Birth name | George Braeden Whitelock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 27 March 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Palmerston North, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Feilding High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Lincoln University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Adam Whitelock (brother) Luke Whitelock (brother) Sam Whitelock (brother) Ben Funnell (cousin) Nelson Dalzell (grandfather) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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George Braeden Whitelock (born 27 March 1986) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played for the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition and Canterbury in the Air New Zealand Cup. He played as a flanker.
George is the son of a former Junior All Black, Braeden Whitelock, and the grandson of All Black Nelson Dalzell. He has three younger brothers including All Blacks Sam Whitelock and Luke Whitelock as well as former Crusaders player Adam Whitelock. All four Whitelock boys were educated in Feilding and played their junior rugby for Palmerston North High School Old Boys' Rugby Football Club. [1]
Whitelock married former hockey player and Black Sticks Women captain Kayla Sharland in December 2013. [2]
He retired in late 2015, opening a gym with his wife in Palmerston North. [3] Whitelock also holds an agricultural diploma from Lincoln University. [1]
Whitelock played for and captained both the New Zealand National Under-19 and New Zealand National Under-21 teams. [4]
Whitelock debuted for Otago in 2007 against Southland playing in all but two of their matches that season. [4] The following year Whitelock transferred to Canterbury alongside his brother Adam. [5] In his first year with Canterbury, Whitelock was part of the team which won the 2008 NPC. In 2009 Whitelock was named captain of the Canterbury team. He would go on to lead the Canterbury team through one of its most successful periods becoming the only player to captain a side to five NPC titles in a row. [6]
Whitelock was also captain when Canterbury lifted the Ranfurly Shield from Wellington in 2009.
Whitelock made his Crusaders debut against the Lions in 2008 becoming the first of the Whitelock brothers to do play for the Crusaders. [1] In a remarkable occasion in professional sport teams all four Whitelock brothers played together for the first time in a competitive match in March 2013 (vs. Bulls). [1] Other than a preseason match at the beginning of the previous season this was the first time playing together since playing for Fielding High School in 2003. [1] The brothers would play a further 17 games together at their time with the Crusaders. [7]
Despite playing for a Crusaders back row stacked with talent including All Blacks Reuben Thorne, Mose Tuiali'i, Richie McCaw, Keiran Read and Matt Todd. Whitelock played 86 games for the Crusaders including captaining them on a number of occasions.
Following the conclusion of the 2014 Super Rugby season Whitelock announced he was leaving to take up a one year deal with the Robbie Deans coached Panasonic Wild Knights. Whitelock retired from all forms of rugby at the end of this deal.
Whitelock made his test debut for New Zealand in 2009 against Italy in Christchurch, impressing off the bench and scoring a try. [4]
With brother Luke's All Black debut in 2013, George, Sam and Luke became the first trio of siblings to play for the All Blacks. [8]
Todd Blackadder is a retired New Zealand rugby union player and professional rugby coach. He captained the national team, the All Blacks 14 times playing a total of 25 games and 12 tests. Blackadder captained the Crusaders to three Super Rugby titles during his time with the franchise while also winning two NPC titles with Canterbury. Blackadder coached the Crusaders for 9 seasons, without winning a title.
Richard Hugh McCaw is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He captained the national team, the All Blacks, in 110 out of his 148 test matches, and won two Rugby World Cups. He has won the World Rugby player of the year award a joint record three times and was the most capped test rugby player of all time from August 2015 to October 2020. McCaw was awarded World Rugby player of the decade (2011–2020) in 2021. Richie is also the winner for New Zealand sportsman of the decade award, the highest sporting honor a sports individual can achieve in New Zealand.
Kayla Marie Whitelock is a New Zealand field hockey player, and former captain of the New Zealand women's national field hockey team. She has competed in four Olympic Games, three Commonwealth Games and two Hockey World Cups. She was named on the FIH's All-Star Team in 2010 and was Hockey New Zealand's player of the year in 2012.
Robert Maxwell Deans is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, currently the head coach of Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights. He was head coach of the Australian national team between 2008 and 2013. Deans had previously coached the Crusaders for eight seasons and was an assistant coach of New Zealand between late 2001 and 2003. As the coach of the Crusaders, Deans has won more Super rugby titles than any other. He has also coached Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship, winning the title in 1997. As a player, Deans represented Canterbury, first playing at fly half, and later fullback. He also played nineteen matches for the All Blacks, including five tests.
Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School is a state coeducational intermediate school for year seven and year eight, boys and girls located in the central area of Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Kieran James Read is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played as a Number 8 and is a former captain of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby union team.
Samuel Lawrence Whitelock is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a lock for the Crusaders in Super Rugby in New Zealand. Whitelock has captained the Crusaders and All Blacks in five international games, having earned selection for New Zealand through playing in the Mitre 10 Cup for Canterbury.
Matthew Brendon Todd is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, who plays as an Openside Flanker for the Panasonic Wild Knights in the Japanese Top League competition.
Ryan Stevenson Crotty is a New Zealand-born rugby union footballer. He currently plays as a midfield back for the Kubota Spears in the Japanese Top League.
Adam Whitelock is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played as a midfield back or wing. He previously played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby, Canterbury in the ITM Cup. and Bayonne in the Top 14. Whitelock also played for the All Blacks Sevens team.
Luke Romano is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays as a lock for the Blues in Super Rugby and Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup. He played for the All Blacks from 2012 - 2017 and was a key member of 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team.
Luke Charles Whitelock is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a loose forward for Canterbury in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.
Benjamin Camden John Funnell is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a hooker for Canterbury in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Crusaders in the international Super Rugby competition.
Dominic Bird is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a lock for Racing 92 in French Top 14/. He previously played for Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup and for the Chiefs in Super Rugby Bird has previously played for the Crusaders and has also been capped for the All Blacks.
Patrick Tito Tuipulotu is a New Zealand rugby union player who is currently a lock for three professional teams, the All Blacks, the Blues in Super Rugby and Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup.
Mitchell David Drummond is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a halfback for Canterbury in the Bunnings NPC and the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition.
Scott Kevin Barrett is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a lock for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and Taranaki in the Mitre 10 Cup. Barrett was chosen as the Crusaders' Captain for the 2020 Super Rugby season.
Vaea Tangitau Lapota Fifita is a Tongan born New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for wasps in the Uk. Previously he was a lock or loose forward for the Hurricanes in the international Super Rugby competition, and for Wellington in the Mitre 10 Cup. Fifita has played 12 tests for New Zealand at international level, earning his first test cap against Samoa in 2017. His elder brother Leva Fifita is also a professional rugby union player who plays international rugby for Tonga.
Elias Jack Goodhue is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a Centre for Northland in the Bunnings NPC and the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition.