Craig Innes

Craig Innes

Personal information
Full name	Craig Ross Innes
Nickname	Postie
Born	10 September 1969 (1969-09-10) (age 42) New Plymouth, New Zealand
Playing information
Height	181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	82 kg (12 st 13 lb)
Rugby union
Position	Centre
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
	Marist Brothers
	Ponsonby
1998–00	Auckland Blues
	Total	0	0	0	0	0
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1989–91	New Zealand	17	6			24
Rugby league
Position	Centre
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1992–95	Leeds		48
1995	Western Reds	10	4	0	0	16
1996–97	Manly-Warringah	50	25	11	0	122
	Total	60	77	11	0	138
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1993	Auckland	2	1	0	0	4
1997	Rest of the World	1

Craig Innes (born 10 September 1969 in New Plymouth^[1]) is a New Zealand former rugby league and rugby union footballer of the 1980s and 90s. After a successful rugby union career which saw him represent his country he switched to rugby league, playing in both England and Australia, winning the 1996 ARL Premiership, before playing out the last years of his career in rugby union in New Zealand.

Rugby union

Craig Innes made his international rugby union debut at age 20 on the wing in a Test against Wales during New Zealand's 1989 tour of Wales and Ireland. He scored two tries on debut. He went on to play in 17 tests for the All Blacks, including the 1991 Rugby World Cup. He turned professional in 1992, joining English rugby league club Leeds.

Rugby league

Innes helped Leeds reach the 1994 and 1995 Challenge Cup finals, playing against former All Black teammate Va'aiga Tuigamala in both matches. Innes' move to Australia to play for new ARL outfit, the Western Reds in the 1995 season brought threats of legal action from Leeds.^[2]

Manly-Warringah secured his services for the following season, and he played alongside fellow former All Black, Matthew Ridge in the Sea Eagles' grand final victory that year, scoring the first try of the match.^[3] The following year Innes was unable to play representative rugby league for New Zealand due to the New Zealand Rugby League's alignment with Super League and his club Manly's alignment with the Australian Rugby League. He did however appear in one match for a 'Rest of the World' team assembled to play against the ARL's Australian side. With the ARL isolated from the other international bodies during the Super League war, they instigated a game against a Rest of the World side to give its players a chance to represent internationally. The world side included high-profile British Test players Gary Connolly and Jason Robinson who had signed contracts promising to eventually join an ARL club. This was the only time the ARL granted Test status to a Rest of the World encounter. Innes thus became a dual-code rugby international in that match.

Innes' club, the Sea Eagles were minor premiers in the 1997 ARL season and reached the grand final, in which he scored a try, but it was not enough to defeat Newcastle.

At the end of the 1997 season, Innes returned to New Zealand to play out the rest of his football career in the Super 12 rugby union competition for the Auckland Blues.^[4] Since retirement from playing, he has been involved in professional player management.

Personal life

Craig has two children and is married to former model, television host and judge on New Zealand's Next Top Model, Sara Tetro.

References

1. ^ "Craig Innes profile". 2rugby.com. http://2rugby.com/player/428/. Retrieved 2008-09-25. 
2. ^ "Craig Innes profile". Yesterday's Hero. http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile_Craig-Innes_4222.aspx. Retrieved 2008-09-25. 
3. ^ Jessup, Peter (30 June 2001). "Final line-break for Innes". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=197615. Retrieved 26 September 2011. 
4. ^ "Craig Innes profile". Leeds Rhinos. http://leedsrugby.dnsupdate.co.uk/leedsrhinos/pastplayers/squad-page.asp?ID=115. Retrieved 2008-09-25. 

External links

• Craig Innes at rugbyleagueproject.com
• Craig Innes at nrlstats.com
• Craig Innes at sporting-heroes.net
• Profile at leedsrugby

Persondata
Name	Innes, Craig
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	10 September 1969
Place of birth	New Plymouth
Date of death
Place of death