Marcel Renata: Super Rugby champion who scored as Northland ended a 48-year Ranfurly Shield wait

On 20 August 2026 at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch, a 32-year-old tighthead prop burrowed over from close range for Northland's second try, and by full-time the Taniwha had beaten Canterbury 36-12 to take the Ranfurly Shield north for the first time in 48 years. Marcel Renata had never played in a Shield challenge before that week. Two years earlier he had started at tighthead when the Blues beat the Chiefs 41-10 to win the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific title. With 81 games for the Blues, 76 for Auckland and 18 for the Māori All Blacks, Renata is in the Blues squad for 2027. This is the story of how a King's College old boy went straight from club rugby to the Māori All Blacks and kept going.

Where he comes from

Marcel Tukerangi Renata was born in Auckland on 24 February 1994, according to his Wikipedia entry and the Blues. His iwi are Ngāti Whanaunga and Ngāi Takoto, as listed by allblacks.com when he was named for the Māori All Blacks in 2024. When Northland Rugby signed him for 2026, they described the move as Renata coming home.

He went to King's College in Auckland and played his club rugby for the Auckland University club, known as the Varsity Vipers. RUGBE could not find a published account of his junior rugby, his First XV years or any age-grade representative honours, and no family members in rugby have been written about publicly.

Straight from club rugby to the Māori All Blacks

Renata's first-class career began with the Māori All Blacks. In 2015, while still playing club rugby, he was called into the Māori All Blacks squad as a late addition, and on 18 July 2015 he came off the bench against the New Zealand Barbarians at Eden Park. It was not a winning start: the Barbarians won 34-17 in wet conditions, which the Otago Daily Times noted was the Māori side's first home defeat in 12 years. The Blues' profile notes that he made his first-class debut "straight out of club rugby".

Two months later he made his debut for Auckland. He played twice off the bench in 2015, then nine games in 2016, six of them starting at tighthead, according to Wikipedia. In November 2016 he toured the northern hemisphere with the Māori All Blacks under coach Colin Cooper and played all three matches, starting with a 54-7 win over the United States in Chicago on 4 November 2016.

Facing the Lions

The 2017 British and Irish Lions tour gave him two shots at the tourists. On 3 June 2017 he came off the bench for the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians against the Lions in Whangārei, where the Lions won 13-7. Two weeks later, on 17 June 2017, he came on again for the Māori All Blacks at Rotorua International Stadium, where the Lions won 32-10. The first of those matches was played in the city he would represent nine years later.

The 2017 NPC season brought his first provincial tries: against Waikato at Eden Park on 30 August 2017 and against Taranaki at Eden Park on 9 September 2017.

Auckland

Renata's biggest day in Auckland colours came on 27 October 2018. He started at tighthead in the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership final against Canterbury at Eden Park, which Auckland won 40-33 after extra time. It was his only NPC title with Auckland.

He scored against Tasman at Eden Park on 17 October 2020 in a 31-10 win, and his last Auckland try decided a match. On 29 September 2023, Auckland trailed Northland 26-20 at Eden Park with the clock past 80 minutes. Renata crossed in the 82nd minute and Zarn Sullivan's conversion won the match 27-26.

In all, RugbyPass records 76 games for Auckland between 2015 and 2024. Wikipedia's match records give him four tries for the province.

The Hurricanes and the Blues

Renata had a short stint with the Hurricanes, playing two games for them in 2018, before joining the Blues. His Blues debut came against the Sunwolves in Albany on 9 March 2019, a 28-20 win.

The Blues won the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition in 2021, and the club notes that Renata played all but one match of the title run. In the final against the Highlanders at Eden Park on 19 June 2021 he came off the bench in the 51st minute as the Blues won 23-15.

His first Blues try came against the Fijian Drua in Melbourne on 23 April 2022, in a 35-18 win, and he scored again in a 60-20 win over the Highlanders in Dunedin on 25 February 2023.

Fifty games and a title

On 18 May 2024 Renata made his 50th appearance for the Blues, against the Highlanders at Eden Park, and the Blues won 47-13. Before the game, Dalton Papali'i, captain for the match, called him "a top fella to have around the club and a true Blues man".

Five weeks later the Blues met the Chiefs in the final at Eden Park on 22 June 2024. Renata started at tighthead and played 63 minutes, and Caleb Clarke scored a hat-trick as the Blues won 41-10. It was the club's fourth Super Rugby title and its first in 21 years, Wikipedia records.

A week after the final he was in Tokyo with the Māori All Blacks, starting at tighthead in a 36-10 win over the Japan XV on 29 June 2024. He started again in the second match, a 26-14 loss in Toyota City on 6 July 2024.

Five tries in a season

In 2025 Renata scored five tries in 13 Super Rugby games, more than in his first six Blues seasons combined: in a 32-31 loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton on 15 March 2025, in a 42-19 loss to the Crusaders at Eden Park on 22 March 2025, the only Blues try in a 19-18 win over the Hurricanes at Eden Park on 5 April 2025, the opening try of a 40-19 win over the Western Force at Eden Park on 2 May 2025, and the first try of a 34-5 win over the Drua in Suva on 9 May 2025.

Injury kept him out of the Māori All Blacks squad named in June 2025. That year he also played his first four games for Northland, RugbyPass records, after deciding to leave Auckland. He told RugbyPass that after a dozen years in the same environment he wanted a new challenge.

In 2026 he played 15 games for the Blues and scored twice, both against Moana Pasifika: in a 43-7 win at Eden Park on 15 March 2026 and a 45-19 win in Albany on 2 May 2026. The Blues finished fourth and lost a semi-final on 13 June 2026. On 22 June 2026 the Māori All Blacks' new coach, Tamati Ellison, named Renata among the returning players in his first squad, and on 27 June 2026 he started at tighthead against the Japan XV in Nagoya, where the Māori All Blacks came back from 31-14 down to win 38-31.

The Ranfurly Shield

Northland signed Renata for the 2026 Hilux NPC, the competition's 50th season, and made him the headline name in their squad. On 14 August 2026 Northland beat Taranaki 42-0 in Whangārei, the first time since 1980 that they had held a Division 1 opponent scoreless, RugbyPass reported.

Six days later they went to Christchurch to challenge Canterbury for the Shield. James Mullan scored first for Northland, Canterbury replied through Tahlor Cahill and Jone Rova to lead 12-7, and then the visitors took over. Renata scored from close range in the 30th minute, Sam Nock broke clean through off a lineout maul, and Northland led 21-12 at half-time. Rob Rush scored twice in the second half and Canterbury did not score again. The 36-12 win was Northland's first Shield success since 1978, its first win over Canterbury in 27 years and its first win in Christchurch since 1987, PMN reported.

Crowds packed Whangārei Airport the next day to welcome the team home. "I still can't really believe it," captain Rivez Reihana told 1News.

Northland held the Shield against Tasman (20-10 on 30 August 2026) and Waikato (34-17 on 12 September 2026) before Counties Manukau took it from them 22-19 in Whangārei on 26 September 2026.

There was more to come. In the semi-final against Otago in Whangārei on 16 October 2026, Renata scored twice, in the 9th minute and just before half-time, as Northland won 38-19 to reach the NPC final, the first time the Taniwha had played for the national title, 1News noted. Canterbury won the final 43-24 in Christchurch on 26 October 2026, with Renata starting at tighthead. He finished his first full Northland season with 10 games and three tries.

Style and standing

The Blues describe Renata as "a senior figure in the front row and a regular Māori All Black". In 2026 RugbyPass reported a clear lift in Northland's set piece under the province's 2026 forwards coach, Ross Wright, with Renata at tighthead; in the 42-0 win over Taranaki the first two scrums brought penalties and Northland also won a tighthead.

The numbers: 81 Blues games with 57 wins, according to RugbyPass, nine Super Rugby tries, four finals (the 2018 Premiership final, the 2021 Trans-Tasman final, the 2024 Super Rugby final and the 2026 NPC final) and a try in the Shield win.

Looking to 2027

Renata has not played a Test for any country. He is in the Blues squad for 2027, named on 28 October 2026, and the Blues list Northland as his province. The Blues' head coach for 2027 is Jason Holland, who replaces Vern Cotter, and the squad includes Ardie Savea. When the 2027 season begins, Renata will be in his ninth season with the club.

Career at a glance

Blues games and points are from the Blues' profile and agree with Wikipedia's list of Blues players (81 games, 9 tries, last game 13 June 2026). Auckland and Northland games are RugbyPass's counts; Auckland tries are from Wikipedia's NPC match records and agree with Wikipedia's 15 points to 2021 plus one try in 2023. Māori All Blacks games are Wikipedia's 15 to July 2022 plus three starts in 2024 and 2026, matching RugbyPass's total of 18.