January 2 – All Black Thorne Born

Rugby Shorts

Former All Black and New Zealand Rugby Union player, Reuben David Thorne, was born on this day in rugby history in 1975. The flanker was All Blacks captain for two successful years although his tenure ended on a down note.

Thorne started played professionally with the Canterbury Crusaders in 1998. He quickly rose and by 2002 was team captain and led the team to an unprecedented perfect season with 13 wins from 13 games.

As captain of New Zealand from 2002 to 2003 the All Blacks thrived winning 19 of 22 matches that included both Tri Nations series and the Bledisloe Cup in 2003. His captaincy ended on a low note however as the favored All Blacks were eliminated from the Rugby World Cup by the Wallabies in the semifinal.

Rugby Birthday

1975 - Reuben Thorne, New Zealand rugby union player