Mark Byron Nixon is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 former rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 player who represented his country

New Zealand national rugby league team

The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...

 in two tests, including a match counting towards the 1992 World Cup.

Playing career

Nixon played for the Hornby club in the Canterbury Rugby League

Canterbury Rugby League

Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby league team which represents the region in New Zealand...

 competition and represented Canterbury. In 1989 he spent ten weeks in Australia with the Canberra Raiders

Canberra Raiders

The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...

 as part of the New Zealand Rugby League

New Zealand Rugby League

The New Zealand Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. The NZRL was founded on the 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year....

's "Rookie Scheme".

In 1990 he was selected for the New Zealand Kiwis and played in two Test matches against Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea national rugby league team

The Papua New Guinea national rugby league team represents Papua New Guinea internationally in the sport of rugby league football.In Papua New Guinea, Rugby league is highly popular and is regarded as the country’s national sport. The national side are known as the Kumuls...

. Later that year he moved to England, joining the Rochdale Hornets

Rochdale Hornets

Rochdale Hornets RLFC is an English professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. They currently play in Championship One...

 for the 1990/91 season.

In 1993 Nixon captained Canterbury and was selected as a Kiwi triallist. From there he was selected as part of the Kiwis touring side to Great Britain and France but did not play in any Test matches.

In 1994 Nixon was part of the Canterbury Country Cardinals

Canterbury Country Cardinals

The Canterbury Country Cardinals were a New Zealand rugby league club that represented Canterbury in the Lion Red Cup from 1994 to 1996. They were administered by the Canterbury Rugby League....

 in the new Lion Red Cup

Lion Red Cup

The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic rugby league competition that ran from 1994-1996 sponsored by brewers Lion Nathan. It was created due to the increase in public awareness of domestic rugby league due to the Auckland Warriors being accepted into the Winfield Cup. The competition was a...

. At the end of the year he again moved to England, playing for the Featherstone Rovers

Featherstone Rovers

Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century...

during the 1994/95 season.

Nixon again represented Canterbury in 1997.