2015 Rugby Championship
The 2015 Rugby Championship was the fourth edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship consisting of Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The 2015 Championship was a shorter competition than normal, with each team playing each other once, rather than twice (home and away). This was so that teams had a longer preparation time ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup which started on 18 September. However, New Zealand hosted an additional match against Australia in Auckland on 15 August which acted as the second Bledisloe Cup test and as a World Cup warm-up. Argentina hosted a second match against South Africa on the same date. The tournament was known for sponsorship reasons as ''The Castle Rugby Championship'' in South Africa, ''The Investec Rugby Championship'' in New Zealand, ''The Castrol Edge Rugby Championship'' in Australia and ''The Personal Rugby Championship'' in Argentina. Australia won the Championship, becoming just the second t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Handré Pollard
Handré Pollard (born 11 March 1994) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby. His regular playing positions are fly-half, where he started for South Africa in their 2019 Rugby World Cup Final win, and inside-centre. He has previously played for the and in his native South Africa, Osaka Red Hurricanes in Japan and Montpellier in France. Rugby career Youth Pollard earned a provincial call-up as early as primary school level, when he was selected in the squad for the Under-13 Craven Week competition in 2007. He also represented them at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2010, before playing at the Under-18 Craven Week competitions in 2011 and 2012. Professional career Bulls / Blue Bulls / UP 2012–13 In July 2012, it was announced that Pollard would make the move to Gauteng to join Pretoria-based team the at the start of the 2013 season. His first involvement ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Time In New Zealand
Time in New Zealand is divided by law into two standard time, standard time zones. The main islands use New Zealand Standard Time (NZST), 12 hours in advance of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) / List of military time zones, military M (Mike), while the outlying Chatham Islands use Chatham Standard Time Zone, Chatham Standard Time (CHAST), 12 hours 45 minutes in advance of UTC / military M^ (Mike-Three). During summer months – from the last Sunday in September until the first Sunday in April – daylight saving time is observed and clocks are advanced one hour. New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT) is 13 hours ahead of UTC, and Chatham Daylight Time (CHADT) 13 hours 45 minutes ahead. New Zealand's associated states – the Cook Islands and Niue – and the dependent territory of Tokelau use several different time zones at their own discretion. History On 2 November 1868, New Zealand officially adopted a standard time to be observed nationally, and was the first country to do so, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board and the non-racial South African Rugby Union (SACOS), and took up its current name in 2005. SARU organises several national teams, most notably the senior national side, the ''Springboks''. History The South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1880 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid. On 23 March 1992 the non-racial South African Rugby Union and the South African Rugby Board were merged to form the South African Rugby Football Union. The unified body changed its name in 2005 to the current South African Rugby Union. The debacle of the 2003 World Cup saw the Springboks exit in the quarterfinals. Further, S ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Craig Joubert
Craig Paul Joubert (born 8 November 1977) is a South African professional rugby union referee and a Referee Talent Development Coach at World Rugby. Joubert officiated in domestic first class matches in South Africa since 2003, in matches in the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup competitions. He refereed on the World Rugby Sevens circuit in 2003–04. He has been included in the Super Rugby refereeing panel since 2005 and has also refereed international test matches since 2005, making his debut in a match between the United States and Wales. Joubert took charge of Super Rugby finals in 2010, 2013 and 2014 and has officiated in Tri-Nations / Rugby Championship matches since 2009, refereeing matches between Australia and New Zealand in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013. In the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Joubert refereed four pool games, a quarter final, a semi-final and the final. He refereed the deciding Six Nations match in 2012 and one of the British & Irish Lions games on their tour to Austral ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city, with an urban park along its banks. The city's territorial authority population is people, and includes a number of smaller urban areas as well as rural areas. The population of the urban area is people. Christchurch is the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand, after Auckland. It is the major urban area of an emerging sub-region known informally as Greater Christchurch. Notable smaller urban areas within this sub-region include Rangiora and Kaiapoi in Waimakariri District, north of the Waimakariri River, and Rolleston and Lincoln in Selwyn District to the south. The first inhabitants migrated to the area sometime between 1000 and 1250 AD. They hunted moa, which led ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rugby League Park
Orangetheory Stadium is a rugby football stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was formerly called AMI Stadium, and before that, the Addington Showgrounds. History The park is part of a complex with Christchurch Arena and Addington Raceway and has hosted international rugby league matches since the 1950s, including Rugby League World Cup, World Cup matches in 1975 Rugby League World Cup, 1975, 1977 Rugby League World Cup, 1977, 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup, 1988, 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup, 1990 and 1991. The ground was bought by Canterbury Rugby League from the Christchurch City Council in the 1990s. It was at this ground that the Kiwis won the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour's sole test in New Zealand to qualify for the 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup final. Orangetheory Stadium Rugby League Park sustained significant damage during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and was closed until 24 March 2012. After the earthquake the stands had to be demolis ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nicolás Sánchez (rugby Union)
Federico Nicolás Sánchez (born October 26, 1988), is an Argentine rugby union player. He plays as a fly-half for CA Brive in the Top 14 in France. Sánchez played for Pampas XV at the 2011 Vodacom Cup (winning this tournament) in South Africa. He moved to Bordeaux in the Top 14 in France, where he played from 2011/12 to 2013/14. He also played for RC Toulonnais from 2014 to 2015. On 14 November 2020, in Argentina's first victory over New Zealand, Sánchez scored all twenty-five of Argentina's points scored (25–15) in the 2020 Tri Nations Series at Western Sydney Stadium, Sydney. He became the third highest-scoring player against New Zealand in a single-match, behind Morné Steyn's 31 points in 2009 and Christophe Lamaison's 28 points in the 1999 Rugby World Cup. National team Sánchez has 74 caps for Argentina, since his debut on 21 May 2010, in a win over Uruguay, in Santiago, Chile. He has scored 11 tries, 99 conversions, 140 penalties and 12 drop goals, 709 points in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Agustín Creevy
Agustín Creevy (born 15 March 1985 in La Plata) is an Argentine rugby union player. He currently plays for the national Argentina team '' The Pumas'' and for London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership. Creevy is the most-capped Argentine rugby player of all-time, having played 98 tests, including 49 as captain, from 2014-2018. He plays as a hooker, but has also played flanker and was selected for the 2010 June tests against Scotland. His test debut for Argentina was in 2005 when he played against Japan in Buenos Aires. Creevy is ambassador for Assist Card. Personal life Creevy was born in La Plata. In November 2020, Creevy tributed the passing of Diego Maradona in an interview and also with his team, London Irish, in a game against Leicester where Creevy used a black jersey with the number 10 and name Maradona inscribed on it. Career Agustín started his rugby career in the San Luis rugby club, in La Plata, Buenos Aires. He made his Argentina debut aged 20 against Jap ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dan Carter
Daniel William Carter (born 5 March 1982) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. Carter played for Crusaders (Super Rugby) in New Zealand and played for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He is the highest point scorer in test match rugby, and is considered by many experts as the greatest ever first five-eighth (fly-half) in the history of the game. He was named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year in 2005, 2012 and 2015 (equaling the record three awards of Richie McCaw) and has won three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders, and nine Tri-Nations and Rugby Championships with the All Blacks. Carter injured his groin while doing kicking practice during the 2011 Rugby World Cup but was a key member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning teams, becoming one of 21 players to have won multiple Rugby World Cups. In the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final against Australia, he kicked four penalties, two conversions and a drop goal, and was named the man of the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Codie Taylor
Codie Joshua Dane Taylor (born 31 March 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays as a hooker for Crusaders in Super Rugby, Canterbury in the ITM Cup, and New Zealand internationally. Having grown up in Feilding and Levin before moving to Christchurch, he was a member of the Wider Training Squad for the 2012 Super Rugby season and he has subsequently been promoted to the senior squad for the 2013 season, before making his international debut in 2015. Taylor was the winner of Tom French Cup in 2018. He was also a nominee for the New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year in 2018. Playing career Early career Taylor was part of the Junior All Blacks team which won the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship. Of Ngāti Raukawa and Muaūpoko descent, Taylor played for the Māori All Blacks in 2014. Taylor was selected for the All Blacks 2015 Squad, having surpassed Ben Funnell as the Crusaders' first-choice hooker suring the 2015 Super Rugby season. His first game for the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kieran Read
Kieran James Read (born 26 October 1985) is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He played as a number 8 and is a former captain of the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. Read played for New Zealand from 2008 to 2019. He is one of the most-capped players of all time, and the forth-most-capped All Black in history, having played 128 tests, scoring 26 international tries. Read captained New Zealand 52 times. He was the IRB Player of the Year in 2013 and a key member of New Zealand's 2011 and 2015 World Cup-winning teams, becoming one of only 20 players to have won multiple Rugby World Cups. Read played for the in the Super Rugby competition, and played for and in the Mitre 10 Cup, before spending his final season in Japan with Toyota Verblitz. Early life Read played his childhood rugby in the small town of Drury in the Counties Manukau region, just south of Auckland. He attended Opaheke Primary where his mother taught and Rosehill College, with a one-year ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Charles Piutau
Salesi Tu'ipulotu "Charles" Piutau (born 31 October 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fullback (and occasionally wing) position for England club Bristol Bears in the Premiership, and formerly for New Zealand's national team the All Blacks. Early life Piutau was born in New Zealand, from Tongan parents. He grew up on the Auckland suburb of Mangere and attended Wesley College. He is the youngest of 10 children. Rugby playing career Junior level In 2010, Piutau represented Tonga at the IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina. Piutau was the top try scorer for the New Zealand Under-20s in their 2011 World Championship winning campaign. Charles played club rugby for Pakuranga United Rugby Club. He is the younger brother of Bristol Bears centre Siale Piutau. Club career Piutau made his debut for Auckland in 2010. He was brought into the Blues squad in 2012 and confirmed as fullback in 2014. On 1 April 2015, it was announced Piutau would join Irish ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |