Rob Verbakel (born 13 May 1987 in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

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 ...

) is a

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

international

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. He 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 ...

. He is currently playing in the Dutch league

Ereklasse The Ereklasse is the highest tier of the national rugby union competition in the Netherlands. Season 2017/2018 * Amstelveense RC (Amstelveen) * A.S.R.V. Ascrum (Amsterdam) * RC The Bassets (Sassenheim) * Castricumse RC ( Castricum) * LRC DIOK ...

for RC 't Gooi. He previously played for

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 ...

in the

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 ...

; and in the English league Aviva Premiership for the

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...

Rugby Union career

Professional career

New Zealand

A late starter to rugby, Verbakel only started playing at university at age 19. However, he quickly showed his talent and after only 3 years of playing at lock was selected to the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

squad for 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 ...

, making 9 appearances. For the

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 ...

, Verbakel transferred to Otago. He made his debut in the season-opener against North Harbour, coming off the bench for the 2nd half and scoring his first provincial try. After a stint in Scotland, he returned to Otago for 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 ...

, and started 11 matches for the province.

Europe

Verbakel signed in Scotland with

of the

for the 2011-12 season. He made 10 appearances for the side including 6 starts before returning to New Zealand. For the 2013-14 season, Verbakel signed with

, signing for the club at the same time as Otago teammate Glenn Dickson. He is currently playing in the Dutch Ereklasse (top league) for t’ Gooi.

International career

He made his international debut for the

on 5 November 2016 against

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

References

External links

Otago Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verbakel, Rob 1987 births Living people Rugby union locks Dutch rugby union players New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand people of Dutch descent Otago rugby union players Glasgow Warriors players New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Scotland Netherlands international rugby union players Rugby union players from Nelson, New Zealand Expatriate rugby union players in England New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in England Northampton Saints players