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Charles Luke McAlister (born 28 August 1983 in Waitara) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays first five-eighths (fly-half) and second five-eighths (inside centre).
McAlister was born in Waitara, New Zealand, and attended Westlake Boys High School, where he played first five-eighths. He played for Silverdale in their North Harbour premier competition. He made his All Blacks debut aged 21, versus the British and Irish Lions in 2005.
Following the announcement of his inclusion in the All Blacks squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, it was announced on 23 July 2007 that McAlister would be joining Guinness Premiership side Sale Sharks after the World Cup on a two-year deal. It was also reported that he had turned down offers from both Munster and Toulouse to join Sale.[1]
McAlister played in four of the All Blacks' five matches at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, including the 20-18 quarter-final loss to France, in which he was controversially sent to the sin bin for an obstruction. France converted the resulting penalty, and the sin-binning was cited by many New Zealand fans as the reason why their team lost the match. Over the course of the tournament, McAlister accumulated a total of 17 points.
His father, Charlie, recently resigned his position as head coach of the Manawatu team in the Air New Zealand Cup. Charlie McAlister is a former rugby league player, and Luke McAlister lived in the Manchester area from the age of four to 13 while his father played rugby league for Oldham, Castleford and the Sheffield Eagles, during which time Luke was a member of the Manchester United Academy.[2]
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