Riki Flutey
Encyclopedia
Riki John Flutey is a New Zealand
born rugby union
footballer who plays at centre or fly-half for London Wasps
in the Aviva Premiership.
Internationally he represents , and was selected for the British and Irish Lions
in 2009, having previously represented New Zealand at all age groups.
, Flutey was a member of the New Zealand team
that won the U19 World Cup in 1999. He first played for the New Zealand Māori
in 2002.
He made his representative debut for Hawkes Bay
in 1998, between 1999–2005 he competed for the Wellington Lions
in the National Provincial Championship
.
Flutey made his debut for the Hurricanes
against the Blues in the opening round of the 2002 Super 12.
After making only 5 appearances in the 2005 Super 12 season
, Flutey moved to England to play for London Irish
.
After his arrival at the Exiles the team achieved a play-off place in the 2005–06 Guinness Premiership, losing to the Leicester Tigers
. That season, Flutey also started in the final of the European Challenge Cup
, losing to Gloucester Rugby. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Flutey left London Irish to join London Wasps
.
He was rewarded for an excellent 2007/2008 début season with Wasps, winning the League, and he was named Player of the Year at the PRA
awards.
Flutey decided to join Top 14 club Brive
, from the 2009–10 season
, joining other English internationals such as Andy Goode
, Steve Thompson and Jamie Noon
. He played just 5 games for the club before his season was ended by a shoulder injury.
Flutey will rejoin London Wasps
for the 2010/2011 season after just one season at Brive. He was contracted for 2 years but, by mutual consent, the contract was cancelled as his time in France was blighted by a shoulder injury. The club were not pleased that he choose to play for in the 2010 Six Nations Championship
having just recovered from injury and not having featured for the club for months. He re-injured the same shoulder playing for England in the tournament and was ruled out of playing again during the 2009/2010 season.
On 1 July 2008, Flutey was named in Martin Johnson's first England Elite Squad. Flutey made his England
debut against the Pacific Islanders
at Twickenham
on 8 November 2008. He scored his first international try against in the 2009 Six Nations.
After two narrow losses against and , he was influential in England's 34–10 victory over , scoring two tries and setting up another. In the next game against , he scored again and was chosen as the man of the match. His four tries in the 2009 Six Nations
was the joint highest.
Flutey played in the third and final Test
of the tour.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
born rugby union
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 who plays at centre or fly-half for London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
in the Aviva Premiership.
Internationally he represents , and was selected for the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in 2009, having previously represented New Zealand at all age groups.
Rugby career
Born in WairarapaWairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
, Flutey was a member of the New Zealand team
New Zealand national under-19 rugby union team
The New Zealand Under 19's rugby team was a team for players aged under 19 as a platform to the All Blacks. The New Zealand Under 19's have joined forces with the New Zealand Under 21's to make the new team New Zealand Under 20's for the all new IRB Junior World Championship, which commenced in...
that won the U19 World Cup in 1999. He first played for the New Zealand Māori
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...
in 2002.
He made his representative debut for Hawkes Bay
Hawke's Bay Rugby Union
The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand. The union is based in Napier.-Representative rugby:...
in 1998, between 1999–2005 he competed for the Wellington Lions
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...
in the National Provincial Championship
National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
.
Flutey made his debut for the Hurricanes
Hurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
against the Blues in the opening round of the 2002 Super 12.
After making only 5 appearances in the 2005 Super 12 season
2005 Super 12 season
The 2005 Super 12 season was the tenth season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 2005, with each team playing all the others once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams entered the playoff semi finals,...
, Flutey moved to England to play for London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
.
After his arrival at the Exiles the team achieved a play-off place in the 2005–06 Guinness Premiership, losing to the Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
. That season, Flutey also started in the final of the European Challenge Cup
2005-06 European Challenge Cup
The 2005–06 European Challenge Cup was the tenth year of the European Challenge Cup, the second tier rugby union cup competition below the Heineken Cup...
, losing to Gloucester Rugby. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Flutey left London Irish to join London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
.
He was rewarded for an excellent 2007/2008 début season with Wasps, winning the League, and he was named Player of the Year at the PRA
The Professional Rugby Players' Association
The Rugby Players Association is a trade union representing athletes who currently play or have played rugby union in England at a professional or semi-professional level. Established in 1998, it was originally called the Professional Rugy Players' Association ; in October 2009 it changed its name...
awards.
Flutey decided to join Top 14 club Brive
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech .- History :The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on...
, from the 2009–10 season
2009–10 Top 14 season
Stade de France was listed as an alternate home for Stade Français because the club hosted five of their 13 home matches this season at the national stadium. Similarly, Stadium Municipal was listed as an alternate home for Toulouse, who normally play two Top 14 matches a year at that facility...
, joining other English internationals such as Andy Goode
Andy Goode
Andrew James Goode is a rugby union footballer who plays fly-half for Worcester and England.-Career:...
, Steve Thompson and Jamie Noon
Jamie Noon
Jamie Darren Noon is a rugby union footballer who plays at centre for CA Brive.-Career:Hard-running centre Noon joined the Falcons in the 1998/9 season, after a letter from one of his school teachers alerted the club to a player who had been totally missed by the representative rugby system in...
. He played just 5 games for the club before his season was ended by a shoulder injury.
Flutey will rejoin London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
for the 2010/2011 season after just one season at Brive. He was contracted for 2 years but, by mutual consent, the contract was cancelled as his time in France was blighted by a shoulder injury. The club were not pleased that he choose to play for in the 2010 Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
having just recovered from injury and not having featured for the club for months. He re-injured the same shoulder playing for England in the tournament and was ruled out of playing again during the 2009/2010 season.
England
Flutey qualified for England on residency grounds at the beginning of the 2008/09 season – he had announced on 14 May 2008 that he would be available for England selection as soon as he had completed his three-year residential qualification in September.On 1 July 2008, Flutey was named in Martin Johnson's first England Elite Squad. Flutey made his England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
debut against the Pacific Islanders
Pacific Islanders rugby union team
The Pacific Islanders rugby union team is an international rugby union team, started in 2004, that represents Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. While Niue and the Cook Islands are not members of the Pacific Tri-Nations competition, they did supply players to the squad for the Pacific Islanders' tour in 2004...
at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
on 8 November 2008. He scored his first international try against in the 2009 Six Nations.
After two narrow losses against and , he was influential in England's 34–10 victory over , scoring two tries and setting up another. In the next game against , he scored again and was chosen as the man of the match. His four tries in the 2009 Six Nations
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
was the joint highest.
British and Irish Lions
He was selected for the 2009 British and Irish Lions touring party to South Africa. On 30 May 2009 he became the first player to play for and against the British and Irish Lions in a tour match.Flutey played in the third and final Test
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
of the tour.