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John Schwalger
John Schwalger (born 28 September 1983 in Apia, Samoa) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played at the prop position. Early life Schwalger moved to New Zealand after being born in Apia. He is the nephew of Samoa international Mahonri Schwalger. Career His representative career started with the New Zealand Schoolboys team, before being included in New Zealand's Under 21 team in 2004. He won the Under 21 Rugby World Championship with that team in 2004. Hurricanes and Wellington In 2005 he was a member of the Hurricanes Super 12 (now Super Rugby) wider training group. He debuted for Wellington in the 2005 against the 2005 touring British & Irish Lions, and played for them in that year's National Provincial Championship. He was selected for the Hurricanes squad for the 2006 Super 14 and eventually forced his way into the starting line-up. Junior All Blacks Following his Super 14 form in 2006 he was selected for the Junior All Blacks, and played for the team as they ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban Area (generally known as the City of Apia) has a population of 37,391 (2016 census). Its geographic boundaries extend roughly from Letogo village to the newer, industrialized region of Apia known as "Vaitele". History Apia was originally a small village (the 1800 population was 304), from which the country's capital took its name. Apia Village still exists within the larger modern capital of Apia, which has grown into a sprawling urban area that encompasses many villages. Like every other settlement in the country, Apia Village has its own ''matai'' (leaders) and ''fa'alupega'' (genealogy and customary greetings) according to fa'a Samoa. The modern city of Apia was founded in the 1850s, and it has been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2005 British & Irish Lions Tour To New Zealand
In 2005, the British & Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing seven matches against first and second division teams from the National Provincial Championship, one match against the New Zealand Maori team, and three test matches against New Zealand (the All Blacks). The Lions lost the test series 3-0, the first time in 22 years that they lost every test match on tour. The team was managed by former England and Lions player Bill Beaumont, coached by former England coach Sir Clive Woodward, and originally captained by Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll. O'Driscoll suffered a controversial tour-ending injury two minutes into the first test, and Wales captain Gareth Thomas took over as captain for the final four games of the tour. The poor test results of the 2005 Lions, despite having one of the most experienced playing squads and the largest management team of any Lions tour, led to criticism of Woodward, particularly his selection po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greg Somerville
Greg Mardon Somerville is a New Zealand rugby union player. He is a former All Black and a specialised tighthead prop who can also play loosehead. Somerville made his All Black debut in 2000 against Tonga, a match in which the All Blacks won 102–0. Somerville went 41 test matches before scoring his first, and only test try against Fiji in 2005. Somerville played domestic rugby for Canterbury Rugby Football Union and for the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition, having played 100 matches for the latter after debuting against the Chiefs in 1999. Somerville's nickname is Yoda, after the fictional character from Star Wars due to their resemblance. Somerville left New Zealand in late 2008, having signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Guinness Premiership team Gloucester. In 2010 he left Gloucester for the Melbourne Rebels, with whom he spent the 2011 season before retiring. Somerville's sporting hero is Buck Shelford, who, he says, "was a tremendous leader for the All Blac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003, beating a bid from England. The competition consisted of 48 matches over 44 days; 42 matches were played in ten cities throughout France, as well as four in Cardiff, Wales, and two in Edinburgh, Scotland. The eight quarter-finalists from 2003 were granted automatic qualification, while 12 other nations gained entry through the regional qualifying competitions that began in 2004 – of them, Portugal was the only World Cup debutant. The top three nations from each pool at the end of the pool stage qualified automatically for the 2011 World Cup. The competition opened with a match between hosts France and Argentina on 7 September at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. The s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Afoa
Ioane Fitu "John" Afoa (born 16 September 1983) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player. His position of choice is at prop. Afoa currently plays for Crusaders in Super Rugby. Personal life Afoa was a student at Auckland's Papakura High School, then St. Kentigern College, where he played first XV rugby alongside fellow All Blacks Joe Rokocoko and Jerome Kaino. Domestic career New Zealand Auckland Afoa played for Auckland between 2002 and 2011. Blues Afoa played for the Blues and made his debut in 2004 against the Brumbies. He made 101 appearances with the team between 2004 and 2011. Europe Ulster Afoa played for Ulster in the Pro12 from 2011 until 2014. Gloucester Rugby On 6 December 2013, Afoa officially joined Gloucester Rugby in the English Aviva Premiership on a four-year contract worth £400,000 per season. This made him one of the highest-paid players in the Premiership and the third highest-paid player in European rugby. Bristol Bears On 20 Jan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clarke Dermody
Clarke Dermody (born 22 April 1980, in Invercargill) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who has gone on to coach professionally. Dermody was born in Invercargill, New Zealand, and attended Southland Boys' High School. Dermody's great great grandfather Graham Shannon played for New Zealand in 1893. Playing career Dermody played as a prop. He represented Woodlands in the Invercargill premier competition and was the second Woodlands player to have played for the All Blacks after Jimmy Cowan (All Black number 1046). They were later joined by Jamie Mackintosh (All Black 1081). Dermody played 44 games for the Highlanders in Super Rugby and 89 games for Southland in the National Provincial Championship and Air New Zealand Cup. In June 2006 he had two test appearances against Ireland, playing alongside Keven Mealamu and Carl Hayman, scoring a try in 2nd test. In both matches he was substituted by Neemia Tialata after 67 minutes. He was not required in the 30-man squad for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cap (sports)
In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the early days of football, the concept of each team wearing a set of matching shirts had not been universally adopted, so each side would distinguish itself from the other by wearing a specific sort of cap. An early illustration of the first international football match between Scotland and England in 1872 shows the Scottish players wearing cowls, and the English wearing a variety of school caps. The practice was first approved on 10 May 1886 for association football after a proposal made by N. Lane Jackson , founder of the Corinthians: The act of awarding a cap is now international and is applied to other sports. Although in some sports physical caps may not now always be given (whether at all or for each appearance) the term ''cap'' for a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2007 Super 14
The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at ABSA Stadium in Durban, in the first final between two South African teams in the history of Super Rugby. The visiting Bulls won the 2007 Super 14 Final, scoring a try in the 83rd minute and narrowly defeating the Sharks 20–19, thereby becoming the first South African side to win the Super Rugby title in the professional era. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season is the second of the expansion, which led to the name change to the Super 14. The 2007 season saw an old team emerge with a new name, as the Cats changed their name to the Lions effective 8 September 2006. There was also some confusion over the inclusion of the Southern Spears franchise, who were in the end not included. The season is also notable of the New Zealand sides resting several All Blacks pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scrum (rugby)
A scrummage, commonly simply known as a scrum, is a method of restarting play in rugby football that involves players packing closely together with their heads down and attempting to gain possession of the ball. Depending on whether it is in rugby union or rugby league, the scrum is used either after an accidental infringement or when the ball has gone out of play. Scrums occur more often, and are now of greater importance, in union than in league. Starting play from the line of scrimmage in gridiron football is derived from the scrum. In both forms of rugby, a scrum is formed by the players who are designated forwards binding together in three rows. The scrum then 'engages' with the opposition team so that the players' heads are interlocked with those of the other side's front row. In rugby union the initiation of the process is verbally coordinated by the referee who calls 'crouch, bind, set' as of 2013 (formerly 'crouch, touch, pause, engage', 'crouch and hold, engage' before ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2006 Air New Zealand Cup
The 2006 Air New Zealand Cup was the inaugural season of the Air New Zealand Cup, contested by teams from New Zealand. The season ran from July to October 2006. At the end of the regular season, the top team from ''Repechage A'' and ''B'' joined with teams from the ''Top Six'' who entered the quarter-finals, with the winners going through to the semi-finals. The winner of each semi-final qualified for the final, which was contested between Waikato and Wellington, with Waikato winning 37–31 to win the first Air New Zealand Cup title. This season was the first of the expanded competition, which has succeeded the First Division of the National Provincial Championship. It also saw the introduction of four new teams, Hawke's Bay, Counties Manukau, Manawatu and the newly formed Tasman (a merger of Nelson Bays and Marlborough). On 3 June 2006, the Commerce Commission accepted the NZRU proposal of a salary cap for the Air New Zealand Cup. This was mainly so that the talent pool of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2006 IRB Pacific 5 Nations
The 2006 IRB Pacific 5 Nations was the inaugural IRB Pacific 5 Nations rugby union competition held between five Pacific Rim sides; Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the Junior All Blacks (New Zealand's second XV). The inaugural tournament kicked off on 3 June 2006 with the Junior All Blacks proclaimed the winner after their 38–8 defeat of Japan on 24 June 2006. Australia was invited to take part but decided against sending a team as they wanted to focus on their domestic competition. However, Australia hosted two games, and Australian Rugby Union CEO Gary Flowers stated that Australia was keen to participate in the tournament from 2007 onwards. On 18 October 2006, it was announced that they would send their second XV. For this reason, the inaugural tournament was the only one to be known as the "Pacific 5 Nations", and from 2007 the competition was known as the Pacific Nations Cup. Point system The tournament is a round-robin of ten games, where each team plays one match against ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Junior All Blacks
The All Blacks XV is the second national rugby union team of New Zealand, after the All Blacks. New Zealand's second national team has had numerous names in its history: Junior All Blacks, New Zealand XV, New Zealand A, New Zealand B, All Blacks XV. Matches played as the 'All Blacks XV' are not test matches, usually against a touring side or when on tour, and against non-top tier rugby nations. History In 1991 a New Zealand XV played both Romania and USSR in the ‘test’ fixtures of their tours to New Zealand. In 1991 a New Zealand B team played Australia B during their short tour. In 1992 a New Zealand XV team beat England B in a pair of non-cap games during the tourists' 8-game tour. In 1998 a New Zealand A team played the England touring side. In 2005 a New Zealand A team played two matches against Australia A. In 2006, the second team was re-branded as the Junior All Blacks, inheriting the nickname of the previous New Zealand U23 team. This second XV participated in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
