About Simon Mannering
Simon Alexander Mannering (born 28 August 1986) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. A New Zealand international second row forward, who could also play as a centre. He was appointed the New Zealand national team's captain in 2013 and was replaced by Jesse Bromwich in 2016 and was part of the 2008 World Cup-winning Kiwis team. Mannering was a one-club player who played his whole NRL career with the Warriors. With 301 appearances for the Warriors, Mannering is the club's most capped player. == Early years == Mannering moved to Motueka at an early age and was educated at Motueka High School and then at Nelson College from 2000 to 2004, where he played rugby union. After being spotted by rugby league development officer Paul Bergman, Mannering switched codes and was an instant success, making the national secondary schools team after just three games of rugby league. In 2004 Mannering moved to Wellington to play for the Wellington under-18 side, joining the Wellington Rugby League Academy at WelTec. He then was selected for the Paul Bergman-coached Wellington Orcas in the Bartercard Cup. In 2004, Mannering made the Junior Kiwi's and the New Zealand A side.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.