Mark Abbott (born 20 February 1991) is a

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 ...

-born

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

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 currently plays as a

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 ...

for

Coca-Cola Red Sparks The Coca-Cola Red Sparks ( ja, コカ・コーラレッドスパークス) was a Japanese company-owned rugby union team based in Fukuoka city, Kyūshū. The team was initially founded as Kitakyushu Coca-Cola and then changed its name to Coca- ...

in Japan's

Top League Japan Rugby League One (formerly the Top League) is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by absorbing the ...

Early career

Born in Christchurch and raised in the small town of Darfield, Abbott was educated at St. Andrew's College in his place of birth. After completing high school, he began studying towards a bachelor of commerce degree at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

while also making his way through the youth structures with national provincial championship side, . A lack of playing opportunities with Canterbury meant that after graduating university, he headed north to Napier to try and earn a contract with local provincial side, in 2013.

Senior career

Abbott made his senior debut for during 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 * ...

and went on to play 11 of the Magpies' 12 games during the year which culminated with them losing 26-25 to in the Championship playoff final. Abbott formed an impressive partnership with fellow Cantabrian

Michael Allardice Michael Allardice (born 19 October 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a lock for in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the in the international Super Rugby competition. Early career Born in the rural town o ...

through 2013 and the duo were again in good form the following year with Abbott an ever present in a Hawke's Bay side which was once again defeated in the playoff final, this time 32-24 by . It was 3rd time luck for Abbott and the Magpies in

2015 ITM Cup Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

, with the lock scoring his first provincial try, playing all 12 games and winning his side's Forward of the Year award as the men from

Napier Napier may refer to: People * Napier (surname), including a list of people with that name * Napier baronets, five baronetcies and lists of the title holders Given name * Napier Shaw (1854–1945), British meteorologist * Napier Waller (1893–19 ...

finished top of the Championship log with 7 wins from 10 games and then defeated the and in the playoffs to gain promotion to the Premiership in

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 ...

. Unfortunately for the Magpies, their stay in New Zealand's top flight was to last only one season as they ended up in last place on the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership log after recording just 2 wins from 10 games. Abbott's long time second row partner Allardice missed the entire campaign through injury, but in conjunction with up-and-coming youngster

Geoffrey Cridge Geoffrey Cridge (born 6 February 1995) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a lock or loose forward for in the French Top 14 competition. He previously played for in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championsh ...

he turned in some good performances in trying circumstances, scoring 2 tries in 10 games.

Super Rugby

Just one season of provincial rugby with Hawke's Bay was all it took to bring Abbott to the attention of New Zealand's Super Rugby franchises and he opted to sign for the

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 ...

-based ahead of the

2014 Super Rugby season The 2014 Super Rugby season is the fourth season of the 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as Asteron Life Super Rugby ...

. As a result of his lack of top level experience and the 'Canes having locks such as

Jeremy Thrush Jeremy Thrush (born 19 April 1985) is a rugby union lock who plays for the Western Force. He previously played for in Super Rugby and Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup. He represented the Junior All Blacks, New Zealand Under-19 and New Zealan ...

James Broadhurst James Broadhurst (born 1 December 1987) is a former New Zealand rugby union lock who played provincial rugby for Taranaki, Super Rugby for the Hurricanes, and for the All Blacks. He was also a national representative at the under-19 and under-21 ...

and

Blade Thomson Blade Neville Thomson (born 4 December 1990) is a former professional rugby union player who played as a lock or loose forward. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, he represented Scotland in international rugby, being eligible for the national team ...

on their books, Abbott was restricted to just 2 appearances in his first season of Super Rugby.

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

saw him feature far more regularly, playing 16 times with the majority of his game time coming from the replacements bench as Broadhurst and Thrush once again owned the starting berths. The Hurricanes were defeated finalists in 2015, going down 14-21 at home to the , however, they went one better in

, defeating South African side, the to lift the Super Rugby title. Abbott played 14 of their 18 games during the year, making just 5 starts as newcomers

Vaea Fifita Vaea Tangitau Lapota Fifita (born 17 June 1992) is a Tongan Rugby Union, rugby union player who currently plays for the Scarlets. Previously he was a Lock (rugby union), lock or Flanker (rugby union), loose forward for the in the international ...

and

Michael Fatialofa Michael Fatialofa (born 14 September 1992) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a lock for Worcester Warriors in the Premiership. Early career Born in Auckland, Fatialofa was educated at Mount Albert Grammar School in h ...

overtook him in the queue for starting positions.

Career honours

Hurricanes *

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 ...

Hawke's Bay Magpies * ITM Cup Championship -

Super Rugby statistics

MC

Television * 2022 : Fairtex Fight มวยมันพันธุ์ EXTREME (Produced By

Tero Entertainment Tero Entertainment Public Co. Ltd., formerly known as BEC-Tero, is a mass media and entertainment company in Thailand. It organizes and promotes concerts, owns record labels and produces films and television shows. BEC-Tero was formed on March 27, ...

, Fairtex,

Lumpinee Boxing Stadium Lumpinee Boxing Stadium ( th, สนามเวทีมวยลุมพินี) is a sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The stadium is named after Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. Opened more than a decade later than Rajadamnern ...

) (Original Name : Lumpinee Fairtex Fight) Live every Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (Originally every Sunday from 18:00-20:00) On Air 7HD35, YouTube:TERO DIGITAL, YouTube:Fairtex Training Center, YouTube:สนามมวย เวทีลุมพินี Starting Saturday, March 5, 2022 - present (Originally Sunday, January 16 - February 13, 2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Mark 1991 births Living people New Zealand rugby union players Rugby union locks Hawke's Bay rugby union players Hurricanes (rugby union) players Rugby union players from Christchurch People educated at St Andrew's College, Christchurch Sunwolves players Coca-Cola Red Sparks players Munakata Sanix Blues players Saitama Wild Knights players New Zealand television presenters