Mitchell Thomas William Dunshea (born 18 November 1995) 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 ...

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 ...

or loose forward for in New Zealand's domestic

Mitre 10 Cup The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in t ...

and the in the international

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 ...

competition.

Early career

Born in Hamilton, Dunshea moved south to New Zealand's South Island at a young age and attended Lincoln High School just outside Christchurch. He moved on to Lincoln University after graduating from high school where he began studying Sports and Recreation and turned out for their rugby side in the Canterbury local leagues. In 2015, he helped them to win their first Division 1 title since 1981. He also won the national colts title with Canterbury's under-20 side in 2014.

Senior career

Dunshea made his breakthrough in senior rugby playing for Canterbury in the

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 ...

where he played 11 times as they lifted the Premiership title with a 25–23 victory over in the final. A foot injury meant that he played no part in Canterbury's

2016 Mitre 10 Cup The 2016 Mitre 10 Cup season was the eleventh season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on August 18, when North Harbour hosted Counties Manukau. It involved the ...

campaign which saw them finish as champions for the 8th time in 9 years.

Super Rugby

An excellent debut season at provincial level for Canterbury saw him make the Crusaders wider training group for the

2016 Super Rugby season The 2016 Super Rugby season was the 21st season of Super Rugby and the first season featuring an expanded 18-team format. It was also the first season that teams outside Australia, New Zealand and South Africa featured, with the Jaguares from Ar ...

. A foot injury ruled him out for the entire year, but nonetheless he was promoted to the senior squad for

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International

Dunshea was a member of the New Zealand Under-20 side which won the

2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship The 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship was the eighth annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams. The event was organised for the second time in Italy by rugby's governing body, World Rugby. Twelve nations played i ...

in Italy, playing 4 times.

Career honours

New Zealand Under-20 *

World Rugby Under 20 Championship The World Rugby Under 20 Championship (known as the IRB Junior World Championship until 2014) is an international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, World Rugby, and is contested by 12 men's junior nat ...

–

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 ...

''Canterbury *

National Provincial Championship The National Provincial Championship may refer to: * National Provincial Championship (1976–2005), original competition before reform into 14 sides * National Provincial Championship (2006–present) The National Provincial Championship, o ...

–

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunshea, Mitchell 1995 births Living people New Zealand rugby union players Rugby union locks Rugby union flankers Canterbury rugby union players Rugby union players from Hamilton, New Zealand People educated at Lincoln High School, New Zealand Lincoln University (New Zealand) alumni Crusaders (rugby union) players