[2][5] He was one of nine children of Samuel Taia Nathan and Irene Huakore (née Randall).

[7] Nathan played as an Auckland Rugby Union representative, making his debut in 1959 before the age of 19.

Nathan had several strong performances at the start of the 1963–64 tour, before missing six games with a broken finger.

[2] He was given the nickname Le Panthère Noir ("the Black Panther") by the rugby reporter of a French newspaper, who was impressed by Nathan's ability to pursue opponents on the field like the animal.

[7] Nathan was conferred the Tom French Cup as Māori player of the year in 1962 and 1966.

[1][10] Injuries – including another broken jaw during the 1967 tour in Britain[2] – reduced Nathan to playing 14 tests for New Zealand with 14 wins with the team.

[7][4] He first exhibited symptoms of the disease after the 2011 Rugby World Cup and underwent surgery to correct displaced vertebrae in order to reduce pressure to the lower part of his head.