Ryan McCarthy (rugby union)

Ryan McCarthy

Birth name	Ryan McCarthy
Date of birth	(1979-01-21) 21 January 1979
Place of birth	New Zealand
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	14 st 1 lb (89 kg)
Occupation(s)	Secondary School Teacher
Rugby union career
Position(s) Halfback Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) [Southern Rugby Football Club (rugby)] () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2008–2009 Steaua București Rugby () Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 2000–2005 North Otago 51 () 2006–2007 Otago 2 (0) Super Rugby Years Team Apps (Points) 2007 Highlanders 1 (0)

Ryan McCarthy (born 21 January 1979) is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer.

Playing career

McCarthy was a stalwart at halfback for North Otago in the early 2000s, earning 51 caps for the province and helping them to a Division 3 championship in 2002. After a stellar 2005 season in Division 2 during which he scored 6 tries and was named to the Divisional XV, he moved up to Otago for 2006, where he would struggle to get playing time behind Toby Morland and Chris Smylie.

With Smylie being drafted to the Hurricanes for the 2007 Super 14 season, McCarthy was included in the wider training group of the Highlanders as the side's 3rd halfback behind Jimmy Cowan and Morland, and was called into the squad to make a single substitute appearance during the season.

After playing club rugby in Auckland for Ponsonby Rugby Football Club in 2008, he spent a season playing for Steaua București Rugby in the Romanian Rugby Championship before retiring in 2009.

A PE teacher, McCarthy has become involved in competitive weightlifting since his retirement, winning a North Island championship in 2010.