Christian Cullen
Encyclopedia
Christian Mathias Cullen (born 12 February 1976 in Paraparaumu, New Zealand) is a former New Zealand rugby union
footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand (the All Blacks), for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu
, Wellington
and later Munster
at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki
Express. With 46 tries in 58 tests, Cullen is currently the 6th-highest international try scorer in rugby union history. He is generally regarded as one of the best full backs of all time, and one of the greatest All Blacks of his generation.
, a small town north of Wellington. He emerged as a young talent throughout his high school earning him a representative position for the New Zealand secondary schools team in 1993 and 1994.
He continued to dazzle his opponents throughout 1995, representing Manawatu and becoming their second top point scorer with 70 points from 12 tries, 2 conversions and 2 penalty goals. This form earned him a position in the New Zealand sevens team in tournaments in Fiji and Hong Kong.
Cullen’s rise to fame came throughout the 1996 season when he played in the first ever Super 12 game between the Blues and the Hurricanes, going on to score 7 tries in 9 matches and becoming the Hurricanes' top try scorer.
But it was at the world sevens competition in Hong Kong that Cullen truly emerged as a force to be reckoned with. He blitzed the tournament scoring an unprecedented 18 tries (including 7 in one match). Later that year he was also selected as an All Black at the age of 20; an age that many considered too young. Cullen proved his critics wrong, scoring a record seven tries in his first two Test matches – a hat-trick on debut against Samoa and then four tries against Scotland. “Christian Cullen had exploded onto the world rugby scene.” Christian got married on Saturday 10 April at The White Swan Hotel in Greytown.
Cullen had a nervous beginning to the 1997 season; recovering from a cartilage injury to his knee at the end of the All Blacks tour of South Africa in 1996. He was re-introduced into the Super 12 season slowly and showed immediate flair and pace going on to score 11 tries in 10 games for the semi finalist Hurricanes, and a further 12 in 12 test matches for the All Blacks.
The following year, however, was to disrupt Cullen's smooth winning run with the All Blacks, as they went on to a record breaking 5 consecutive losses in a row. Cullen however, ‘performed admirably in a losing team,’ scoring 4 tries in seven games for the All Blacks. After this forgetful tour, Cullen was gifted the opportunity by Gordon Tietjens to regain composure and focus and represent New Zealand sevens in the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games. Throughout this competition Cullen played in 7 games, scored 9 tries and kicked 23 conversions. ‘He played a key role in the winning of the gold medal.’
1999 would see Cullen playing in all 6 games of New Zealand’s unsuccessful world cup campaign. Under Coach John Hart, Cullen was started in 5 of the matches out of position at centre; a position to which he was unaccustomed. For the first time in Cullen’s career he was in the firing line and having his position questioned by the media and the public of New Zealand. ‘But the prospect of being written off didn’t worry him.’ He bounced back into the 2000 season scoring 10 tries from 11 games for the Hurricanes and a record 7 tries in four tri nations’ games from fullback, including 3 consecutive pairs.
In 2001, Cullen sustained a severe injury to his knee and had to undergo a serious operation, followed by an intensive recovery therapy regime. Cullen had made himself unavailable for the 2001 end-of-year tour with the All Blacks, but was announced ‘dropped’ by John Mitchell at a press conference with the NZRU in November, 2001. Personal differences seemed to arise between Cullen and new All Blacks coach John Mitchell and were never really put to rest from the beginning. After being out of much of the season he returned to the field, being picked in and out of the All Blacks squad but still managing to score 4 tries in the 5 test matches he played.
2003 saw Cullen hit the Super 12 season with a bang, scoring 8 tries in 12 games for the Hurricanes, and earning him back his reputation of being a ‘star on the field’. He scored 56 tries in the Super Rugby competition, a record at the time. However, he was controversially left out of New Zealand's 2003 World Cup squad, and was left with little option but to carry out his NPC season for Wellington and pursue a career overseas at only 27 years of age.
Cullen's final match for Wellington was in the 2003 NPC final and, although Wellington lost to Auckland, he received a standing ovation.
In 2003, Cullen was briefly and controversially selected for the Māori rugby team
despite having, according to his father, about 1/64 Māori ancestry.
At the conclusion of 2003 Cullen moved to Ireland where he played for Munster
. His time with Munster was blighted by injuries, particularly to his shoulder, limiting his appearances with the side.
Cullen's last appearance for Munster was in a 15–7 Magners League win over the Newport Gwent Dragons
at Musgrave Park
on 28 April 2007. Two weeks later, on 12 May, he announced his official retirement from rugby with the intention of returning to New Zealand to start a business.
Christian Cullen was a ‘devastating attacking fullback.’ “Whether future generations talk of his stunning arrival on rugby’s international stage, his efforts in the republic as the incomparable’s ran riot in 1996, his record try scoring feats, his battles with fitness and – more recently – for selection, the man once dubbed the ‘Paekakariki express’ has confirmed his place in history.”
. He scored in excess of 150 first-class tries whilst in New Zealand and is still the third highest tryscorer in the history of Super rugby with 56 tries, behind only Joe Roff
and Howlett.
coach John Mitchell.
Cullen also claimed to be 'about' 1/64th Māori which allowed him to play for the New Zealand Māori.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand (the All Blacks), for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu
Manawatu Rugby Union
Manawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of Rugby union in the Manawatu rugby province. The Union is based in the city of Palmerston North but has a catchment area from nearby towns in the province, including Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Dannevirke and...
, Wellington
Wellington Rugby Football Union
The Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand...
and later Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki
Paekakariki
Paekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It is 22 km north of Porirua and 45 km north-east of Wellington, the nation's capital city....
Express. With 46 tries in 58 tests, Cullen is currently the 6th-highest international try scorer in rugby union history. He is generally regarded as one of the best full backs of all time, and one of the greatest All Blacks of his generation.
Background
Christian Cullen is the youngest of 3 children with an elder twin brother (Shane) and sister (Anita) and was born and grew up in PaekakarikiPaekakariki
Paekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It is 22 km north of Porirua and 45 km north-east of Wellington, the nation's capital city....
, a small town north of Wellington. He emerged as a young talent throughout his high school earning him a representative position for the New Zealand secondary schools team in 1993 and 1994.
He continued to dazzle his opponents throughout 1995, representing Manawatu and becoming their second top point scorer with 70 points from 12 tries, 2 conversions and 2 penalty goals. This form earned him a position in the New Zealand sevens team in tournaments in Fiji and Hong Kong.
Cullen’s rise to fame came throughout the 1996 season when he played in the first ever Super 12 game between the Blues and the Hurricanes, going on to score 7 tries in 9 matches and becoming the Hurricanes' top try scorer.
But it was at the world sevens competition in Hong Kong that Cullen truly emerged as a force to be reckoned with. He blitzed the tournament scoring an unprecedented 18 tries (including 7 in one match). Later that year he was also selected as an All Black at the age of 20; an age that many considered too young. Cullen proved his critics wrong, scoring a record seven tries in his first two Test matches – a hat-trick on debut against Samoa and then four tries against Scotland. “Christian Cullen had exploded onto the world rugby scene.” Christian got married on Saturday 10 April at The White Swan Hotel in Greytown.
Cullen had a nervous beginning to the 1997 season; recovering from a cartilage injury to his knee at the end of the All Blacks tour of South Africa in 1996. He was re-introduced into the Super 12 season slowly and showed immediate flair and pace going on to score 11 tries in 10 games for the semi finalist Hurricanes, and a further 12 in 12 test matches for the All Blacks.
The following year, however, was to disrupt Cullen's smooth winning run with the All Blacks, as they went on to a record breaking 5 consecutive losses in a row. Cullen however, ‘performed admirably in a losing team,’ scoring 4 tries in seven games for the All Blacks. After this forgetful tour, Cullen was gifted the opportunity by Gordon Tietjens to regain composure and focus and represent New Zealand sevens in the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games. Throughout this competition Cullen played in 7 games, scored 9 tries and kicked 23 conversions. ‘He played a key role in the winning of the gold medal.’
1999 would see Cullen playing in all 6 games of New Zealand’s unsuccessful world cup campaign. Under Coach John Hart, Cullen was started in 5 of the matches out of position at centre; a position to which he was unaccustomed. For the first time in Cullen’s career he was in the firing line and having his position questioned by the media and the public of New Zealand. ‘But the prospect of being written off didn’t worry him.’ He bounced back into the 2000 season scoring 10 tries from 11 games for the Hurricanes and a record 7 tries in four tri nations’ games from fullback, including 3 consecutive pairs.
In 2001, Cullen sustained a severe injury to his knee and had to undergo a serious operation, followed by an intensive recovery therapy regime. Cullen had made himself unavailable for the 2001 end-of-year tour with the All Blacks, but was announced ‘dropped’ by John Mitchell at a press conference with the NZRU in November, 2001. Personal differences seemed to arise between Cullen and new All Blacks coach John Mitchell and were never really put to rest from the beginning. After being out of much of the season he returned to the field, being picked in and out of the All Blacks squad but still managing to score 4 tries in the 5 test matches he played.
2003 saw Cullen hit the Super 12 season with a bang, scoring 8 tries in 12 games for the Hurricanes, and earning him back his reputation of being a ‘star on the field’. He scored 56 tries in the Super Rugby competition, a record at the time. However, he was controversially left out of New Zealand's 2003 World Cup squad, and was left with little option but to carry out his NPC season for Wellington and pursue a career overseas at only 27 years of age.
Cullen's final match for Wellington was in the 2003 NPC final and, although Wellington lost to Auckland, he received a standing ovation.
In 2003, Cullen was briefly and controversially selected for the Māori rugby team
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...
despite having, according to his father, about 1/64 Māori ancestry.
At the conclusion of 2003 Cullen moved to Ireland where he played for Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
. His time with Munster was blighted by injuries, particularly to his shoulder, limiting his appearances with the side.
Cullen's last appearance for Munster was in a 15–7 Magners League win over the Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
at Musgrave Park
Musgrave Park, Cork
Musgrave Park is a rugby football stadium in the city of Cork, Ireland. The ground consists of four terraces, one stand, three tribunes, one jogging track, and two VIP stands on the west side. Musgrave has a capacity of about 9,251 and is situated on Pearse Road in Ballyphehane...
on 28 April 2007. Two weeks later, on 12 May, he announced his official retirement from rugby with the intention of returning to New Zealand to start a business.
Christian Cullen was a ‘devastating attacking fullback.’ “Whether future generations talk of his stunning arrival on rugby’s international stage, his efforts in the republic as the incomparable’s ran riot in 1996, his record try scoring feats, his battles with fitness and – more recently – for selection, the man once dubbed the ‘Paekakariki express’ has confirmed his place in history.”
Records
Cullen remains the all-time leading try scorer in the Tri Nations Series, with 16. He was also the first player to score a try in every tri-nations test in one season. He is the second most-capped All Black fullback, and retired from the All Blacks at the time as their leading Test try scorer with 46; the latter record has since been surpassed by Doug HowlettDoug Howlett
Douglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. He is primarily a wing but he has also covered fullback at national and international levels. He currently plays in Ireland with Munster. He is the brother of former Tongan rugby league international Phil...
. He scored in excess of 150 first-class tries whilst in New Zealand and is still the third highest tryscorer in the history of Super rugby with 56 tries, behind only Joe Roff
Joe Roff
Joe Roff is a retired Australian rugby union footballer and a product of the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club in Canberra, who played on the wing or at fullback for Brumbies and Australia and played 5 tests as a centre in the early part of his test career...
and Howlett.
Biography
His biography, Christian Cullen: Life on the Run (by John Matheson) was released in October 2003. The book sparked significant media comment for Cullen's criticism of former All BlacksAll Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
coach John Mitchell.
Ancestry
Christian Cullen although mainly of Irish descent, also has mixed German and Samoan ancestry. This was confirmed during an interview with former Reunion presenter Oscar Kightley.Cullen also claimed to be 'about' 1/64th Māori which allowed him to play for the New Zealand Māori.
External links
- Christian Cullen at theSportsWriter