Lee Stensness
Encyclopedia
Lee Stensness is a former New Zealand
rugby union
footballer who played for Manawatu
, Auckland
, the Blues and the All Blacks
. He made his debut for the All Blacks
in 1993.
, but began his first-class rugby career at Manawatu
in 1989 and went on to play 33 matches for them until 1992. Highlights during this time included a 58-24 win over Ireland
, and selection for New Zealand Universities team to the World Student Games. Stensness also made several national selections during his time with Manawatu: the Colts, the Divisional XV, New Zealand Universities and in 1991 had the first his many All Black trials. He was in the New Zealand XV side which played England B in 1992.
In 1993 he moved to Auckland and in one of his first games for his new union, an away Ranfurly Shield defence against Horowhenua, he ended up scoring four tries. With Grant Fox still playing, it was hard to get the first five role so Stensness moved to second five eighths.
played poorly against the Lions in the second test of 1993, so Stensness was called in for his All Black debut in the final which was the deciding test. He performed well and set up Frank Bunce
with a deft kick through of the ball, and his subsequent test appearances against Samoa and Ireland. He had a disappointing end of season tour to England and Scotland after suffering an early injury on the tour and he played in only six matches but played well in the end of tour match against the Barbarians. He never seemed to have the full confidence of then All Black coach Laurie Mains. By now Carlos Spencer
was well established in Auckland, and Stensness had become a specialist second five, though he occasionally returned to first five. He was at number 10 in the Super 12 semifinal of 1996 when Spencer was injured and for the first part of the 1996 representative programme when Spencer was with the All Blacks in South Africa. John Hart, who had taken over as All Black coach, showed a renewed interest by taking him on the NZ Barbarians' short tour of England at the end of the 1996 season, where they played the English. In 1997 Stensness was recalled to the All Blacks for the first five tests of the season but after the tri-nations against the Springboks in South Africa he was dropped for Alama Ieremia. Stensness never played for the All Blacks again, missing out even on the 36-man side to tour Britain and France.
's French Championship win in 2001.
Stensness returned to New Zealand in 2001 after a serious knee injury and after surgery made the 2002 Blues team for the Super 12 and bringing his matches in that competition to 48. He also was part of a championship winning Auckland NPC team, bringing his appearances for the union to 80. But he was only a reserve in the final and now in the veteran stage seemed to lack the dash of some of the younger players. He was given a Blues Super 12 contract for 2003 but only had a minor role in their title win.
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 played for Manawatu
Manawatu Rugby Union
Manawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of Rugby union in the Manawatu rugby province. The Union is based in the city of Palmerston North but has a catchment area from nearby towns in the province, including Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Dannevirke and...
, Auckland
Auckland Rugby Football Union
The Auckland Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Auckland Region, in the North Island of New Zealand. Its colours are navy blue and white in a hoop design. Auckland's top representative team have won New Zealand's top provincial rugby competition 16 times, more than...
, the Blues 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 made his debut 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....
in 1993.
Early career
Stensness was born in AucklandAuckland
The 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...
, but began his first-class rugby career at Manawatu
Manawatu Rugby Union
Manawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of Rugby union in the Manawatu rugby province. The Union is based in the city of Palmerston North but has a catchment area from nearby towns in the province, including Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Dannevirke and...
in 1989 and went on to play 33 matches for them until 1992. Highlights during this time included a 58-24 win over Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, and selection for New Zealand Universities team to the World Student Games. Stensness also made several national selections during his time with Manawatu: the Colts, the Divisional XV, New Zealand Universities and in 1991 had the first his many All Black trials. He was in the New Zealand XV side which played England B in 1992.
In 1993 he moved to Auckland and in one of his first games for his new union, an away Ranfurly Shield defence against Horowhenua, he ended up scoring four tries. With Grant Fox still playing, it was hard to get the first five role so Stensness moved to second five eighths.
All Blacks
The All BlacksAll 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....
played poorly against the Lions in the second test of 1993, so Stensness was called in for his All Black debut in the final which was the deciding test. He performed well and set up Frank Bunce
Frank Bunce
Frank Eneri Bunce is a retired New Zealand rugby union player and current coach. He played international rugby for both Western Samoa and New Zealand in the 1990s, appearing in the 1991 and 1995 World Cups...
with a deft kick through of the ball, and his subsequent test appearances against Samoa and Ireland. He had a disappointing end of season tour to England and Scotland after suffering an early injury on the tour and he played in only six matches but played well in the end of tour match against the Barbarians. He never seemed to have the full confidence of then All Black coach Laurie Mains. By now Carlos Spencer
Carlos Spencer
Carlos James Spencer is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who currently plays at fly-half for the Lions in the Super 14 and formerly for the New Zealand All Blacks. He is well known for his flamboyant, attacking play and ball handling skills. He has signed to play for the Lions for 2010 and 2011...
was well established in Auckland, and Stensness had become a specialist second five, though he occasionally returned to first five. He was at number 10 in the Super 12 semifinal of 1996 when Spencer was injured and for the first part of the 1996 representative programme when Spencer was with the All Blacks in South Africa. John Hart, who had taken over as All Black coach, showed a renewed interest by taking him on the NZ Barbarians' short tour of England at the end of the 1996 season, where they played the English. In 1997 Stensness was recalled to the All Blacks for the first five tests of the season but after the tri-nations against the Springboks in South Africa he was dropped for Alama Ieremia. Stensness never played for the All Blacks again, missing out even on the 36-man side to tour Britain and France.
After the All Blacks
Stensness continued to play for the Blues in the Super 12 until the end of 1998. But midway through the year, before he could play for Auckland in the NPC, he moved to play overseas in France, where he played for the next three years. He played an important role in ToulouseStade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
's French Championship win in 2001.
Stensness returned to New Zealand in 2001 after a serious knee injury and after surgery made the 2002 Blues team for the Super 12 and bringing his matches in that competition to 48. He also was part of a championship winning Auckland NPC team, bringing his appearances for the union to 80. But he was only a reserve in the final and now in the veteran stage seemed to lack the dash of some of the younger players. He was given a Blues Super 12 contract for 2003 but only had a minor role in their title win.