April 5: Vagana gets five

On this day, a couple of old sparring partners reignited their feud and Nigel Vagana had a day to remember with the Bulldogs.

1904

Less than nine years after the Northern Union breaks away from the Rugby Football Union in England to initiate the rugby league game, the code's first international match is played in Wigan. Other Nationalities, a team made up mainly of Welshmen and a few Scots beat an English side 9-3.

1995  

Viliame Kikau is born in Nausori, Fiji. Kikau made his international debut with Fiji in 2015 and has played 101 games with the Panthers since joining the club in 2017. His barnstorming charges have made him a cult hero with Panthers fans and were a feature of the club's remarkable run to the 2021 premiership.

1999

Long-time adversaries Newcastle coach Warren Ryan and Sydney Morning Herald journalist Roy Masters are involved in a heated exchange behind the Parramatta Stadium grandstand. Masters claims: "I was the victim of a cowardly and unprovoked attack". The NRL launches an investigation.

2002

Bulldogs centre Nigel Vagana catches fire with five tries in his team's 32-6 defeat of Souths at Aussie Stadium. Vagana's feat equals the Bulldogs' record set by winger Edgar Newham in 1942. Auckland-born Vagana tops the NRL in tries that season and is named Dally M Centre of the Year.

2015

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.