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Left in Reserve
Left in Reserve

Piri Weepu has become a vital part of the All Blacks’ arsenal having been used effectively off the bench for the last 12 months. It’s a role the Hurricanes halfback has perfected but one NZ Rugby World discovers he’s still not entirely sold on. Here, we break down the Life and Times of Piri Weepu.

Wednesday, 09 September 2009

Jim Kayes

Piri Weepu Factfile
Born: 7 September 1983
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 94kg
Position: Halfback/First five
Team: Wellington and Hurricanes
Test Caps: 35
Test Points: 35
All Black Debut: V Wales, November 20, 2004

Born: 7 September 1983 Height: 1.78m Weight: 94kg Position: Halfback/First five Team: Wellington and Hurricanes Test Caps: 35 Test Points: 35 All Black Debut: V Wales, November 20, 2004

The Life and Times of Weepu

August 2003 - Makes his provincial debut for Wellington.
February 2004 - Makes his Super 12 debut with the Hurricanes.
November 2004 - Selected to tour Italy, France and Wales with the All Blacks but surprises everyone when he says the day he was selected that his real love is rugby league and that he still dreams of one day playing for the Kiwis.
July 2005 - Is called up to the All Black squad after the Lions tour to cover for the loss of Justin Marshall who had joined Leeds.
July 2005 - Finds himself as the starting halfback as Byron Kelleher suffers a concussion in the opening Tri Nations game when he was hit late and hard by Victor Matfield.
November 2005 - Is part of the All Black Grand Slam touring squad and starts games against Ireland and Scotland.
May 2006 - Kicks a crucial penalty against the Waratahs to help the Hurricanes make the final of Super 14.
August 2006 - Named as one of the 22 All Blacks who will be missing the first seven rounds of 2007 Super 14 to take part in the re-conditioning programme.
November 2006 - Tours Europe again with the All Blacks and is beginning to look like an established part of the All Black furniture.
April 2007 - Returns to Super 14 action after the re-conditioning programme but doesn't play as well as he has and, surprisingly, doesn't look as fit as he should.
July 2007 - Starts against the Springboks in Christchurch but doesn't deliver a great performance.
July 2007 - Is sensationally left out of the All Black World Cup squad. It also emerges that he and a group of other peripheral All Blacks who were not involved in the last Tri Nations test before World Cup selection had gone out drinking and broken a team curfew.
September 2007 - Makes it to the final with Wellington but speculation mounts he will soon leave New Zealand to either play off-shore or try his luck with the NRL.
April 2008 - Surprises everyone when he re-signs a contract with the NZRU through to 2010 and slots in effortlessly at No 10 for the Hurricanes.
July 2008 - Is recalled to the All Blacks when Andy Ellis suffers a rib injury.
November 2008 - Shows he is definitely back in the All Black fold when he is named captain of the mid-week side to play Munster.
July 2009 - Having switched between halfback and first five for the Hurricanes, Weepu is now entrenched on the All Black bench where he has been injected into the fray every test so far shortly after half-time.

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