Christchurch’s Tanner Stowers-Smith has become the latest home-grown talent to debut for the One New Zealand Warriors, making his first-grade appearance in the club’s Round 11 NRL clash against the Dolphins at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium over the weekend.

The 21-year-old prop, who is the great-grandson of legendary Kiwi captain Pat Smith, was handed Warrior cap #292. He’s the third player to debut for the club this season, following co-captain James Fisher-Harris and hooker Sam Healey.

Stowers-Smith’s rugby league pedigree runs deep. Pat Smith, a hooker/prop, captained New Zealand in all 10 of his Test appearances and 36 matches overall between 1947 and 1949 — leading the Kiwis to wins over Great Britain, France and Australia.

A product of Christchurch’s Halswell Hornets and St Bede’s College, Stowers-Smith stood out in both rugby union and rugby league as a schoolboy before committing to league after graduation reported nzrl.co.nz.

He has steadily risen through the Warriors’ development ranks and is the fifth local player from the club’s NRL squad this season to debut after progressing through the club’s pathways system since 2023.

His debut on Sunday continued a rapid rise that began just two years ago when he captained the Warriors’ SG Ball under-19 side. After an impressive season in the New South Wales Cup, he earned selection for the Kiwis A squad that faced Tonga A in the 2023 Pacific Championships.

Coming off the bench in a youthful interchange trio that included fellow 21-year-olds Demitric Vaimauga and Jacob Laban, Stowers-Smith impressed in his 25-minute debut with 21 tackles and six runs for 50 metres.