Former All Black front-rower Angus Ta’avao has packed more into his rugby career than most players could dream of. With more than 260 professional appearances across the Blues, Chiefs, Waratahs, Taranaki and Auckland, and 23 caps in the black jersey, he’s earned a place among New Zealand’s most respected modern prop forwards.
Angus is also deeply a family man; his path and his decision-making around rugby also shaped by his family, who are clearly everything to him – his wife and two wonderful children. His son Leo, 8, has faced major health challenges since birth and has significant special needs, which Angus says has taught him patience and perspective. The joy of the arrival of his daughter, Georgie - now a singing, dancing two-year-old social butterfly has added a new dimension to family life.
Being away from his wife and children will be the toughest part of his next exciting rugby move - joining the Highlanders for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season. He’ll need to call on his resilience, humility, and character – the hallmarks of his journey. A key part of that journey, he says, has been his foundational time at Dilworth.
“Right back from when I was a young kid, I had big dreams to become an All Black. We were living in Raglan, and my mum knew there was no way I’d be able to achieve those dreams if I stayed there (in the country), so she applied for Dilworth,” says Angus.
“I arrived in Year 8, but at the time I didn’t know what it would actually mean for me to go there – I was just a young bloke who missed his mum.”
New friendships, challenges and opportunities soon replaced initial homesickness. Angus developed independence and resilience – qualities that have become hallmarks of his professional career.
Ironically, he didn’t play school rugby initially. Too heavy for the junior team’s weight limits, he opted for hockey, playing club rugby on the side. Dilworth backed him wholeheartedly.
“They’d sort my taxis, put dinners aside for me, they looked after me 100%, nurturing me and supporting me to play the sport I loved.”
As soon as he could, Angus pulled on the Dilworth jersey, playing for the 1st XV from Years 10–13. Training was tough and he thrived.
“What set our team apart was the connection, because we lived together and trained together. At Dilworth it’s not like going to school – it’s like your family. I was a ‘stay back’ and I always remember on Sundays looking forward to all the boys coming back from their weekends at home. That hard work and camaraderie, that brotherhood, played a massive role in how we performed on the field.”
Dilworth’s impact off the field was just as game-changing.
“Dilworth provides so much, but you don’t always appreciate it when you’re young. Like the free music lessons I never took up. I look back now and think why didn’t I give them a go?! Dilworth gave me a good all-round education. Yes, the achievements were awesome, but the cool thing I remember – and what I tell the boys now – is to make the most of all the opportunities.”
Angus says what provided the greatest opportunity of all was the genuine care shown by Dilworth’s coaches, teachers and housemasters.
“I was given everything I needed to succeed – not just in the classroom and education-wise, but right across the board. I had teachers that cared and worked hard and yes, some were strict!
It’s the opportunities, and the people here who genuinely want you to succeed and do well – that’s the special part about Dilworth. The teachers and house staff see you every day and help you grow into the man that you are. They play a massive role in developing you as a human being.”
After graduating, Angus headed to Ireland to play rugby before returning to the University of Auckland to start a Bachelor of Commerce. But in 2012, when he debuted for the Blues, study took a back seat. In 2018, he was called up for the All Blacks, and that was the icing on the cake, the ultimate.
He described so well just what it felt like:
“Getting that phone call was like a roller coaster of emotions – tears, laughter, joy. It made me think about where I started and the sacrifices so many people had made along the way. Like my Dilworth 1st XV coach, August Williams, who would wake up at 5 am, bring me fruit, drive me to Eden Park for pre-academy training, wait for me and then drive me back to school. He didn’t have to do that, but he did.”
He describes the emotions he experienced during his first game for the All Blacks. “Here we were on the world stage, about to debut for the All Blacks. It's just this crazy feeling, you know, at 28 years old. Singing the anthem, I felt like crying, but I was actually laughing. I was looking up the lights thinking, what am I doing? I'm about to play for the All Blacks.”
Now a role model himself for Dilworth students, Angus has sound advice for those coming behind:
Really make the most of the opportunities you're given, and don’t be afraid just to give things a go - you might discover something you never knew you’d love. Nothing in this world comes without hard work, so put your hand up, work hard, and give back, you know.
