Aaron Wiremu Cruden (born 8 January 1989) is a 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, who plays for Chiefs and formerly

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

, Manawatu and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

internationally. Cruden's usual position is first five-eighth (fly half).

Early life

Cruden of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

descent was born in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

and attended

Palmerston North Boys' High School Palmerston North Boys' High School is a traditional boys school located in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Location Palmerston North Boys' High School has a campus located on Featherston Street between Rangitikei and North Streets in the central ...

. He captained the 2006 Palmerston North Boys' High School 1st XV which included the likes of

Hadleigh Parkes Hadleigh William Parkes (born 5 October 1987) is a New Zealand-born Welsh international rugby union player, whose favoured position is at the centre. He currently plays for the Black Rams Tokyo in the Japan Rugby League One. Parkes also has a ...

Kurt Baker Kurt Baker (born 7 October 1988) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a fullback or wing for Old Glory DC in Major League Rugby (MLR). Between 2008 and 2022, Baker played for the New Zealand Sevens team in 233 World ...

and

Andre Taylor Andre Taylor (born 11 January 1988) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays in the fullback (and occasionally wing or centre) position and most recently played for Kintetsu Liners of Japan, and previously played for the Wellington-based ...

. Cruden was diagnosed with

testicular cancer Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include an u ...

at the age of 19, which necessitated the removal of one of his testicles. The cancer has since gone into remission. In 2008, Cruden attended the High Performance Player's Course at the International Rugby Academy NZ (IRANZ). Cruden's Positional Coach was former

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

Grant Fox Grant James Fox (born 16 June 1962) is a former rugby union player from New Zealand. He was a member of the All Blacks team that won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. He is also the father of professional golfer, Ryan Fox. Playing career ...

and Course Facilitator former

Jeff Wilson.

Domestic career

Manawatu (2008–present)

Cruden made his provincial debut for Manawatu Turbos in 2008. Cruden captained New Zealand to the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship title in 2009 in Japan, as well as being named IRB Junior Player of the Year 2009. Cruden, along with teammates Aaron Smith and

Nehe Milner-Skudder Nehe Rihara Milner-Skudder (born 15 December 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for the Rugby New York. He was selected for the All Blacks in 2015, and was a key member of 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team. He scored ...

did not play a single game for the Turbos in the 2015 ITM because of International duty.

Hurricanes (2010–11)

Cruden made his

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

debut on 29 January 2010 against the

Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses whi ...

Porirua Porirua, ( mi, Pari-ā-Rua) a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide swee ...

. On 20 February 2010, Cruden scored his first

Super Rugby 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 ...

points, when he converted a try in the Hurricanes' 47–22 win over

Western Force The Western Force is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, currently competing in Super Rugby Pacific. They previously played in Super Rugby from 2006 until they were axed from the competition in 2017. ...

at the

Westpac Stadium Wellington Regional Stadium (known commercially as Sky Stadium through naming rights) is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. The stadium's bowl site size is . The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and is situa ...

. On 24 April 2010, Cruden scored his first try for the Hurricanes in the 33–31 success against the Highlanders in Dunedin.

Chiefs (2012–2017, 2020-)

On 14 July 2011, it was confirmed that Cruden had signed to the Chiefs for the 2012 season. Cruden said that it was his relationship with new Chiefs coach

Dave Rennie Dave Rennie (born 22 November 1963) is a New Zealand and Cook Islands professional rugby union coach and former player who is the head coach of the Australia national rugby union team, having previously coached New Zealand sides the Chiefs, , ...

that swayed his decision to leave the

and set up base in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

for 2012. Cruden made his debut for the Chiefs in Week 1 of the 2012 season, in a 23-19 loss to the Highlanders. As of 16 April 2012, Cruden had scored 95 points in seven Super Rugby appearances and his performances praised by Chiefs coach Rennie. On 21 April 2012, Cruden scored his first try for the Chiefs in an 18-12 victory over the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, to keep the Chiefs on top of the Super Rugby league table. On 13 July 2012, Cruden scored an intercept try against his former team, the Hurricanes, at the Cake Tin in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, but that was not enough to prevent the Chiefs from losing the match 28-25. Going into the Super Rugby Final on 4 August 2012 against

, Cruden was the top scorer in the 2012 season, with 234 points. On 4 August 2012, Cruden kicked 4 conversions and 3 penalties in the Chiefs' 37-6 victory over

in the 2012 Super Rugby season Final leading to his team becoming the 2012 Super Rugby season champions. In his 2020 returned to the Chiefs, playing an instrumental role in a comeback victory over the Blues at Eden Park. Trailing 5-19 at halftime, Cruden was instrumental in a stunning comeback, that saw the Chiefs win 37-29. Cruden kicked 3 second half conversions, a penalty and a drop goal with 5 minutes remaining, to seal the victory.

International career

In 2010 Cruden made his debut for the All Blacks in a test match against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. On 30 May 2010, Cruden had been named as one of four new caps in the All Blacks squad to play test matches against Ireland and Wales. On 12 June 2010, Cruden made his

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

debut in the 66–28 victory over

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

, replacing

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 ...

in the 53rd minute. Cruden made his second appearance in an All Blacks jersey on 19 June 2010, when again he replaced Dan Carter, in the 42–9 victory over Wales, in the last ever match at

Carisbrook Carisbrook (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Carisbrook Stadium) was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, r ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. He scored his first try for the All Blacks on 26 June 2010 in a 29–10 victory over

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in Hamilton. On 17 July 2010, Cruden made his Tri Nations debut for the All Blacks as a 73rd-minute substitute for

Ma'a Nonu Ma'a Allan Nonu (; born 21 May 1982) is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand who currently plays for the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby (MLR). He plays in the inside centre, but can also cover outside centre and wing. H ...

in a 31–17 victory over the

Springboks The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...

at the

. On 2 October 2011, during the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

, it was announced Cruden had been called up as a replacement in the All Blacks squad for Dan Carter, after the New Zealand starting fly-half injured his groin during training. On 9 October 2011, Cruden replaced

Colin Slade Colin Richard Slade (born 10 October 1987) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He played primarily at first five-eighth, as well as all other backline positions on occasions. He was first selected for the All Blacks in 200 ...

in the first half of the

' 33-10 World Cup Quarter Final victory over

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, at

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...

, and contributed a conversion to the score. On 9 October 2011, Cruden again replaced Colin Slade, now as starting fly-half, due to a groin injury received by Slade during the World Cup Quarter Final with

. Cruden started the match at First Five-Eighth against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

on 16 October 2011, in the World Cup Semi Final at

, scoring a drop goal in the 20-6 victory for the All Blacks. On 23 October 2011, Cruden started for the

in the World Cup Final at

, but left the field in the 34th minute with a knee injury, believed to be

hyperextension Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...

. The All Blacks went on to win the game against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

8-7 and Cruden picked up his World Cup winners' medal. Cruden won his twelfth cap for the All Blacks in the final test against

in Hamilton on 23 June 2012 replacing the injured

in the starting line-up. Cruden set up two tries for

Sonny Bill Williams Sonny Bill Williams (born 3 August 1985) is a New Zealand heavyweight boxer, and a former professional rugby league and rugby union player and as of recently is working for Stan Sports. He is only the List of dual-code rugby internationals#New ...

and had a hand in a third and kicked two conversions before limping off during the first half of the 60-0 All Blacks victory. Cruden received rave reviews following his performance against Ireland. On 8 September 2012, Cruden started in the

2012 Rugby Championship The 2012 Rugby Championship was the inaugural annual rugby union series between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina. For sponsorship reasons, the competition was known as ''The Castle Rugby Champ ...

Test against

. The match was played in atrocious conditions at The Caketin in Wellington. Cruden kicked three penalties and one conversion in the All Blacks' 21-5 victory. Cruden returned to Super Rugby as captain of the Chiefs and was re-selected for New Zealand in 2016, having missed the 2015 season due to injury. Cruden was initially used as the starting fly-half, but continued to struggle with injury. This meant that Beauden Barrett- who was consistently playing better and better was able to supplant Cruden. Cruden came off the bench in all three tests against the British and Irish Lions in the 2017 series, playing his 50th and final test for New Zealand in the drawn 15-15 series decider against the Lions. Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Con = Conversions, Pen = Penalties, DG = Drop Goals, Pts = Points Scored Correct as of 24 June 2014

International tries

Honours

Manawatu * NPC Championship Winner:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Chiefs

Champion (2):

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

* NZ Conference Winner (2): 2012,2013 * Super Rugby Centurion

Montpellier

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

Runners up:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

New Zealand

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

champion:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

* Tri Nations/

The Rugby Championship The Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These are the four highest ranked national teams in the Southern Hemisphere; the Six Nations is a s ...

champion (5):

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Bledisloe Cup The Bledisloe Cup is an annual rugby union competition originally staged between the national teams of Australia's Wallabies and New Zealand's All Blacks that has been contested since the 1930s. The frequency that the competition is held has va ...

Winner (6): 2010-2014, 2016 * Junior Rugby World Cup Winner:

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

References

External links

*
Chiefs profileMatch stats 2013 Super Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruden, Aaron 1989 births Living people Rugby union players from Palmerston North Hurricanes (rugby union) players Chiefs (rugby union) players Manawatu rugby union players People educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School New Zealand international rugby union players Rugby union fly-halves Montpellier Hérault Rugby players Kobelco Kobe Steelers players Tokyo Sungoliath players