External links
 | This biographical article relating to New Zealand rugby union, about a person born in the 1980s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Birth name | Kevin John O'Neill | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 February 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Te Aroha, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (18 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Sacred Heart College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Lincoln University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kevin John O'Neill (born 24 February 1982) is a rugby union player who plays for Waikato Rugby Union in the Air New Zealand Cup and for the All Blacks. His position is lock. He was born in Te Aroha, New Zealand.
Kevin debuted in 2003 for Canterbury in 2003 in a warm-up match against Fiji who were on the build-up to the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He played for Canterbury until 2007 after 29 caps for Canterbury he transferred to Waikato.
Kevin debuted for the Crusaders. He played a number of games beside All Black, Chris Jack. He was drafted to the Chiefs and since then has signed with them ending his career in Christchurch. O'Neill played most games for the Chiefs in 2008.
O'Neill played in the World Cup winning under 21s in 2003 alongside fellow All Black, Adam Thomson.
He was a member of the 2005 Junior All Blacks.
After 28 minutes on the 12/7/2008 at Carisbrook, O'Neill made his debut for the All Blacks after a knock to Ali Williams caused Williams to leave the field. Although it was not enough as the All Blacks went down to the Springboks 30 - 28 after a chip and chase from Ricky Januarie resulted in a match winning try. It was the All Blacks first loss at Carisbrook to the Springboks. O’Neill never played for the All Blacks again.
| | This biographical article relating to New Zealand rugby union, about a person born in the 1980s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for their international success, the All Blacks have often been regarded as one of the most successful sports teams in history.
The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks, is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys with white shorts, and their emblem is the Springbok, a native antelope and the national animal of South Africa. The team has represented South African Rugby Union in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team. Currently, the Springboks are the top-ranked rugby team in the world and reigning World Champions, having won the World Cup a record four times. Remarkably, the Springboks have won half of the Rugby World Cups they have participated in and are also the second nation to win the World Cup consecutively.
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.
The Highlanders is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Dunedin that compete in Super Rugby. The team was formed in 1996 to represent the lower South Island in the newly formed Super 12 competition, and includes the Otago, North Otago and Southland unions. The Highlanders take their name from the Scottish immigrants that founded the Otago, North Otago, and Southland regions in the 1840s and 1850s.
Reuben David Thorne is a New Zealand rugby union player, and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks.
Andrew Philip Mehrtens is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He was regarded as a top first five-eighth, having played first for Canterbury in 1993, before being selected for the All Blacks in 1995 when he played in the 1995 World Cup.
Richard Hugh McCaw is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He captained the New Zealand 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. McCaw is also a winner of the New Zealand sportsman of the decade award.
Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. In 1922, Carisbrook hosted the first international football match between Australia and New Zealand. The hosts won 3-1.
The New Zealand Barbarian Rugby Club Inc., nicknamed the Barbarians, or Baa-Baas, is a rugby union club headquartered in Kingsland, Auckland. The idea came from the concept of the Barbarian F.C. The Barbarians played their home matches at Eden Park.
Bryan Gary Habana OIS is a South African former professional rugby union player. Playing mainly as a wing, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He played for the Golden Lions, the Blue Bulls and Western Province in South Africa, for the Bulls and the Stormers in Super Rugby, and for Toulon in the French Top 14, and won 124 caps for the South Africa national team.
Sonny William Williams is a New Zealand heavyweight boxer, and a former professional rugby league and rugby union player. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league, and is one of only 43 players to have won the Rugby World Cup twice.
John Eric Paul Mitchell is a New Zealand professional rugby union coach and former player who has been coaching the England Women's national team since 2023. His son is New Zealand International cricketer Daryl Mitchell.
FMG Stadium Waikato is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold up to 5,000 people. The capacity can be extended, however, by temporarily adding 5,000 seats to the Goal Line Terrace area. The stadium, owned by the Hamilton City Council, regularly hosts two rugby union teams:
Rugby union has been played in New Zealand since 1870 and is the most popular sport in the country as well as being its national sport.
The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial competition. The union was to have been liquidated in March 2012. However a deal involving the Dunedin City Council allowed it to keep operating. Otago have won the Ranfurly Shield on seven occasions. They were the National provincial championship winners in 1991 and 1998. They have a proud record playing international teams, having defeated South Africa and the British and Irish Lions.
The Waikato Rugby Union (WRU) is the official governing body of rugby union in the Waikato area in the North Island of New Zealand. Headquartered in Hamilton, WRU was founded in 1921.
Robert Maxwell Deans is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, currently the head coach of Japanese club Saitama Wild Knights. He was head coach of the Australian national team between 2008 and 2013. Deans 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 won three Super 12 titles and two Super 14). He 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.
Colin Richard Slade is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He played primarily at first five-eighth, as well as all other backline positions on occasions. He was first selected for the All Blacks in 2009. He was a key member of the 2011 Rugby World Cup winning team. He was also included in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but played in only one match against Namibia. He thus became one of only 20 players who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions.
Ian Douglas Foster is a New Zealand professional rugby union coach and former player. He coached New Zealand to the final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, where they lost to South Africa.
Anton Russell Lienert-Brown is a New Zealander professional rugby union player who currently plays as a second five-eighth or centre for the Chiefs in Super Rugby, and Waikato in the Mitre 10 Cup. He made his debut for New Zealand in 2016.