| Carlos Spencer | |||
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Carlos James Spencer | ||
| Date of birth | 14 October 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Levin, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Weight | 14 st 13 lbs (95 kg) | ||
| Nickname | King Carlos, The Jackal, Los | ||
| School | Waiopehu College | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | 1st 5/8, Fullback | ||
| New Zealand No. | 951 | ||
| Amateur clubs | |||
| 1994-2004 | Ponsonby | ||
| Professional clubs | Caps | (points) | |
| 2005-2009 2009- |
 Northampton Saints Gloucester Rugby |
102 | (235) |
| Provincial/State sides | |||
| 1993-2004 1992-1993 |
 Auckland Horowhenua |
93 0 |
(515) (0) |
| Super Rugby | |||
| 1996–2005 | Blues |
96 | (608) |
| National team(s) | |||
| 1995–2004 | New Zealand |
35 | (291) |
| correct as of 1 September 2006. | |||
Carlos James Spencer (born 14 October 1975 in Levin) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who currently plays at fly-half (first five-eighth) for Gloucester Rugby in England and formerly for the New Zealand All Blacks.
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Club career
He has generally specialised in the position of 1st 5/8 though he has also played fullback at national and international levels.
Spencer first rose to prominence when he starred in a Ranfurly Shield challenge in 1991, playing for the Horowhenua team against Auckland. Auckland coach Graham Henry spotted Spencer's talent and recruited him to play for the Auckland team.
He played for the Blues Super 12 franchise from the inception of the competition in 1996 until 2005, and has played extensively for the Auckland National Provincial Championship (NPC) side. In 1996, Spencer played for the Blues in the first game ever played in the Super 12 competition, kicking off the professional era of rugby union. He went on to score 608 points for the Blues in the Super Rugby competition.[1]
Early in 2007 Spencer was linked with a move away from Northampton at the end of the 2006-07 season. However, Spencer soon committed his loyalty to the Saints. Carlos Spencer then had a marvellous season marshalling a weakened Saints outfit back into the Premiership. He spent time at Fullback early in the season as the new Saints' coaches attempted to build up the experience in the squad. However his spark was missing closer in and he was restored to the 10 shirt for the last half of the season. The Saints also won the EDF cup at Twickenham. A selfless inspiration all season Spencer was rewarded with a two-year extension to his contract which he accepted despite overtures for his signature in Wellington, South Africa and France and he is strongly favoured to win the Saints Player of the year award for the second time. On 30 January 2009 Spencer left Northampton Saints by mutual consult by buying out the existing term of his two year contract.
On 3 February 2009, Spencer signed for Gloucester on, what is thought to be a 17-month contract.
International career
Spencer first played for the All Blacks in a non-test tour match on 4 November 1995, but did not play his first test match until 1996. His test debut was against Argentina at Athletic Park in Wellington on 28 June that year. He scored 33 points in that match alone.
Spencer's All Black appearances were somewhat irregular thereafter, as Andrew Mehrtens was generally preferred as the first-choice flyhalf for the side during the period from 1995-2002. He was selected for the 1999 All Blacks World Cup squad but became injured in training at London, so did not play a match in that tournament.[2] However, following an exceptional season for the Blues in Super 12, Spencer became first-choice 1st 5/8 for the All Blacks in 2003, and was a part of the squad for the Rugby World Cup that year.
In 2004, Spencer struggled to find the same form he had displayed the previous year, and Mehrtens replaced him for the final game of that year's Tri Nations. He was then ruled out of the final All Black tour of the year through injury. In 2005 Spencer lost form early in the Super 12 competition and then suffered a fractured cheekbone in training. He agreed to play for the New Zealand Māori (in his 10th match for that team) against the touring Lions but made himself unavailable for the All Blacks so that he would not miss training for his new English club Northampton Saints.
As a player, Spencer is valued for his imaginative kicking and passing game, and his ability to unlock defences. He is also a handy, if not entirely reliable, goal kicker. Only three players have scored more test points than Spencer for New Zealand — Grant Fox, Andrew Mehrtens and most recently, Daniel Carter. His best performances came against South African sides against whom he enjoyed great success. Indeed his record against the Boks is amongst the best of all All Black players and contrast with his predecessor and successor who have both struggled under the bokke hammer.
Awards and honours
In 2006, Spencer was named in the Guinness Premiership Awards Dream Team[3] and also collected the Player of the year awards for the 2005-06 season at the Northampton Saints annual awards, as voted for by the clubs fans.[4] He played in four matches for Bob Dwyer's World XV team in 2006, including a match for the Barbarians against England at Twickenham on 28 May and a 30-27 loss to the Springboks at Ellis Park on 3 June.
References
- ^ "All Time Super Rugby Records - Super14.com". Sports Digital Media.com. 20 February 2008. http://www.super14.com/stats/alltimerecords.asp.
- ^ Glover, Tim (14 November 2003). "Rugby World Cup 2003: Spencer steps off roller-coaster on to front". The Independent (London). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20031114/ai_n12722332. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
- ^ "Catt scoops top Premiership award". Planet-Rugby.com. 25 May 2006. http://www.planet-rugby.com/News/story_51382.shtml. Retrieved 23 June 2006.
- ^ "Northampton Saints: Carlos Spencer". northamptonsaints.co.uk. 18 November 2007. http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/27_3917.php. Retrieved 23 June 2006.
External links
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