Aaron Bancroft (born 1 January 1985) is a former New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. He generally played as a

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

but could also cover the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

position. Bancroft last played for US Carcassonne in the

Pro D2 Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was in ...

after earlier being with Grenoble. He formerly notably played for Northland in the National Provincial Championship and also the Crusaders and Highlanders in the

Super 14 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

Rugby career

Bancroft transferred to Otago from Canterbury after one game in the Air New Zealand Cup in 2006. He then played for the Highlanders, impressing in his midfield role for both Otago and the Highlanders in 2007. For the 2009 Super 14 season, Bancroft was part of the Highlanders' Wider Training Group, although not the main squad. Bancroft signed a deal to play for Northland in the 2010 and 2011 ITM Cup which saw him line up alongside the likes of All Black Rene Ranger,

Jared Payne Jared Benjamin Payne (born 13 October 1985) is a retired rugby union centre who played for Ulster and the Ireland national team. He was a member of the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, but did not play a test match. Since his ...

and

Bronson Murray Bronson Murray (born 6 November 1982) is a New Zealand rugby union player. A prop, Murray last played provincial rugby for Bay of Plenty and notably Northland in the National Provincial Championship. Playing career Provincial Rugby A forme ...

. He was then included in the

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

Wider Training Group for the 2011 Super Rugby season. In 2012 Bancroft signed a deal with FC Grenoble. In 2013 Bancroft signed a 2-year deal with US Carcassonne. He is also a former New Zealand Under 21 international.

References

External links

ESPN Profile
1985 births Living people New Zealand rugby union players Highlanders (rugby union) players Otago rugby union players Northland rugby union players Canterbury rugby union players Rugby union players from Blenheim, New Zealand FC Grenoble Rugby players New Zealand expatriate rugby union players New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate rugby union players in France Rugby union centres US Carcassonne players {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1980s-stub