Kieran Read
New Zealand
player portrait
Full name Kieran James Read
Born October 26, 1985, Papakura
Current age 38 years 145 days
Major teams Counties Manukau, Crusaders, Junior All Blacks, New Zealand
Position No. 8
Height 6 ft 4 in
Weight 242 lb

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 2008-2019 127 120 7 130 26 0 0 0 107 16 4 85.82
Bledisloe Cup 2009-2019 32 30 2 20 4 0 0 0 25 5 2 81.25
IRB Rugby World Cup 2011-2019 16 15 1 15 3 0 0 0 15 1 0 93.75
The Rugby Championship 2009-2019 54 51 3 50 10 0 0 0 44 8 2 83.33

Career statistics
Test debut Scotland v New Zealand at Murrayfield, Nov 8, 2008 match details
Last Test New Zealand v Wales at Tokyo, Nov 1, 2019 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list
Profile

The versatile Kiwi has made the All Blacks' No.8 shirt his own since emerging onto the international stage in 2008 and is widely considered one of the best forwards in the game.

As a youngster he was a highly gifted all-round sportsman with many predicting he would represent New Zealand at cricket in the future. He chose to pursue a career in rugby and represented New Zealand at school level as well as U19s and U21s before playing for the Junior All Blacks. He joined Canterbury in 2006 and he also played for the Crusaders in the Super 14 the following season where he combined well with All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw.

Read went onto captain Canterbury to the Air New Zealand Cup in 2008 and he made his All Blacks debut later that year against Scotland at Murrayfield in a 32-6 victory. His first start for his country came on the flank but he was also used as a No.8 during the early stages of his international career and it was this position that he was ultimately to make his own by the tail end of the following year.

Read continued to excel in 2010 and he was universally regarded as the outstanding No.8 on show during that year's Tri-Nations. Indeed, former All Blacks skipper Sean Patrick labelled him his man of the tournament. Such high praise was hardly surprising given that Read had not only performed at an incredibly high level throughout, he had also scored the crucial late try in Sydney which enabled the All Blacks to complete a historic Tri-Nations clean sweep.

Read continued his impressive international form into New Zealand's end of season tour of Britain and Ireland. He scored three tries on tour, two against Ireland and one against England, and was hailed for his intelligent and forceful play as New Zealand claimed the Grand Slam. However in the final victory of the tour against Wales, Read suffered knee ligament damage.

He was later rewarded for an outstanding season with the New Zealand Player of the Year honour and was hopeful of being ready for pre-season with the Crusaders prior to the 2011 Super Rugby campaign

Read led the Crusaders to the 2011 Super Rugby final where they were eventually undone by the Reds. However, it was a remarkable campaign for Read's side as they were forced to play every game away from their Christchurch home due to the February earthquake.

Read was back to his imperious best throughout the 2011 Tri-Nations though he picked up an injury in the final match of the tournament which threatened to derail his World Cup campaign. After sitting out the first three Pool matches - Read was named in the side to face Canada. He soon recaptured his top form and went on to play a key role as the All Blacks won the World Cup for a second time.

Latest Articles
Kieran Read retains Crusaders captaincy after Whitelock cameo (Jan 22, 2016) ABs still favourites but aura has taken a hit (Aug 10, 2015) Wallabies end drought against All Blacks (Aug 8, 2015) Pocock braces for No.8 test against Read (Aug 7, 2015) What's all the fuss about McCaw's match-winner? (Jul 29, 2015) Kieran Read news and articles (163) »
Latest Photos
Jul 25, 2015
Kieran Read and Lima Sopoaga of the All Blacks celebrate the win
Kieran Read and Lima Sopoaga of the All Blacks celebrate the win
©  Getty Images
Jul 17, 2015
New Zealand's Kieran Read slides on the outside of a Pumas' defender
New Zealand's Kieran Read slides on the outside of a Pumas' defender
©  Getty Images
Jul 7, 2015
New Zealand's Kieran Read waves to fans lining the streets in Apia
New Zealand's Kieran Read waves to fans lining the streets in Apia
©  Getty Images
Apr 11, 2015
The Crusaders' Kieran Read looks on in disappointment
The Crusaders' Kieran Read looks on in disappointment
©  Getty Images
Kieran Read rugby photos (97) »

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