Leon MacDonald
| Full name | Leon Raymond MacDonald | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 December 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 96 kg (15 st 2 lb) | ||
| School | Marlborough Boys' College | ||
| Occupation(s) | Professional rugby union footballer | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Fullback, Centre, First five-eighths | ||
| New Zealand No. | 993 | ||
| Professional / senior clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2004 2009 |
 Yamaha Jubilo Kintetsu Liners |
- | (-) |
| correct as of 2008-02-05. | |||
| Provincial/State sides | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 1997–2003, 2005 - 2009; 1994–1996 |
 Canterbury Marlborough |
37 33 |
|
| Super Rugby | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 1998–2003, 2005–2009; 1998 1997 |
Crusaders Chiefs Crusaders |
92 5 7 |
(258) (23) (-) |
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2000–03, 05– 2005 |
New Zealand NZ Maori |
56 3 |
(141) (10) |
| correct as of 22 January 2007. | |||
Leon Raymond MacDonald (born 21 December 1977 in Blenheim) is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer, and now assistant coach for the Tasman Makos rugby team, who played 56 tests for the national team, All Blacks.[1] He plays first five-eighths (fly-half) and fullback.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
MacDonald was born in Blenheim, New Zealand, and attended Marlborough Boys' College.[1] He is married to Hayley.[2]
[edit] Career
He made his provincial debut for Marlborough against Buller in 1994. He played 122 matches for the Crusaders and seven for the Chiefs in the Super 14,[3] and played for Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship. He is a prodigious goal kicker. He is rare among New Zealand exported players, because he played even better after his return from Japan. In 2008, Sky Sport's Reunion awarded him the Crusader's MVP title for their Super 14 title winning season.
He plays for Burnside in the Christchurch premier competition. He made his All Blacks debut age 22, versus Scotland in 2000. He scored a total of 141 test points (14 tries, 25 conversions, 7 penalties) in the 56 tests he played. He has also played for New Zealand Maori in which he has played 3 games and scored 10 points. He scored the winning try for the NZ Maori against the British and Irish Lions in 2005 in Hamilton.[4]
In the 2003 Rugby World Cup, he was shifted from fullback to centre by All Blacks backline coach Robbie Deans. This proved to be a failure, and was the last time he was ever to be played at centre. In 2005, he was shifted to flyhalf during the Tri-Nations by All Blacks backline coach to cover for the injured Daniel Carter.
[edit] Japan
In 2004 season, MacDonald had played for Yamaha Jubilo in Japan.[2] He played for Kintetsu Liners in Japan in the 2009-2010 season.[1] In 2010 he announced his immediate retirement from rugby, after failing to recover from a long-term injury. It was also announced in 2010 that MacDonald would become an assistant coach for the Tasman Makos for the 2010 season.
[edit] Cricket
He has also played for Marlborough in the Hawke Cup when they won it in the 1993-94.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Knowler, Richard (27 January 2010). "MacDonald confirmed in coach role". The Press. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/3264264/MacDonald-confirmed-in-coach-role. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ a b c Smith, Louise (19 June 2005). "Orient Express is back on track". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10331461&pnum=0. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ "Rugby: MacDonald to help coach Tasman". The New Zealand Herald. 26 January 2010. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10622362. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ Boughey, Steve (11 June 2005). "NZ Maori create history in Hamilton". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10330068&pnum=0. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
[edit] External links
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- 1977 births
- Living people
- New Zealand international rugby union players
- New Zealand Māori rugby union team players
- New Zealand rugby union players
- Canterbury rugby union players
- Crusaders rugby union players
- Rugby union fly-halves
- Rugby union centres
- Rugby union fullbacks
- Expatriate rugby union players in Japan
- People from the Marlborough Region
