Jerome Kaino
Encyclopedia
Jerome Kaino is a professional New Zealand
Rugby union
player. In 2004, he was named IRB
International Under-21 player of the year.
and his family moved to Auckland in 1987. He played junior rugby league
before switching to union in secondary school at Papakura High School.
where he was duly named man-of-the-match. He played his first two tests against Ireland
in 2006.
In the Bledisloe Cup
game on July 31, 2010, Kaino played lock for the All Blacks after Tom Donnelly
was replaced. Victor Vito
was brought on and went to blindeside flanker, with Kaino moving into Donnelly's vacant lock forward position. This is just another example of Kaino's versatility in the forward pack.
He was selected for the All Blacks
Rugby World Cup 2011 squad. He was named in the starting XV for every game and ending the tournament having played every minute of every game except for 30 seconds. He scored his first try of the World Cup during New Zealand's emphatic defeat of Tonga. During the final pool stage of the World Cup against Canada
, and was named man-of-the-match. His grandmother was known to be from the Island nation of Kiribati
(Gilbert Islands)
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...
player. In 2004, he was named IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
International Under-21 player of the year.
Early life
Kaino was born in American SamoaAmerican Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
and his family moved to Auckland in 1987. He played junior rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
before switching to union in secondary school at Papakura High School.
International career
His first All Blacks game was the uncapped appearance against the Barbarians at TwickenhamTwickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
where he was duly named man-of-the-match. He played his first two tests against Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 2006.
In the Bledisloe Cup
Bledisloe Cup
Rugby Union's Bledisloe Cup is contested by the Australia national rugby union team and New Zealand national rugby union team. It is named after Lord Bledisloe, the former Governor-General of New Zealand who donated the trophy in 1931. The trophy was designed in New Zealand by Nelson Isaac, and...
game on July 31, 2010, Kaino played lock for the All Blacks after Tom Donnelly
Tom Donnelly
Thomas Mathew Donnelly is a rugby union player who plays for the Crusaders Super Rugby team, and provincial rugby for Otago. He has also made 15 appearances for the All Blacks since 2009.-Provincial Rugby:...
was replaced. Victor Vito
Victor Vito (rugby player)
Victor Vito is a New Zealand rugby player/male model who plays blindside flanker for the New Zealand All Blacks. He was a star of New Zealand Sevens, and captained the 2006 New Zealand Under 19 Rugby team...
was brought on and went to blindeside flanker, with Kaino moving into Donnelly's vacant lock forward position. This is just another example of Kaino's versatility in the forward pack.
He was selected for 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....
Rugby World Cup 2011 squad. He was named in the starting XV for every game and ending the tournament having played every minute of every game except for 30 seconds. He scored his first try of the World Cup during New Zealand's emphatic defeat of Tonga. During the final pool stage of the World Cup against Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
, and was named man-of-the-match. His grandmother was known to be from the Island nation of Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
(Gilbert Islands)
Career Notes
- Not originally in the Blues 2006 Super 14 squad, he was called back after 2005 All Black Angus Macdonald succumbed to an ACL injury.
- Started the first two matches of the Junior All Blacks tour to AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 2005 before returning to play for AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
against the British & Irish Lions. - Scored a try in his All BlacksAll BlacksThe New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
debut against the Barbarians at TwickenhamTwickenham StadiumTwickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
in December 2004. - Voted IRB International U21 Player of the YearIRB International U21 Player of the YearThe IRB International U21 Player of the Year is awarded by the International Rugby Board in the autumn each year.-List of winners:* 2001: Gavin Henson * 2002: Pat Barnard * 2003: Ben Atiga * 2004: Jerome Kaino * 2005: Tatafu Polota-Nau...
in 2004 and was Player of the Tournament at the 2004 IRB Under 21 World Championship. - NZRU Age Grade Player of the Year 2004
- Scored his first world cup try at the 2011 Rugby World Cup2011 Rugby World CupThe 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
in the opening match against Tonga. He then went on to score three more tries bringing his tally to four. Currently he has scored the most tries of any forward. - Nominee for IRB International Player of the YearIRB International Player of the YearIRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International Rugby Board. It is awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best performer in rugby union internationals in the preceding season IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International...
2011. Won by Thierry DusautoirThierry DusautoirThierry Dusautoir is a French rugby union player who currently plays for France at international level and Toulouse in the French Top 14 club competition. Dusautoir is a strong ball carrier with good speed and strength to get out of tackles.Dusautoir was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire...
.