Liam Messam
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| Birth name | Liam Justin Messam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 25 March 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Blenheim, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 108 kg (238 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Rotorua Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Medal record | ||
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| Men's rugby sevens | ||
Representing  New Zealand
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| Commonwealth Games | ||
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2006 Melbourne | Team competition |
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2010 Delhi | Team competition |
Liam Justin Messam (born 25 March 1984) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for the Super Rugby franchise the Template:Rut Chiefs, with 130 caps which makes him the most-capped Template:Rut Chiefs player to date, and for Waikato in the ITM Cup. Messam predominantly plays as a blindside flanker. After the retirement of then Chiefs captain Mils Muliaina, Messam was named the team's new co-captain from 2012 onwards, alongside Aaron Cruden.
In October 2008, Messam was selected in the All Blacks end of year tour squad to tour Hong Kong and Europe. He played one test against Scotland and one match against Munster. He subsequently appeared several more times for New Zealand but was dropped a month out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in favour of Victor Vito.[1] Since debuting in 2008 he has won 40 test caps.
In 2004, at the age of just 20, he captained the New Zealand sevens teams to its fifth IRB Sevens World Series title and in 2005 led the team to the final. Messam also played in the New Zealand sevens teams that won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games.[2] In 2004 he was also named New Zealand Sevens Player of the Year.
Of Māori descent, Messam affiliates to the Ngāi Tūhoe iwi.[3] He has played for the New Zealand Maori, including during the 2006 Churchill Cup and the 2010 centenary series, where he captained the side. In 2012 and 2013 Messam was awarded the Tom French Cup as Māori Player of the Year.[4][5]
On 31 January 2015, Messam fought on the undercard of close friend Sonny Bill Williams' boxing bout.
Messam was selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup as part of the All Blacks' 31-man squad. After the history-making tournament was finished, Messam announced the will to compete in the Rugby Sevens for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Messam was later named in the All Black Sevens' squad for the Wellington Sevens alongside All Blacks teammate Sonny Bill Williams.
The most capped player for the franchise, with two title wins as captain, Messam is arguably the greatest player in Chiefs history.
References
- ^ "Rugby World Cup 2011: All Blacks pick Vito, omit Sivivatu & Gear". BBC. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ Profile at the New Zealand Commonwealth Games website
- ^ "43 Māori athletes to head to Rio Olympics". Te Karere. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ "Ray Watson, Liam Messam winners at Rugby Awards". Rotorua Daily Post. APN Holdings. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check|archiveurl=value (help) - ^ McKendry, Patrick (5 December 2013). "Read, All Blacks, Hansen scoop top NZ rugby awards". NZ Herald. APN Holdings. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
External links
- 1984 births
- New Zealand rugby union players
- New Zealand Māori rugby union players
- Māori All Blacks players
- New Zealand international rugby union players
- Chiefs (rugby union) players
- Waikato Rugby Union players
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand
- Rugby sevens players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- New Zealand male rugby sevens players
- Rugby union flankers
- Rugby union number eights
- Sportspeople from Blenheim, New Zealand
- People educated at Rotorua Boys' High School
- Living people
- New Zealand international rugby sevens players
- Toshiba Brave Lupus players
- New Zealand expatriate rugby union players
- New Zealand expatriates in Japan
- Expatriate rugby union players in Japan
- Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players of New Zealand
- Rugby sevens players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
- Ngāi Tūhoe
- Commonwealth Games medallists in rugby sevens