Rugby League: Meet the 'new hair bears'

Tohu Harris (centre) and Kevin Proctor have been nicknamed the 'new hair bears'. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi back rowers Kevin Proctor and Tohu Harris have earned themselves a unique nickname in this team.

Sam Moa describes them as the "new hair bears". It's a league lovers' tribute to two of the most underrated members of this side, men who don't grab headlines but provide a vital edge.

The original 'hair bears' were Kiwis Joe Galuvao and Tony Puletua's, in the early 2000s with Penrith. Both men had granite-like physiques, and stood out with their bushy mops of hair and menacing physicality on the edges. They were unstoppable in the Panthers' march to the 2003 premiership, big factors in the long awaited success.

Proctor and Harris are the shaggy haired compadres in the back row of this Kiwis team. Proctor's familiar dread locks, which he has retained for the entirety of his NRL career, wouldn't look out of place in a reggae band, while Harris's 1970s hairstyle dovetails perfectly with his game, built on old fashioned values.

Like the originals, Proctor and Harris are similarly effective, and also don't always get the credit they might deserve. But their team mates have no doubt.

"They are the new 'hair bears' - with a bit more finesse and flair," said Moa. "The old `hair bears' just used to bash everyone but these two are special players and we are lucky to have them."

Proctor and Harris played vital hands last Sunday. They outplayed their English opposites and provided plenty of attacking threat; Proctor went close to crossing the try line on two occasions and Harris had the assist for Shaun Kenny-Dowall's try. They were also defensive rocks on the edges, and Harris showed good awareness to defuse an dangerous English grubber late in the second half, covering for his fullback and winger who were caught out of position.

"Tohu and 'KP' led the way for us in [the second test]," said Moa. "I can't speak highly enough of those two. They played long stints; watching from the sideline when I was off they really dug in, those showed a lot of heart and skill. I [told them] after the game 'you two golliwogs had a blinder'."

Proctor and Harris don't always grab the headlines, but they are rated highly within the Kiwis camp. It's hard to imagine another scenario like the 2013 World Cup, where both were absent for different reasons.

They have become essential members of this New Zealand team, the kind of players you fit in first then worry about who else is in the 17. They have been ever-presents in the Kiwis' current run of six victories in seven tests - and Proctor played a vital part in the first chapter, forcing his way through four Australian defenders to draw the Kiwis level in Brisbane, after the Kangaroos had opened the scoring in the first game of the 2014 Four Nations.

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