Sonny Whakarau is a former New Zealand rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 footballer who played professionally in England and represented the New Zealand Māori

New Zealand Maori rugby league team

-See also:* New Zealand national rugby league team* New Zealand Māori rugby union team* New Zealand Māori cricket team-External links:* Google Books...

.

Playing career

A Manwatu representative, Whakarau moved south in 1986, joining the Wellington Rugby League

Wellington Rugby League

Wellington Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Greater Wellington region. It is responsible for the local competition of the same name, as well as its representative team, the Wellington rugby league team.- Local Senior Competition :The...

 and becoming a ellington rugby league team|Wellington representative.

In the 1994/1995 English season Whakarau joined Doncaster and helped them win promotion to the First Division.
Sheffield Eagles

Sheffield Eagles

Sheffield Eagles RLFC are an English rugby league club based in the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane after leaving Don Valley Stadium in late 2009....

 in 1995/96 season.
He played for the Keighley Cougars

Keighley Cougars

Keighley Cougars are a professional rugby league club from Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. As of 2012 they will play in Co-operative Championship having won the Co-operative Championship 1 play off final 32-12 against Workington...

 in 1996. Later in the season he was loaned to the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...

.

He played for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...

 in 1998.

Whakarau then returned home and played for the Levin Knights and Manawatu. In 2000 he was appointed player-coach of the Manawatu team but handed the coaching reigns over to former coach Paul Sixtus after one game. He was then appointed the Manawatu Rugby League

Manawatu Rugby League

Manawatu Rugby League was formed in 1957. They are currently part of the Mid-Central zone along with Taranaki Rugby League.-Kiwi Players:Only one player from Manawatu has ever made the New Zealand Kiwis. This was Kiwi number 456, Dick Uluave, who played two tests in 1979.-National Competitions:In...

 development officer in 2001.

In 2002 the Central Falcons

Central Falcons

The Manawatu rugby league team are a rugby league team that represents the Manawatu Rugby League in New Zealand Rugby League competitions. They have previously been nicknamed the Mustangs and between 2002 and 2007 competed in the Bartercard Cup as the Central Falcons.Manawatu has a strong domestic...

 were admitted to the Bartercard Cup

Bartercard Cup

The Bartercard Cup was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zealand Rugby League...

 and Whakarau became a regular in the side, playing close to 50 games over the next three seasons until his retirement from representative football at the end of the 2005 season.

In 2004 Whakarau played for the Levin Lions in the Western Alliance club competition.

Representative career

Whakarau represented New Zealand Māori

New Zealand Maori rugby league team

-See also:* New Zealand national rugby league team* New Zealand Māori rugby union team* New Zealand Māori cricket team-External links:* Google Books...

 at the 1996 Pacific Cup and then played in their defeated of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea national rugby league team

The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea internationally in the sport of rugby league football.In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls...

 and Great Britain

Great Britain national rugby league team

The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....

 the same year.

Whakarau was again selected for the 2004 Pacific Cup squad.