Reuben Thorne
Encyclopedia
Reuben David Thorne is a New Zealand
rugby union
player, and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks
.
with the Canterbury Crusaders in 1998. He became captain in 2002, immediately leading the Crusaders to Super 12 victory in an unprecedented "perfect" season—13 wins from 13 games. In 2003 and 2004 the Crusaders were runners-up in the Super 12 under his leadership.
Thorne was a rarity among All Blacks, especially captains, in that he never made an international appearance at any age-group level. He earned his first All Black cap in 1999, playing a single test against the Springboks
before the 1999 Rugby Union World Cup. Taking over as captain from an injured Anton Oliver
, he led the All Blacks throughout 2002 and 2003, apart from a brief tour of the UK
and France
in November 2002 which he missed due to a chronic ankle problem, causing former captain Taine Randell
to be briefly recalled to the skipper's role. Although the team's record was excellent under Thorne's leadership (playing 22 test matches for 19 wins and 3 losses, and winning the Tri Nations Series both years and the Bledisloe Cup
in 2003), his captaincy ended on a low note as the team was eliminated by the Wallabies
in the semi-finals of the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup. Following the World Cup, Thorne was replaced as All Blacks captain by Tana Umaga
.
Thorne appeared again for the All Blacks on the 2004 end of year tour, where he was an unused reserve against Wales
at the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
and started as a lock against the Barbarians
at Twickenham
. He was called in as a replacement for Jono Gibbes, who was ruled out of the tour due to injury. His record as an All Black stands at 48 tests played (22 as captain) for 40 wins and 8 losses, with 5 tries scored.
season http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3682758a10295,00.html, but the next day he withdrew from the squad to undertake "a recovery and reconditioning programme." http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3683863a10295,00.html Thorne was a surprise selection for the All Blacks for the 2006 Tri Nations Series
when it was named on 26 June 2006. On 22 July 2006, he played his first test for the All Blacks since the 2003 Rugby World Cup, against the same team he debuted against, the Springboks
. He was then rested for the first half of the 2007 Super 14 season
as part of the All Blacks reconditioning programme. He returned to play for the Crusaders that year, and was picked in the All Blacks squad for the 2007 Tri Nations Series
and the 2007 Rugby World Cup
. Although he did play in the 2007 World Cup he was not in the team for the All Blacks quarter-final loss to France
. On 29 November 2007 Thorne announced that following the 2008 Super 14 season
he left New Zealand to play for Yamaha Jubilo
in Japan
. He currently plays for the Honda Heat.
Thorne was called into the Crusaders squad following numerous injuries for matches in South Africa in the 2011 Super 15. Thorne made his return on the bench against the Cheetahs.
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, and former captain of the national team, 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....
.
Super 12
Playing as a flanker, Thorne first appeared in the Super 12Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
with the Canterbury Crusaders in 1998. He became captain in 2002, immediately leading the Crusaders to Super 12 victory in an unprecedented "perfect" season—13 wins from 13 games. In 2003 and 2004 the Crusaders were runners-up in the Super 12 under his leadership.
Thorne was a rarity among All Blacks, especially captains, in that he never made an international appearance at any age-group level. He earned his first All Black cap in 1999, playing a single test against the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
before the 1999 Rugby Union World Cup. Taking over as captain from an injured Anton Oliver
Anton Oliver
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...
, he led the All Blacks throughout 2002 and 2003, apart from a brief tour of the UK
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...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in November 2002 which he missed due to a chronic ankle problem, causing former captain Taine Randell
Taine Randell
Taine Randell is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. He was a versatile loose forward and a former All Black captain.-Summary:...
to be briefly recalled to the skipper's role. Although the team's record was excellent under Thorne's leadership (playing 22 test matches for 19 wins and 3 losses, and winning the Tri Nations Series both years and 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...
in 2003), his captaincy ended on a low note as the team was eliminated by the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in the semi-finals of the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup. Following the World Cup, Thorne was replaced as All Blacks captain by 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...
.
Thorne appeared again for the All Blacks on the 2004 end of year tour, where he was an unused reserve against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and started as a lock against the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
at Twickenham
Twickenham 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...
. He was called in as a replacement for Jono Gibbes, who was ruled out of the tour due to injury. His record as an All Black stands at 48 tests played (22 as captain) for 40 wins and 8 losses, with 5 tries scored.
Super 14
On 28 May 2006 Thorne was named captain for the 2006 Junior All BlacksJunior All Blacks
The Junior All Blacks are a New Zealand rugby union team. The Junior All Blacks are not an age grade side, but the second national team behind the New Zealand national rugby union team....
season http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3682758a10295,00.html, but the next day he withdrew from the squad to undertake "a recovery and reconditioning programme." http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3683863a10295,00.html Thorne was a surprise selection for the All Blacks for the 2006 Tri Nations Series
2006 Tri Nations Series
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:* All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-External links:* * *...
when it was named on 26 June 2006. On 22 July 2006, he played his first test for the All Blacks since the 2003 Rugby World Cup, against the same team he debuted against, the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. He was then rested for the first half of the 2007 Super 14 season
2007 Super 14 season
The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at ABSA Stadium in Durban, in the first final between two South African teams in the history of Super Rugby...
as part of the All Blacks reconditioning programme. He returned to play for the Crusaders that year, and was picked in the All Blacks squad for the 2007 Tri Nations Series
2007 Tri Nations Series
The 2007 Tri Nations Series was an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The series began in South Africa on 16 June, with a Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, Cape Town and ended on 21 July in Eden Park, Auckland...
and 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,...
. Although he did play in the 2007 World Cup he was not in the team for the All Blacks quarter-final loss to France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
. On 29 November 2007 Thorne announced that following the 2008 Super 14 season
2008 Super 14 season
The 2008 Super 14 season started in February 2008 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 31 May, when the Crusaders won their seventh Super Rugby title with a 20–12 victory over the Waratahs in front of the Crusaders' home fans. The 2008 season was the third of the expansion,...
he left New Zealand to play for Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo
Yamaha Jubilo is a rugby union team based in Iwata, Shizuoka. The team came second behind Toshiba Brave Lupus in the second season of Japanese rugby's Top League...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He currently plays for the Honda Heat.
Thorne was called into the Crusaders squad following numerous injuries for matches in South Africa in the 2011 Super 15. Thorne made his return on the bench against the Cheetahs.