Bradley Moni Mika (born 2 June 1981) 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. His position is
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
. He was educated at
St Peter's College. He made his provincial debut for Auckland in 2000, his
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 ...
debut for
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
in 2002, and his international debut in the same year.
In 2007, after stints with the Crusaders, Blues and Hurricanes, he headed overseas, playing in France and Japan. In 2011 he re-signed with the Blues. Mika played three tests for the
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 ...
in 2002. He made his debut against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and played his last test against
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 ...
. His career ended in 2012 when he had his fifth knee surgery, but was considered far too young for knee reconstructions. He was Malaysian Rugby National head Coach from 2015-2021. Won the Asian first Division 2016 & 2017.
In 2021/22, he returned to NZ to complete season 2 of ''Match Fit''. On episode 1, he didn't participate in the Bronco Test, a 1km agility and endurance test with 30 changes of directions at the 22m, 50m and full length of field, due to knee issues and lack of mobility to squat. On episode 2, however, he won the lineout throw simulation as a
hooker, beating
Corey Flynn
Corey Robert Flynn (born 5 January 1981) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for West Coast in the Heartland Championship. He plays in the position of hooker.
Career
Club career
Flynn previously played provincial for Sout ...
. He then sat himself out against East Coast, again due to
arthritis
Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
on his knees.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mika, Brad
1981 births
New Zealand international rugby union players
Living people
Auckland rugby union players
New Zealand rugby union players
Rugby union locks
CA Brive players
New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in France
Expatriate rugby union players in France
People educated at St Peter's College, Auckland
Blues (Super Rugby) players
Crusaders (rugby union) players
Hurricanes (rugby union) players
New Zealand expatriate rugby union players
Expatriate rugby union players in Japan
New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Japan
Urayasu D-Rocks players
Rugby union players from Auckland