Promising One New Zealand Warriors forwards Tanner Stowers-Smith and Eddie Ieremia-Toeava have been given contract upgrades ahead of the 2025 season.
Christchurch-born prop Stowers-Smith, who turns 21 next month, has been elevated from a development contract to join the club’s top 30 NRL squad.
And Aucklander Ieremia-Toeava (20) has been signed on a fulltime development contract which sees him train with the NRL squad for the season.
“Tanner and Eddie have been outstanding coming through our pathways programme,” said One New Zealand Warriors general manager recruitment, pathways and development Andrew McFadden.
“Tanner was playing for our under-19 SG Ball Cup side only two years ago but has already played almost 40 New South Wales Cup games as well as NRL trials.
“It’s the same with Eddie. He was in our under-19s in 2023 and was still eligible for the grade last year but spent the entire season in reserve grade and played every game.”
Out of the Halswell Hornets and St Bede’s College in Christchurch – where he played First XV rugby union – Stowers-Smith is the great grandson of Canterbury’s legendary former Kiwi captain Pat Smith.
He led the Warriors’ SG Ball Cup side in 2023 – and played all nine games – before being promoted to the NSW Cup team. Last season he appeared in 23 of the club’s 25 NSW Cup games and has now played 36 games in the competition; last year he averaged 88 metres and 20 tackles a game while he made 44 tackle breaks.
Stowers-Smith has also played in NRL trials against Wests Tigers in Christchurch last year and Cronulla Sutherland in Sydney earlier this month.
Ieremia-Toeava has risen rapidly through the club’s pathways system after earlier juggling his rugby league commitments with the Ōtāhuhu Leopards and First XV rugby union with De La Salle College.
His development was fast-tracked last year when he bypassed both the under-19 (SG Ball Cup) and under-21 (Jersey Flegg Cup) competitions to spend the entire season with the Warriors’ reserve grade side in the New South Wales Cup; not only that he appeared in all of the team’s 25 games alternating between prop, the second row, the centres and the interchange. He averaged 90 metres and 27 tackles a game while he scored six tries, made nine line breaks and 45 tackle breaks.
Ierenia-Toeava also played in the Christchurch NRL trial against Wests Tigers last year as well as both Preseason Challenge matches against the Sharks and the Storm this month. In Hamilton last Saturday he played in the centres inside Roger Tuivasa-Sheck on the left edge, providing the final pass for Tuivasa-Sheck’s first try and Chanel Harris-Tavita’s four pointer just before halftime.
Profile | Tanner Stowers-Smith
Born: March 3, 2004
Birthplace: Christchurch, NZ
Junior club: Halswell Hornets
Position: Prop
Height: 183cm
Weight: 93kg
New South Wales Cup appearances: 36 (2023-2024)
New South Wales Cup points: 8 (2 tries)
Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21) appearances: 1 (2024)
Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21) points: 0
SG Ball Cup (under-19) appearances: 8 (2023)
SG Ball Cup (under-19) points: 8 (2 tries)
Profile | Eddie Ieremia-Toeava
Born: December 15, 2004
Birthplace: Auckland, NZ
Junior club: Ōtāhuhu Leopards
Position: Second row/prop/centre
Height: 190cm
Weight: 96kg
New South Wales Cup appearances: 29 (2023-2024)
New South Wales Cup points: 24 (6 tries)
SG Ball Cup (under-19) appearances: 8 (2023)
SG Ball Cup (under-19) points: 8 (2 tries)
