Anton Oliver
Encyclopedia
Anton David Oliver is a retired New Zealand
rugby union
footballer who most recently played professionally for the French second-division
club Toulon
, noted for signing veteran greats including former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga
and great George Gregan
. Previously, he played as a hooker for Marlborough
(one of the predecessors to today's Tasman
side) and Otago
in the National Provincial Championship
and Air New Zealand Cup
, the Highlanders in Super 14
, and the All Blacks
.
He currently plays for Oxford University RFC
- the Blues.
. He made his provincial debut for Marlborough against Nelson Bays in 1993. He also represented NZ Secondary schools and NZ Under 19s in 1993. In 1994, he represented NZ Under 19s and NZ Under 21s, and represented the Under 21s for the next two years.
He is the son of former All Black Frank Oliver.
He moved to Dunedin in 1994 to attend the University of Otago
, and made his debut for Otago that year. As a student he flatted with fellow All Blacks Simon Maling
and Tony Brown.
in 1997. He has currently scored a total of 10 test points (2 tries).
Oliver created the first father and son captain combination for the All Blacks when he was appointed as All Blacks captain in 2001. Father Frank Oliver
captained the All Blacks in 1978 and was one of the hardmen of New Zealand rugby.
Anton was dropped from the All Blacks in 2003 after the test against England in Wellington 2003 by John Mitchell
- the then All Black coach who cited a number of deficiencies in Anton's game as being the reason for his decision. He was a surprise recall to the team in 2004 for the end of the year tour reflecting a desire by the coaching staff for the All blacks to regain the forward power that so characterized the All black team of 95 - 97. From then until his retirement from international rugby after the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, he was either the first choice hooker for the All Blacks or contending for first choice with Keven Mealamu
.
In total he played 298 first class games.
Oliver has recently attempted to cultivate an image as a "thinking man's rugby player" and has spoken openly on the excessive drinking that once took place in the All Blacks camp in his book "Anton Oliver, inside" (2005). In this book he speaks unashamedly of how a young fan's letter to him made him rethink his loutish drunken behaviour as a young man and he praises Wayne Smith
and Andrew Martin for getting the All Black ethos back to "where it belongs".
Oliver has been a critic of building windfarms in Otago in New Zealand and in 2007 mounted a campaign against Meridian Energy
's Project Hayes, a planned new 630MW windfarm.
Oliver is a patron of the Coalition for Open Government
.
, former Wallaby Captain George Gregan, former All Black Andrew Mehrtens
and former All Black captain Tana Umaga. After 14 years in Otago playing rugby Oliver decided that it was time for a change. Turning down numerous offers to play rugby in the United Kingdom
Oliver chose to play rugby in France, which he felt would be more suited to his love of culture.
In early 2008, Oliver announced his retirement from professional rugby at the end of the 2007-08 season
to read for an MSc in Biodiversity, Environment and Management at Worcester College
, Oxford
. In a May 2008 interview, he noted that he was concerned that his rugby prominence helped him earn admission, but that he was assured that it was his dissertation proposal which was the main factor in his admission. After he completed his Toulon contract in June 2008, ending his professional career by seeing Toulon win the Pro D2 title and earn automatic promotion to the following season's Top 14, he travelled to the Ringgolds Islands, an outlying archipelago
of Fiji
, for a month of research on the relationship between poverty and conservation before arriving at Oxford to continue his studies. He played a major role in the 2008 Varsity Match
against Cambridge
, the first victory for Oxford in four years.
In 2006 Anton was appointed Patron of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust; a conservation not-for-profit organisation that aims to increase the number of endangered yellow-eyed penguins by restoring coastal environments and controlling predators along the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
Anton was due to turn out for the Kew Occasionals at the Richmond Athletic Ground on Saturday 27 March 2010 against the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
In September 2010, Anton joined the quantitative risk analysis company Sciemus Limited to spearhead their Renewable Energy Source (RES) division.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer who most recently played professionally for the French second-division
Rugby Pro D2
Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second level of domestic club rugby union in France, below the first division, Top 14. The competition was introduced in 2000. There is relegation and promotion between both the Top 14 and Fédérale 1, the third-level competition...
club Toulon
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, noted for signing veteran greats including former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga
Tana Umaga
Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa "Tana" Umaga, ONZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. He played for the Hurricanes starting with the Super 12's inception in 1996 and took over the captaincy in 2003...
and great George Gregan
George Gregan
George Musarurwa Gregan AM is an Australian rugby union halfback who has made more appearances for his national team than any other player in the sport's history....
. Previously, he played as a hooker for Marlborough
Marlborough Rugby Union
Marlborough Rugby Union was a New Zealand rugby union team that played from 1888-2005.Marlborough was founded in 1888 and played at Lansdowne Park in Blenheim.-Championships:...
(one of the predecessors to today's Tasman
Tasman Rugby Union
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions...
side) and Otago
Otago Rugby Football Union
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...
in the National Provincial Championship
National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
and Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
, the Highlanders in Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
, and the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
.
He currently plays for Oxford University RFC
Oxford University RFC
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
- the Blues.
Early life
Oliver was born in Invercargill, New Zealand, and attended Marlborough Boys' CollegeMarlborough Boys' College
Marlborough Boys' College is a single-sex secondary school in Blenheim, New Zealand.-Overview:The first board of Marlborough High School met on 13 November 1899. Three acres on Stephenson Street were purchased for £600 and another were gifted by Thomas Carter, taking the grounds through to...
. He made his provincial debut for Marlborough against Nelson Bays in 1993. He also represented NZ Secondary schools and NZ Under 19s in 1993. In 1994, he represented NZ Under 19s and NZ Under 21s, and represented the Under 21s for the next two years.
He is the son of former All Black Frank Oliver.
He moved to Dunedin in 1994 to attend the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
, and made his debut for Otago that year. As a student he flatted with fellow All Blacks Simon Maling
Simon Maling
Simon Thomas Maling is a New Zealand rugby union footballer and former All Black. His usual playing position is at lock. He joined the Scarlets at the start of the 2008–09 European season, leaving Suntory Sungoliath in Japan, where he played for three years from 2005 to 2008...
and Tony Brown.
All Blacks
Oliver made his All Blacks debut age 21, versus FijiFiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
in 1997. He has currently scored a total of 10 test points (2 tries).
Oliver created the first father and son captain combination for the All Blacks when he was appointed as All Blacks captain in 2001. Father Frank Oliver
Frank Oliver (rugby player)
Francis James "Frank" Oliver was a New Zealand rugby union player. He was born in Dunedin on December 24, 1948, making his provincial debut for Southland in 1969. He later also played for Otago and Manawatu....
captained the All Blacks in 1978 and was one of the hardmen of New Zealand rugby.
Anton was dropped from the All Blacks in 2003 after the test against England in Wellington 2003 by John Mitchell
John Mitchell (rugby player)
John Eric Paul Mitchell, is a noted former rugby union player and former coach for the New Zealand All Blacks. Mitchell's rugby career blossomed with the club side Fraser-Tech after he moved from King Country in 1984 and was soon elected Waikato Colts captain...
- the then All Black coach who cited a number of deficiencies in Anton's game as being the reason for his decision. He was a surprise recall to the team in 2004 for the end of the year tour reflecting a desire by the coaching staff for the All blacks to regain the forward power that so characterized the All black team of 95 - 97. From then until his retirement from international rugby after the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, he was either the first choice hooker for the All Blacks or contending for first choice with Keven Mealamu
Keven Mealamu
Keven Mealamu is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays at hooker for the Blues in the Super 14, Auckland in the National Provincial Championship, and the New Zealand national team, All Blacks....
.
In total he played 298 first class games.
Oliver has recently attempted to cultivate an image as a "thinking man's rugby player" and has spoken openly on the excessive drinking that once took place in the All Blacks camp in his book "Anton Oliver, inside" (2005). In this book he speaks unashamedly of how a young fan's letter to him made him rethink his loutish drunken behaviour as a young man and he praises Wayne Smith
Wayne Smith (rugby player)
Wayne Ross Smith is a former rugby union footballer, and currently a rugby union coach. He is currently the backs coach for New Zealand's national rugby union team the All Blacks. He played provincial rugby for Canterbury and became an All Black in 1980. He played first five-eighth, gaining 35...
and Andrew Martin for getting the All Black ethos back to "where it belongs".
Oliver has been a critic of building windfarms in Otago in New Zealand and in 2007 mounted a campaign against Meridian Energy
Meridian Energy
Meridian Energy Limited is a New Zealand state-owned electricity generator and retailer. The company generates the largest proportion of New Zealand's electricity, generating 32 percent of the country's electricity in the year ending 31 December 2009, and is the fourth-equal largest retailer, with...
's Project Hayes, a planned new 630MW windfarm.
Oliver is a patron of the Coalition for Open Government
Coalition for Open Government
The Coalition for Open Government was a political pressure group formed in the late 1970s to promote open government in New Zealand. The Coalition disbanded in the mid 1980s, but re-formed in April 2007, in response to Government plans to rewrite the election finance laws.-History:The group formed...
.
Latest News
In May 2007, Anton Oliver signed a contract to play with French rugby club Toulon after the completion of the Rugby World Cup. He joined up with legends of the world rugby game, including Springbok Victor MatfieldVictor Matfield
Victor Matfield is a South African rugby union player. He has played for, and captained the Springbok rugby team as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls franchise in the Super 14...
, former Wallaby Captain George Gregan, former All Black Andrew Mehrtens
Andrew Mehrtens
Andrew Philip Mehrtens MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, currently playing in France for Béziers, a club in the third-level Fédérale 1 league...
and former All Black captain Tana Umaga. After 14 years in Otago playing rugby Oliver decided that it was time for a change. Turning down numerous offers to play rugby in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Oliver chose to play rugby in France, which he felt would be more suited to his love of culture.
In early 2008, Oliver announced his retirement from professional rugby at the end of the 2007-08 season
2007-08 Rugby Pro D2 season
The 2007-08 Rugby Pro D2 was a French rugby union club competition. The season ran alongside the 2007-08 Top 14 competition, which is the highest club competition. Both competitions were operated by the Ligue nationale de rugby ....
to read for an MSc in Biodiversity, Environment and Management at Worcester College
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. In a May 2008 interview, he noted that he was concerned that his rugby prominence helped him earn admission, but that he was assured that it was his dissertation proposal which was the main factor in his admission. After he completed his Toulon contract in June 2008, ending his professional career by seeing Toulon win the Pro D2 title and earn automatic promotion to the following season's Top 14, he travelled to the Ringgolds Islands, an outlying archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, for a month of research on the relationship between poverty and conservation before arriving at Oxford to continue his studies. He played a major role in the 2008 Varsity Match
The Varsity Match
The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. By tradition, the match is held on the second Tuesday of December. In 2005, however, this changed, and the match was on Tuesday 6 December. In 2007, it was held on a Thursday for...
against Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, the first victory for Oxford in four years.
In 2006 Anton was appointed Patron of the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust; a conservation not-for-profit organisation that aims to increase the number of endangered yellow-eyed penguins by restoring coastal environments and controlling predators along the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
Anton was due to turn out for the Kew Occasionals at the Richmond Athletic Ground on Saturday 27 March 2010 against the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
In September 2010, Anton joined the quantitative risk analysis company Sciemus Limited to spearhead their Renewable Energy Source (RES) division.