Gareth Anscombe

Gareth Anscombe
Full name Gareth William Anscombe
Date of birth 10 May 1991
Place of birth Auckland, New Zealand
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 80 kg (12 st 8 lb)
School Rosmini College
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position Fly-half / Fullback
Provincial/State sides
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2010–14
2014-
Auckland
Cardiff Blues
41
14
(581)
(101)
correct as of 10 April 2015.
Super Rugby
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2012
2013–14
Blues
Chiefs
10
27
(102)
(250)
correct as of 21 July 2014.
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2011 New Zealand U20 5 (86)
correct as of 5 November 2012.

Gareth Anscombe is a rugby union player from New Zealand, who also qualifies to represent Wales internationally.[1] He primarily plays at first five-eighth. Anscombe, who currently plays for Cardiff Blues in the Guinness Pro12, is the son of former Auckland and Ulster coach Mark Anscombe.

Career

Early career

Anscombe debuted for Auckland in the 2010 season, in his first year out of school. In 2011, he was the top point scorer at the IRB Junior World Championship[2] and retained his place in the Auckland squad.

Super Rugby

Anscombe made his Blues debut in 2012, coming on to replace Michael Hobbs in the round two match against the Chiefs in Hamilton. His starting debut was against the Bulls in round three, in which he scored all of the Blues points in a 29 - 23 win. Despite compelling form in the 2012 ITM Cup, where his pin-point accurate kicking helped Auckland to a finals appearance against eventual winners Canterbury,[3] the Blues Management seemed unmoved, and after John Kirwan took over the coaching of the Blues, Anscombe was delisted. It was announced that he would play for the Chiefs from the 2013 season.[4] In 2013, he signed a contract extension with the Chiefs until 2014.[5]

International career

Anscombe represented New Zealand at under-20 level; he started at first-five when New Zealand won the competition now known as the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in 2011.[1] However, he was not tied to New Zealand at senior level; only an appearance for the All Blacks themselves, or the country's official second-level side, the Junior All Blacks, would have tied him to that country.[1] In April 2014, a report in Cardiff's Western Mail indicated that Wales head coach Warren Gatland was seriously considering fast-tracking Anscombe into that country's international set-up, and that the Cardiff Blues of Pro12 were set to offer him a contract starting with the 2014–15 Northern Hemisphere season.[1] Anscombe qualifies for Wales through his Cardiff-born mother.[1]

On 20 January 2015, Anscombe was named in the 34-man Wales squad for the 2015 Six Nations Championship[6]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Howell, Andy (21 April 2014). "Super 15 star Gareth Anscombe tops Warren Gatland's World Cup shopping list as Cardiff Blues prepare a bid". Western Mail (Cardiff). Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  2. Gareth Anscombe profile on Aucklandrugby.co.nz
  3. "Super Rugby Profile: Chiefs – Gareth Anscombe". Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  4. "Chiefs sign Anscombe" (Press release). Chiefs. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. "Chiefs re-sign six players" (Press release). Chiefs. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  6. "Wales name 34-man Six Nations squad". Welsh Rugby Union. 20 January 2015.