1. Early life
Elliot Dixon was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. His ancestry is diverse, with Māori (Ngāpuhi) and Scottish heritage on his father's side, and Irish ancestry on his mother's side. He grew up in Christchurch and received his education at St Bede's College.
2. Playing career
Elliot Dixon's rugby career began at the provincial level in New Zealand, progressing to Super Rugby before he earned his international caps for the All Blacks. He later extended his professional career to clubs in Japan and France.
2.1. Provincial rugby
Dixon started his provincial rugby journey by progressing through the age-group levels for the Canterbury provincial team. In late 2009, seeking more opportunities to play in the senior provincial competition, he transferred to the Southland team. He made his provincial debut for Southland during the 2010 ITM Cup season. In his first appearance, he scored a try in a 37-23 victory over Manawatu. Throughout that season, Dixon established himself as a vital member of the team, often sharing the number 8 position with the experienced Samoan international, Kane Thompson. During the 2011 ITM Cup season, Dixon played in every match for Southland and played a key role in the team's Ranfurly Shield victory over Canterbury on 23 July.
2.2. Super Rugby
Following his strong performance for Southland in the 2010 provincial season, Elliot Dixon was selected to join the Highlanders squad for the 2011 Super Rugby season. However, his debut season was challenging as an elbow injury kept him sidelined for most of the year, preventing him from making any appearances for the squad.
In the 2017 Super Rugby season, Dixon took on the captaincy for many Highlanders games. This leadership role became necessary due to injuries sustained by the team's co-captains, Ash Dixon and Ben Smith, as well as a high number of other injured loose forwards. Dixon was unable to participate in the Highlanders' notable 23-22 victory over the touring British & Irish Lions that season because he was called up to play for the Māori All Blacks. In his absence, future All Blacks captain Luke Whitelock led the team, and Gareth Evans started at flanker in Dixon's place. By the end of the season, Dixon's spot in the starting XV was taken by Whitelock.
2.3. International career
Elliot Dixon was a crucial member of the New Zealand team that won the Under-20 World Cup in 2009. During this tournament, he played alongside future Southland teammates Robbie Robinson, Brayden Mitchell, and Alex Ryan. In the final match of the tournament, Dixon attempted the longest drop-goal, though it ultimately fell 164 ft (50 m) short of the posts.
On 29 May 2016, Dixon was selected as one of three uncapped loose forwards, alongside Highlanders teammate Liam Squire and Hurricanes flanker Ardie Savea, for the All Blacks' 32-man squad to face Wales in a three-test series. He made his debut for New Zealand as a blindside flanker on 25 June 2016, starting in the third test against Wales, notably being chosen over the then-69-test veteran Jerome Kaino. Dixon performed well in his debut, playing 55 minutes before being replaced by Squire, who was also making his debut. The All Blacks secured a decisive 46-6 victory in that test, completing a 3-0 series clean sweep.
Dixon was subsequently retained in the All Blacks' 33-man squad for the 2016 Rugby Championship. Although the All Blacks won the competition, it proved to be a personally challenging period for Dixon, as he managed only four minutes of game time throughout the tournament. This limited play was largely due to the strong performances of Ardie Savea and Liam Squire when coming off the bench as replacements. His four minutes of play came on 1 October 2016, when he replaced All Blacks captain Kieran Read in the 76th minute of their 36-17 victory over Argentina. Dixon made one additional appearance for New Zealand in 2016, playing the full 80 minutes against Italy on 12 November. In this match, he scored his first international try in the 62nd minute and also set up Steven Luatua for his try.
Dixon was not selected for the All Blacks for the Pasifika Challenge against Samoa or the three-test 2017 British & Irish Lions series. His omission from the squad was due to the inclusion of Hurricanes flanker Vaea Fifita. On the same day of the All Blacks squad announcement, Dixon was named in the Māori All Blacks squad to face the British & Irish Lions. Dixon started at openside flanker for the Māori All Blacks against the Lions on 17 June and was replaced by Kara Pryor in the 72nd minute of their 10-32 loss to the Lions.
2.4. Club career outside New Zealand
In 2018, Elliot Dixon joined the Japanese rugby club Ricoh Black Rams. He made his official debut in Japan on 1 September 2018, starting in the first match of the Japan Rugby Top League season against Honda Heat. In 2021, Dixon moved to France, signing with Biarritz Olympique, a club competing in the French Top 14 league.
3. Playing characteristics
Elliot Dixon is known for his versatility in the loose forward positions, primarily playing as a flanker or at number 8. He stands at 76 in (193 cm) tall and weighs 245 lb (111 kg). Throughout his career, he has been commonly known by the nickname "Dicko".