Who is Brodie Retallick: Ten things you should know about the New Zealand lock

A powerful second-row, Brodie Retallick is also famed for his softer skills in the loose with deft offloads and a decent turn of pace on the break.

Ten things you should know about Brodie Retallick

1. Born in Rangiora, about 30km from Christchurch, New Zealand, on 31 May 1991, Brodie Retallick attended the famous Christchurch Boys’ High School, which has produced many All Blacks such as Dan Carter, Richard Loe and Aaron Mauger.

2. According to All Blacks’ statistics, second-row Retallick is 2.04m tall (6ft 8in) and weighs 123kg (19st 5lb).

3. Retallick’s uncle is John Ashworth, a prop, who played 24 Tests for the All Blacks from 1978 to 1985. Ashworth played 52 times for New Zealand in all but was implicated in the incident on the 1978 tour when JPR Williams was stamped, playing for Bridgend against the All Blacks, and had 30 stitches in his face.

4. Retallick played for New Zealand U20 in their winning campaign in the 2011 Junior World Cup where they beat England 33-22 in the final in Padua. It was New Zealand’s 20th successive match win at that level.

5. The lock played for Hawke’s Bay in the ITM Cup before making his Super Rugby debut for the Chiefs in 2012, starting in the final in which the Chiefs beat the Sharks 37-6 in Hamilton.

His New Zealand Test debut came against Ireland on 9 June 2012 in Auckland, with the All Blacks winning 42-10. Aaron Smith and Julian Savea also made their international debuts that night. Retallick captained the All Blacks for the first time against Argentina in September 2021.

6. Retallick was named World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year in 2014, a year when he played 12 Tests for the All Blacks. The other nominations for the award were Johnny Sexton, Julian Savea, Willie le Roux and Duane Vermeulen.

7. Away from rugby Retallick is a fan of classic cars, he bought a 1966 Nissan Bluebird when he was 16 and has owned classic including a restored 1964 Chevrolet Impala. He was involved in the rebuilding of a Broadster for the Hot Rod Show on television in New Zealand.

8. Retallick married Niki Thompson, a nurse, in 2015 at Waipukurau vineyard owned by John Ashworth. The pair’s first child Sienna was born in 2016 and another daughter Frankie May in 2018. Tragically they lost a son in 2017 because of premature birth.

9. A panel of broadcasters, and the New Zealand public, voted Retallick and Colin Meads as the greatest All Black locks of all time in a poll for Sky Sports in 2021. Meads, nicknamed ‘Pinetree’ played 55 Tests between 1957 and 1971.

10. Retallick played in Japan’s Top League, in 2020 and 2021, for Kobelco Steelers where his team-mates included Ben Smith and Aaron Cruden.

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