Kurt Baker (born 7 October 1988) 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 it ...

player, who currently plays as a fullback or

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 e ...

for

Old Glory DC Old Glory DC RFC is a professional rugby union team that is a member of Major League Rugby (MLR), founded in 2018. The organization is led by two local business leaders, former USA Eagles' Paul Sheehy and local club rugby player Chris Dunlavey. ...

in Major League Rugby (MLR). Between 2008 and 2022, Baker played for the New Zealand Sevens team in 233

World Rugby Sevens Series The World Rugby Men's Sevens Series is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby featuring national sevens teams. Organised for the first time in the 1999–2000 season as the IRB World Sevens Series, the com ...

games and a total of 53 international tourments. In his rugby sevens career, he won 12 World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments, five World Rugby Sevens Series titles (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020), two gold medals at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

(2010, 2018), two gold medals and one silver medal at the

Rugby World Cup Sevens Rugby World Cup Sevens (RWCS) is the quadrennial world championship of rugby sevens, a variant of rugby union. Organised by World Rugby, it currently consists of men's and women's tournaments, and is the highest level of competition in the sport ...

(2013, 2018, 2022) and a silver medal at the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

(2020). Baker has also played for the

Māori All Blacks The Māori All Blacks, previously called the New Zealand Maori, New Zealand Maoris and New Zealand Natives, are a rugby union team from New Zealand. They are a representative team of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and a prerequisite for playing i ...

Club career

Manawatu

Upon leaving school, Baker was contracted by the

Manawatu Rugby Union The Manawatu Rugby Football Union (MRU) is the governing body of the sport of rugby union in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. Founded in 1886, Manawatu is one of New Zealand's oldest rugby unions. In 1892, the MRU, amongst other ...

. In his second year out of school he was a part of 's 2008 national provincial championship squad. He was spotted by 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, , ...

and had signed with Manawatu at just 20 years old. Baker made his debut for Manawatu in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup competition, coming on as a replacement against in a

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challeng ...

match. He went on to make his starting debut against , whilst also scoring his first professional

try. Returning to Manawatu for the

2009 Air New Zealand Cup The 2009 Air New Zealand Cup was the 33rd provincial rugby union competition, the fourth since the competition reconstruction in 2006, involving the top 14 provincial unions in New Zealand. It ran for 15 weeks from 30 July to 7 November. It was ...

, Baker scored three tries, the province's second top try scorer of the year along with three fellow players. He also was suspended from all rugby for eight weeks after allegedly verbally abusing assistant referee Zarne Johnson in a competition match between and Manawatu. Baker was also charged with allegedly threatening Johnson.

Highlanders

Baker was signed by the after an impressive ITM Cup and New Zealand sevens campaign in 2010; he signed a two-year deal with the Otago-based Super Rugby franchise. A stress fracture in his back – which he suffered in Delhi winning gold at the

– had ruled Baker out of all rugby for three months. Though he was expected to overcome the injury before the

2011 Super Rugby season The 2011 Super Rugby season was the first season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involved teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Including its past iterations as Super 12 and Super 14, this was the 16t ...

started, a scan in February showed the fracture had not mended and he was subsequently released by the Highlanders to their wider training group and was then replaced in the Highlanders squad by Kade Poki.

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 ...

was Taranaki's preferred fullback throughout 2011, but Baker, who had re-signed with through until the end of 2012, was recalled by the Highlanders despite lasting just one full game during the shortened ITM Cup season. He eventually made his debut for the Highlanders in the third round of the

2012 Super Rugby season The 2012 Super Rugby season was the second season of the current 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involves teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as FxPro Super R ...

, coming on as a replacement against the in

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 ...

. Baker made a further four appearances and scored two tries, one such try against the in round nine saw him chase a kick at pace to what ended up being the winning try. Baker did not return to the Highlanders for the

2013 Super Rugby season The 2013 Super Rugby season was the third season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The tournament was won by the Chiefs, who defeated the Canberra-based Brum ...

, but instead signed with the as a member of their wider training group. In November 2013, Baker returned to the Highlanders after a successful ITM Cup campaign as a member of the Taranaki side that won the

2014 ITM Cup Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrel ...

Premiership over . He signed with the side for two years after putting aside his sevens career to concentrate on Super Rugby.

Taranaki

In December 2009, Baker decided to move north to along with Manawatu teammate Andre Taylor, who both signed with the union on a two-year deal. He made his debut for the province starting at fullback against in round one of the

2010 ITM Cup The 2010 ITM Cup season was the fifth season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on July 29, when Taranaki hosted Northland. It involved the top fourteen rugby unio ...

. After being sidelined throughout the

with a stress fracture in his back, the injury eventually improved and he managed to play several games for Taranaki in their

2011 ITM Cup The 2011 ITM Cup season was the sixth season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on July 14, when Otago hosted North Harbour. It involved the top fourteen rugby uni ...

campaign. Baker also featured in the squads infamous

win over . Heading into the

2012 ITM Cup 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

, he had scored nine tries in nineteen games for the province. Baker made an immediate impact with his decisive running and ability to spot a gap for Taranaki in 2012. His ability to put a player into space also caught the eye. He finished the year as the first-choice fullback. At the end of the

2013 ITM Cup Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

season, Baker was nominated for the Taranaki Sportsman of the Year award after a stand-out season. While he missed out on that award, Baker was given the Back of the Year award, Personality of the Year award and Try of the Year award for his superb try against . After a six-week ban for a dangerous tackle in the Highlanders' round 8 game against the , Baker badly tore a hamstring in club rugby in

. After working his way back to fitness, he finally got a start for Taranaki against in the

, only to suffer an AC joint injury just a few minutes into the game. However, he finished the season on a high, after being a part of Taranaki's narrow victory over at

Yarrow Stadium Yarrow Stadium is situated in the central suburb of Westown in New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand, with main vehicle access off Maratahu Street. Named the third best rugby stadium on earth by ''New Zealand Rugby World'' magazine in May 2009, ...

to win the province's first ITM Cup Premiership title. Baker scored five tries and made a further eleven appearances in 2015.

Zebre

On 18 June 2016, Italian

Pro12 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

club

Zebre Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...

announced that Baker would join the Italian club for the 2016–17 season. During that season, Baker played 517 minutes in 9 games (starting in 7) for Zebre and scored one try for the club in their game against

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

. Baker did not return to Zebre for the second year of his contract.

Hawke's Bay

The

Hawke's Bay Rugby Union The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union (HBRU) is the governing body of rugby union in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. The union is based in Napier. The Hawke's Bay representative team are nicknamed ''The Magpies''. History The Hawke's Bay Rugb ...

announced on 3 August 2020 that Baker would join the Magpies for the

2020 Mitre 10 Cup The 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season was the fifteenth season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on September 11, when North Harbour hosted Canterbury. It involved the top ...

season. – via

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

. It proved to be a successful move for Baker. He helped the Magpies win the

(taking it off ), successfully defend the Shield three times against challenges from , and , and win the Mitre 10 Cup Championship title.

Old Glory DC

On 9 December 2022,

announced that club had signed Baker for the

2023 Major League Rugby season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

. He played his first game for his new team on 18 February 2023 against Chicago Hounds and scored a try on debut.

International career

New Zealand Sevens

Baker was selected in the New Zealand Sevens squad for the opening two rounds of the

2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series The 2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series was the tenth of an annual IRB Sevens World Series of rugby union sevens tournaments for full national sides run by the International Rugby Board since 1999–2000. South Africa clinched the 2008–09 Wo ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

and

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

, making his international rugby debut at The Sevens. In 2009, Baker was named in the New Zealand Sevens trial squad, but went on to play in the

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 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and George Sevens later that year. In 2010, Baker secured a permanent position in the New Zealand Sevens squad, playing in all six tournaments. In the

Hong Kong Sevens The Hong Kong Sevens () is an rugby sevens tournament held annually in Hong Kong on a weekend in late March or early April. Considered the premier tournament on the World Rugby Sevens Series competition, the Hong Kong Sevens is currently the s ...

, he led the New Zealand team in scoring four tries in their semi-final win over Fiji and two tries in their Cup final loss to Samoa. He was also the top individual try scorer and point scorer of the tournament. Later in 2010, Baker was named in Gordon Tietjens' squad for the

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

, India. He was a stand-out in the final against Australia, coming on as a replacement and scoring one of the winning tries to ensure the team the gold medal. Baker was named as a non-travelling reserve for the

All Blacks Sevens The New Zealand national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Summer Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games. They have won a record twelve World Rugby Sevens Series titles. The team has been of ...

squad for the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

. He featured at the

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. He won a silver medal after his side lost to Fiji in the gold medal final. Baker announced his retirement from international rugby sevens after the

2022 Dubai Sevens The 2022 Dubai Sevens was the second tournament within the 2022–23 World Rugby Sevens Series and was the 22nd international edition and the 52nd overall of the Dubai Sevens since it began in 1970. It was held on 3–4 December 2022 at The Seven ...

Māori All Blacks

Although the then 24-year-old Baker had only played seven matches for the , Jamie Joseph, the

coach, selected him for the 2012 UK end of year tour to England, playing against domestic club team Leicester Tigers, a specially made RFU Championship XV, and ending against the Canadian national team.

Career honours

*Taranaki -

Premiership *Hawke's Bay -

Championship *Highlanders - 2015 Super Rugby *New Zealand 7s -

2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens The 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens was the sixth edition of the Rugby World Cup Sevens. The tournament was held at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. New Zealand won the tournament, defeating England 33–0 in the final. Attendance for the tourname ...

, 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens,

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...

, 2018 Commonwealth Games

References

External links

* *
NZ Rugby History profile
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Kurt 1988 births Living people Ngāpuhi people People educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School Rugby union players from Palmerston North New Zealand rugby union players Māori All Blacks players Highlanders (rugby union) players Taranaki rugby union players Manawatu rugby union players Hawke's Bay rugby union players New Zealand male rugby sevens players Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union wings New Zealand international rugby sevens players Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players of New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in rugby sevens Rugby sevens players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Rugby sevens players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Rugby sevens players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in rugby sevens Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic rugby sevens players of New Zealand Old Glory DC players Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games