A promising lock from Canterbury who enjoyed sporting success in Christchurch for Christ’s college where he captained the 1st XV and was a member of the school rowing eight that won the Maadi Cup.
His mother Katrina is the nutritionist for the All Blacks and a number of the family have been international rowers.
He was also selected as the Canterbury Under-19 player of the year and selected for the New Zealand Schools as well as a New Zealand Under-20 triallist with the coronavirus ruling out the 2020 IRB Under-20 Rugby World Cup.
Boasting a 2.03m frame, Sam progressed to the Canterbury team for the 2020 Mitre-10 Cup campaign, making his debut in the Ranfurly Shield defence against North Otago. He went on to play six times for Canterbury.
In a desire to develop his game and be more self-sufficient, Sam made the bold move to sign a three-year contract with the Blues from 2021 although will continue to play provincial rugby for Canterbury.
Sam made his debut for the club in Round Three of Super Rugby Aotearoa in a dominant performance against the Highlanders.
He had a standout season in 2022 playing 11 matches, scoring 3 tries with an average gain of 2m per carry. His high workrate was topped off with a further 87 tackles.
S.C April 2023
Career
Canterbury No 4 Lock |
2020 - present | |
Blues No 4 Lock |
2021 - present | |
Christ's College No 4 Lock |
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New Zealand No 4 Lock |
2024 - 2024 |