the wing against Scotland at Okara Park in Whangārei on 5 July 2025, which Scotland won 29-26.

In October 2025 he and Boshier were named in the All Blacks XV squad for Europe. On 1 November 2025 he started at centre against the Barbarians at Brentford Community Stadium in London, the ground where Curtis had scored the first try in 2020, according to Wikipedia. The All Blacks XV won 33-19. On 16 November 2025 he came off the bench against Uruguay at Stade Raoul-Barrière in Béziers, France, and scored in a 45-21 win. He has not played a Test.

Style and standing

Rona has played halfback, second five-eighth, centre and wing. McMillan's reason for signing him in 2023 was simple: the Chiefs had liked him since his first games for Taranaki. RugbyPass noted in February 2024 that the Chiefs had not lost any of the nine games he played in 2023.

Where he is now

Rona was named in the Chiefs' 2027 squad on 28 October 2026, one of four midfielders with Quinn Tupaea, Anton Lienert-Brown and Kyle Brown, on 45 Chiefs games. The 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season opens on Friday 12 February 2027.

Career at a glance

Chiefs games are the club's count in its 2027 squad announcement. Try counts are RUGBE's tally from Wikipedia's season and match records, and agree with Wikipedia's career points figures.