Kieran Read

1.1. Birth and childhood

Kieran James Read was born on 26 October 1985, in Papakura, a suburb just south of Auckland, New Zealand. He spent his childhood in Drury, a small town within the Counties Manukau region. His mother worked as a teacher at Opaheke Primary, where Read also attended.

1.2. Education and early sports activities

Read attended Opaheke Primary and Rosehill College, with a one-year interlude at Saint Kentigern College in 2000. He excelled significantly in all aspects of school life, particularly in sports. At the 2,000-student Rosehill College, he was named Head Boy, Sportsman of the Year, and Sports All-rounder of the Year, demonstrating his versatility and leadership qualities early on. Read also achieved excellent academic results through to the end of his seventh form.

Beyond rugby, Read was a highly talented cricket player, representing Northern District age-group teams. In 2002, he was selected for the New Zealand Under-17 tournament side, showcasing a skill level that many believed could have led him to play for the Black Caps. However, in his final year of college, Read ultimately chose to pursue a career in rugby, with the Canterbury rugby association actively securing his commitment.

2.1. Provincial career

Despite his notable success as a cricket batsman during his youth, Read decided to focus his athletic endeavors entirely on rugby. His professional career began in 2005, just one year after graduating from school, when he joined the Canterbury development squad. In 2006, in his second year out of college, Read made his debut in the National Provincial Championship, then known as the Air New Zealand Cup (now the Mitre 10 Cup), for the Canterbury team.

2.2. Super Rugby

Read joined the Crusaders in the Super 14 competition in 2007, initially playing as a blindside flanker. During the 2008 season, he transitioned to his more renowned position of number 8. This shift coincided with the Crusaders winning the Super Rugby title, where Read formed a formidable back-row partnership with Richie McCaw, particularly on the openside.

He first took on the captaincy of the Crusaders in 2011, stepping in for an injured McCaw. In 2012, Read led the team for their initial 10 matches while McCaw was on a planned rest period. His role as captain expanded further in 2013 during another extended rest period for McCaw, though Read himself missed six consecutive games due to a toe injury. He served as the official captain of the Crusaders from 2014 to 2016. Despite his leadership, the team failed to make the playoffs in 2015, which was a disappointment.

When Scott Robertson took over as coach for the 2017 season, Read was relieved of the captaincy, which was passed to Sam Whitelock, with Matt Todd and Ryan Crotty as vice-captains. Read's 2017 season was also impacted by wrist surgery, causing him to miss the first half. Nevertheless, he played in 7 matches, including starting in the final where the Crusaders defeated the Lions 25-17. Read had a strong scoring year, crossing the try line 6 times for the Crusaders, including two double-try performances.

Injuries continued to plague Read in the 2018 Super Rugby season, leading him to miss numerous games. He eventually returned to professional rugby after the Steinlager series against France, playing a crucial role for the Crusaders in the 2018 Super Rugby Final on 4 August. His high-level performance contributed to the Crusaders' 37-18 victory over the Lions, marking the first time in a decade that the Crusaders won a Super Rugby final at home. Read was the only player remaining from the 2008 Super Rugby final squad. In his final Super Rugby season, 2019, the Crusaders again won the title. He has been recognized as a Super Rugby Centurion, having played over 100 matches in the competition.

2.3. Japanese Top League

After a distinguished career in New Zealand, Kieran Read joined Toyota Verblitz in the Japanese Top League in 2019. On 12 January 2020, he made his official debut in Japan, starting in Toyota Verblitz's first-round match of the Top League against Yamaha Jubilo. In October of the same year, Read was appointed as a co-captain of Toyota Verblitz, further demonstrating his leadership skills.

His professional playing career concluded on 15 May 2021, when he played the full match for Toyota Verblitz in the Japan Rugby Top League semifinal against Panasonic Wild Knights. Despite his efforts, Toyota Verblitz lost the match 21-48, after which Read announced his retirement from professional rugby.

3.1. Debut and early success

Kieran Read was first selected for the All Blacks' end-of-season tour in 2008. He made his debut on 8 November 2008, starting at blindside flanker in a 32-6 victory against Scotland, playing the full 80 minutes. He subsequently came off the bench for three more fixtures during that tour.

In 2009, he was retained for the All Blacks' two-test series against France. He started the first test, which the All Blacks lost 22-27. In the following week's match against France, Read started at his preferred number 8 position, playing every minute of the 14-10 win. This period saw the formation of a long-standing and effective partnership with Jerome Kaino at blindside flanker. Read started seven more times in 2009, firmly establishing himself as the All Blacks' first-choice number 8, succeeding the retired 62-test veteran and former stand-in captain Rodney So'oialo.

Read scored his first international try for the All Blacks on 12 June 2010, in a commanding 66-28 victory over Ireland, where his opposite number, Jamie Heaslip, was controversially red-carded. Read maintained a heavy workload in 2010, starting in all 14 tests for the All Blacks, a feat matched only by captain Richie McCaw. He was the second-highest try-scorer for the All Blacks that year, with 5 tries, only surpassed by fullback Mils Muliaina. His tries included crucial scores in wins against South Africa, Australia, and England. He concluded his 2010 season with world-class performances against Ireland and Wales, scoring his first career double in a 38-18 win over Ireland. For his exceptional contributions, Read was named the New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year, a significant achievement given that Richie McCaw had been named World Rugby Player of the Year for the third time concurrently.

Read was part of the All Blacks' 30-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which New Zealand hosted. He played in four of the team's seven matches: the pool game against Canada, the quarter-final against Argentina, the semi-final against Australia, and the final against France. The All Blacks secured their second World Cup title by narrowly defeating France 8-7 in a historic final.

3.2. Captaincy and Rugby World Cups

In 2012, Read continued his impactful performances, featuring in 12 tests for the All Blacks. On 17 November 2012, he became the 66th player to captain the All Blacks, leading the team for the first time against Italy at Rome's Olympic Stadium. He scored a try in the match, contributing to the All Blacks' 42-10 victory.

Following Richie McCaw's decision to take a sabbatical for the first half of 2013, Read was appointed captain of the All Blacks for the three-test series against France. On 15 June 2013, in his 50th test match, which also marked the All Blacks' 500th test, Read captained the team for the third time in the second game of the series at AMI Stadium. The All Blacks delivered a dominant performance, winning 30-0. Read led the team in three more matches that year, notably scoring two tries against South Africa within the first 20 minutes of a game, although he later received a yellow card, preventing a potential third try.

Read's exceptional 2013 season, where he played in 13 of 14 All Blacks tests, earned him the prestigious IRB Player of the Year award. He became the third New Zealander, following teammates Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, to receive this recognition. He was also honored with the top national rugby player award. Throughout 2013, Read was rarely substituted, only missing 20 minutes of play across 13 tests due to yellow cards received against South Africa and England.

In 2014, Read missed the first two tests due to a concussion, with Jerome Kaino stepping in at number 8. He made his international return on 21 June 2014, playing 40 minutes in the All Blacks' 36-13 win over England before being replaced by Liam Messam. Read scored two tries in 2014, contributing to a 51-20 victory over Australia on 23 August and scoring the final try of the All Blacks' 2014 season in a 34-16 win against Wales on 22 November. Earlier that year, on 1 November 2014, he captained the All Blacks for the eighth time in his career, leading them to a dominant 74-6 win against the United States in Chicago.

On 17 July 2015, in a match against Argentina in Christchurch, Kieran Read scored his 18th try, surpassing former All Black Zinzan Brooke as the most prolific try-scoring New Zealand Number 8 at test level.

Read participated in all seven of the All Blacks' matches during the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, which New Zealand ultimately won. He captained the team to a 47-9 victory over Tonga during the pool rounds while Richie McCaw was rested. Read started in all three knockout rounds of the World Cup, scoring his second try of the tournament in the All Blacks' decisive 62-13 quarter-final win over France. He continued to be a vital presence, playing the full 80 minutes in the narrow 20-18 semi-final victory over South Africa and in the historic 34-17 final triumph over Australia on 31 October 2015. In the final moments of the World Cup final, with vice-captain Conrad Smith and Richie McCaw having been substituted, Read captained the All Blacks for the last few seconds before earning his second World Cup winner's medal, making him one of only 20 players to win multiple Rugby World Cups.

3.3. Later career and international retirement

In 2016, following the retirement of long-serving captain Richie McCaw after the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Kieran Read was officially promoted to captain of the All Blacks. He bore a significant workload that year, starting as captain in all but one test and being substituted only once, in the second test against Argentina.

Read made a notable return from a broken thumb to captain the All Blacks against the British & Irish Lions in 2017. His performance, which included a bone-crushing tackle on Owen Farrell, earned him the Man of the Match award in the first test, a 30-15 victory for the All Blacks. On 8 July 2017, Read reached his 100th test cap, becoming only the eighth All Black to achieve this milestone, during the third test of the Lions series, which ended in a 15-15 draw, resulting in a shared series title.

He continued as captain for the remainder of 2017, scoring two tries in the second test against Argentina on 1 October 2017, bringing his career tally to 23. Despite Read's strong performance, Beauden Barrett later surpassed him as the highest try-scorer in the current team. Read's 100th start in the number 8 jersey was also his last test for the 2017 season, as he required back surgery to alleviate chronic leg pain. In his absence, Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock led the All Blacks in their final test of the year against Wales.

In 2018, Read did not participate in the All Blacks' three-test series against France in June, having only recovered from his injury in May. Sam Whitelock captained the team during this period. Read eventually returned to Super Rugby with the Crusaders and played a significant role in their successful 2018 campaign, which culminated in a 37-18 victory over the Lions in the final.

He resumed his role as All Black captain for the 2018 Rugby Championship. Read led the team to secure the Bledisloe Cup for the 16th consecutive year and achieved a 46-24 victory against Los Pumas in the third round. However, the fourth round of the tournament brought a significant upset, as the All Blacks suffered a narrow 34-36 loss to a resurgent South Africa at home on 15 September 2018, a rare defeat for Read's team. Read was rested for the fifth round, with Ardie Savea starting at number 8 and Sam Whitelock taking over captaincy. Read returned for the final round against South Africa on 6 October, leading the All Blacks to a narrow 32-30 victory, clinched by a late try and conversion.

The 2018 end-of-season tour was mixed for Read, who was still managing his recovery. While praised for his performances against Australia and England, the All Blacks lost 9-16 to Ireland on 17 November 2018. Read's performance in this loss drew some criticism from the media. Despite this, he concluded the year by captaining the All Blacks to a 66-3 victory over Italy, equaling Tony Woodcock as the third-most capped All Black in history.

Before the 2020 Super Rugby season began, Read confirmed his decision not to re-sign with the New Zealand Rugby Union after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, signaling his intention to retire from international rugby. After missing a test against Argentina in the 2019 Rugby Championship, Read captained New Zealand in all four remaining warm-up tests before the World Cup, which included a draw against South Africa, the retention of the Bledisloe Cup, and a decisive 92-7 win over Tonga, where he scored his 26th and final career try.

On 28 August, All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen officially named Read as captain of New Zealand's 31-player squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. This marked Read's third World Cup appearance, alongside Sam Whitelock and Sonny Bill Williams. After strong performances in the pool stages, Read led New Zealand to a 46-14 victory over Ireland in the quarter-finals.

Read continued as captain for the World Cup semi-final against England on 26 October, which was also his 34th birthday. To his disappointment, the All Blacks suffered a 7-19 defeat, marking New Zealand's first Rugby World Cup loss since the 2007 quarter-final. This loss also resulted in New Zealand losing its number-one ranking in World Rugby. Read expressed his disappointment, stating, "It's not what we came for," and later revealed he played the semi-final with a torn calf muscle.

The All Blacks rebounded by defeating Wales 40-17 in the Bronze Final, securing third place in the tournament. This match was Read's final test for New Zealand, as he had previously signed to play for Toyota Verblitz in Japan. He was one of five New Zealand players, including Crusaders teammates Ryan Crotty and Matt Todd, and fellow former All Black captain Ben Smith, to retire from international rugby after the World Cup. Read concluded his international career as the third-most capped All Black of all time and the tenth overall in test caps. He also holds the record for the second-most times captaining the All Blacks, behind Richie McCaw. Before his final match, Read led the prematch haka.

3.4. List of international test tries

4.1. Club and individual honours

Read achieved significant success at the club level with the Crusaders, becoming a Super Rugby Centurion for his extensive contributions to the team. He was part of four Super Rugby championship-winning teams in 2008, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Individually, Read was recognized as the New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year twice, in 2010 and 2013, solidifying his status as a premier player in New Zealand. His outstanding performances on the global stage also earned him the prestigious World Rugby Player of the Year award in 2013. He is also a Test Rugby Centurion, having played over 100 international test matches, and recorded 100 test starts. Read held the All Black captaincy from 2013 to 2019, leading the team with distinction.

In recognition of his substantial contributions to rugby, Read was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours.

4.2. International honours

With the All Blacks, Kieran Read achieved unparalleled success. He was a key member of the teams that won the Rugby World Cup in both 2011 and 2015, cementing his place among an elite group of multiple World Cup winners. He also contributed to the team's third-place finish in the 2019 tournament.

Read's tenure with the All Blacks saw them consistently dominate the southern hemisphere competition, winning the Tri Nations/The Rugby Championship title in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The All Blacks were also runners-up in the 2015 edition.

He was part of the All Blacks teams that consistently won the Bledisloe Cup from 2009 through to 2019. Other notable international trophies secured with Read in the squad include the Dave Gallaher Trophy (2009, 2013 (twice), 2016, 2017), the Freedom Cup (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), and the Hillary Shield (2013, 2014 (twice), 2018). In the 2017 British & Irish Lions series, the All Blacks drew the series, resulting in a shared title.

Reflecting the All Blacks' consistent excellence during his career, the team was awarded the World Rugby Team of the Year title from 2012 to 2017, and the Laureus Team of the Year in 2016.

5.1. Overall evaluation

Kieran Read is evaluated as one of the greatest Number 8s in rugby history and a highly respected leader. His ability to consistently perform at an elite level for over a decade, combined with his versatility to play flanker and even lock, set him apart. As captain of the All Blacks, he led by example, demonstrating composure under pressure and an unwavering commitment to the team's values. His tactical intelligence, strong ball-carrying, and defensive prowess were key components of the All Blacks' dominance during his era.

Read's contributions to the All Blacks' back-to-back Rugby World Cup victories in 2011 and 2015 highlight his pivotal role in moments of immense pressure. His quiet yet firm leadership style, often described as humble and diligent, earned him the admiration of teammates and opponents alike. He consistently prioritized the team's success, embodying the All Blacks' spirit of excellence and sportsmanship. His enduring influence extended beyond statistics, shaping a culture of high performance and collective responsibility.

5.2. Criticism and controversies

While Kieran Read's career was largely marked by widespread acclaim, like any high-profile athlete, he faced periods of scrutiny and minor criticisms. Notably, during the 2018 end-of-season tour, following the All Blacks' 9-16 loss to Ireland on 17 November 2018, Read's performance attracted some criticism from the media. Some commentators suggested his form had dipped, attributing it to ongoing injury struggles and age.

Despite these occasional critiques, they were generally balanced by an understanding of the physical toll of his long and demanding career, particularly his recovery from back surgery and other injuries. The prevailing sentiment throughout his career remained overwhelmingly positive, focusing on his immense contributions, resilience, and leadership rather than isolated instances of perceived underperformance. His handling of these moments demonstrated his strong character and focus on team objectives over individual acclaim.