Mitchell Graham

Last updated

Mitchell Graham
Date of birth (1991-01-30) 30 January 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Matamata, New Zealand
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight122 kg (19 st 3 lb; 269 lb)
School St Peter's School
University University of Canterbury
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Current team Taranaki / Chiefs
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2013 Canterbury 1 (0)
2014− Taranaki 34 (0)
2015− Chiefs 25 (5)
Correct as of 2 April 2018

Mitchell Graham (born 30 January 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a prop for Taranaki in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Chiefs in the international Super Rugby competition. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Early career

Born in the rural Waikato town of Matamata, he was educated at St Peter's School, Cambridge where he played first XV rugby. During his high school years, he represented Waikato at under-16 level before moving to Christchurch to study chemical engineering at the University of Canterbury. While in Christchurch, Graham represented Canterbury at under-18 and under-21 level. [5] [6]

Senior career

Graham made one appearance for Canterbury in 2013 while still studying at university before heading north to join the Taranaki Bulls after graduation.

The move to Taranaki immediately played off as he started all 12 of their games during the 2014 season which culminated in them lifting the ITM Cup Premiership title with a 36–32 victory over Tasman in the final. He was again an ever present in the number 1 jersey through 2015 with the Bulls this time faltering at the semi-final stage. He took his run of consecutive starts in a Taranaki jersey to 34 in 2016 with his side again reaching the competition's semi-finals before they went down to Tasman. [2]

Super Rugby

Graham's form in the loosehead prop position during Taranaki's 2014 title winning season brought him to the attention of Hamilton-based Super Rugby franchise, the Chiefs, who named him as a member of their squad for the 2015 Super Rugby season. [7] Competing against Jamie Mackintosh and Pauliasi Manu for the number 1 jersey, Graham made an impressive 10 appearances during his debut season in Super Rugby. He remained a member of the squad through 2016 and with Manu missing the majority of the campaign through injury, Graham was able to establish himself as the Chiefs first-choice loosehead prop, playing 14 times and scoring 1 try. [2] He was again named in the Chiefs squad for the 2017 Super Rugby season. [4]

Playing for the Chiefs in the 2017 Brisbane Tens Graham fractured the tibia and fibula in his left leg, in a potentially career-ending injury. [8]

Career Honours

Canterbury

Taranaki

Statistics

Club

As of 2 April 2018 [2]
SeasonTeamGamesStartsSubMinsTriesConsPensDropsPointsYelRed
ITM Cup / Mitre 10 Cup
2013 Canterbury 101160000000
2014 Taranaki 121207780000000
2015 Taranaki 111107350000010
2016 Taranaki 111107880000000
2017 Taranaki 1010067720001000
Super Rugby
2015 Chiefs 10554310000000
2016 Chiefs 141047371000510
Total2415911681000510

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasman Rugby Union</span> New Zealand regional rugby union governing body

The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere, a bay at the north end of the South Island in New Zealand. Headquartered in Nelson, TRU is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions.

Norman Reginald Goodes is a former South African-born rugby union player who played as a prop for Wellington in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup from 2010 to 2016 and for the Hurricanes in the international Super Rugby competition from 2012 to 2016.

Timothy Grant Perry is a retired New Zealand rugby union player who played as a prop for Tasman in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup, the Crusaders and the Blues in the international Super Rugby competition.

Samuel Murray John Prattley is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a prop for Auckland in the ITM Cup.

Daniel Lienert-Brown is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a loosehead prop for Canterbury in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.

Rob Thompson is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays centre for Manawatu in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Allardice</span> Rugby player

Michael Allardice is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a lock for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Chiefs in the international Super Rugby competition.

Siate Tokolahi is a Tongan rugby union player who played as a prop for Canterbury and Southland in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Chiefs and Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.

Siosiua Halanukonuka is a Tongan rugby union player. He plays in the prop position for the France side Perpignan. Halanukonuka also represents Tonga at international level.

Alexander T O A. Hodgman is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a prop for Auckland in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Blues in the international Super Rugby competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Havili</span> NZ international rugby union player

David Kaetau Havili is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a centre for Tasman in the Bunnings NPC, the Crusaders in Super Rugby and the New Zealand national team the All Blacks.

Toni Pulu is a rugby union player who currently plays as a wing for the Seattle Seawolves in the MLR competition. He previously played for the Brumbies and Chiefs.

Atunaisa Moli is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a Prop for the Force in Super Rugby. He has represented the New Zealand national rugby union team the All Blacks.

Mitchell Brown is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a lock or loose forward for Taranaki in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Chiefs in the international Super Rugby competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Hunt</span> Rugby player

Mitchell James Hunt is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a first five-eighth or fullback for the Honda Heat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lachlan Boshier</span> Rugby player

Lachlan Boshier is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a loose forward for Taranaki in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Chiefs in the international Super Rugby competition.

Quinten J. Strange is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a lock for Tasman in the Bunnings NPC and the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition.

Andrew Makalio is a New Zealand rugby union player.

Isaac Arapata Salmon is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a prop for Tasman in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship. He also plays for New Orleans Gold in Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. Salmon was educated at Nelson College from 2011 to 2014.

Reuben Graeme O'Neill is a New Zealand professional rugby union footballer who plays as a prop for New Zealand province Taranaki and the New Zealand national team. In his youth career, he was selected to play in the 2012 three-match international programme for the New Zealand Schoolboys and took part in New Plymouth Boys' High School first XV, the top representative team in secondary school.

References

  1. ↑ "Mitchell Graham Taranaki Player Profile". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Mitchell Graham itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Mitchell Graham ESPN Scrum Player Profile". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Chiefs 2017 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Mitchell Graham Chiefs Player Profile". Chiefs Rugby. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "Chiefs' Mitchell Graham the new breed of front rower". Rugby Heaven. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Graham returning to Chiefs as props recruited". Waikato Times. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  8. ↑ NZME, Christopher Reive Christopher Reive is a sports reporter for (10 November 2018). "Rugby: Chiefs prop Mitchell Graham hopeful of top level return, but admits he may not play again" – via www.nzherald.co.nz.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.