| Keven Mealamu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Keven Filipo Mealamu | ||
| Date of birth | March 20, 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Tokoroa, Waikato, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb) | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Hooker | ||
| New Zealand No. | 1026 | ||
| Provincial/State sides | Caps | (points) | |
| 1999– |  Auckland |
68 | (70) |
| Super Rugby | |||
| 2003– 2002 2000–2001 |
Blues Chiefs Blues |
89 11 6 |
(35) (5) (0) |
| National team(s) | |||
| 2002– | New Zealand |
71 | (45) |
| correct as of 25 March 2008. | |||
Keven Mealamu (born March 20, 1979 in Tokoroa, Waikato, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays at hooker for the Blues in the Super 14, Auckland in the National Provincial Championship, and the New Zealand national team, All Blacks.
Contents |
Early career
He is a former student of Aorere College, where his brother Luke Mealamu former Manu Samoa player currently works as a Social Worker. He played as a flanker for New Zealand Under-16s and New Zealand Schools before switching to hooker in 1998.
Professional Career and the All Blacks
He made his debut for the All Blacks on November 23, 2002, against Wales at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Mealamu's provincial rugby debut was for Auckland in 1999. He first played for the Blues in 2000, but had a stint with the Chiefs in 2002 - the same year he debuted for the All Blacks. Mealamu also made a fine contribution to the start of the All Blacks' 2006 Tri Nations campaign with two tries against the Wallabies during the first match. Mealamu captained the Blues through their 2006 Super 14 campaign, but was forced to relinquish the captaincy in 2007 due to his commitments to the All Blacks. Mealamu was made test captain in the test match against Scotland during the All Blacks 2008 Grand Slam tour, as regular captain Richie McCaw was a reserve for that match.
Controversy
Mealamu and All Blacks captain, Tana Umaga, were involved in an incident in the first test of the Lions tour to New Zealand on June 25, 2005. In the first minute of the Test, Mealamu and Umaga combined to upend Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll in a controversial post-ruck clean-out. The clean-out resulted in O'Driscoll dislocating his shoulder, necessitating surgery and causing him to miss the rest of the tour. O'Driscoll and Lions management characterized the incident as a "deliberate spear tackle".[1] The independent citing commissioner found that neither Mealamu nor Umaga had a case to answer at the time due to inconclusive evidence,[2] but after viewing new amateur footage of the incident, Greg Thomas, communications manager for the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), described the tackle as "unacceptably dangerous" and stated that IRB was instructing referees to suspend players for three to six months for such offenses.[3] After the controversy, Mealamu's reputation was reinforced by his exceptional play during New Zealand's triumphant 2005 Tri Nations campaign in which he scored the key winning try and bonus point against the Springboks in Dunedin. He also scored a fine match-winning try against England later that year in Twickenham on November 19.
References
- ^ "Henry defends duo over O'Driscoll". BBC Sport. 28 June, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/4629003.stm. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ Orlovac, Mark and Jim Stokes (25 October 2005). "No action on new O'Driscoll video". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/4376306.stm. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ "NZ want O'Driscoll injury laid to rest". Independent Online. October 26, 2005. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=18&art_id=qw1130306760688S163. Retrieved 2006-04-01.
External links
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