Colin Slade

Colin Slade

Full name	Colin Slade
Date of birth	10 October 1987 (1987-10-10) (age 24)
Place of birth	Christchurch, New Zealand
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	90 kg (14 st 2 lb)
School	Christchurch Boys' High School
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Fly Half, Fullback, Wing, Centre
New Zealand No.	1107
Provincial/State sides
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2008–	Canterbury	39	(286)
Super Rugby
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2009–2010 2011–	Crusaders Highlanders	26 3	(50) (14)
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2010–	New Zealand	9	(60)

Colin Slade (born 10 October 1987 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a rugby union footballer who represents the Highlanders in the Super 15 competition and Canterbury in the ITM Cup, playing at primarily at Fly Half, as well as all other backline positions on occasions. He was first selected for the All Blacks in 2009.

Playing career

Provincial Rugby

Slade made his debut for Canterbury playing first five in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup, and scored 86 points for his side as Canterbury won the competition. His performances improved substantially as the season progressed and with Dan Carter unavailable and Stephen Brett injured, Slade became the first choice 10 for the Canterbury side.

In the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup, Slade was shifted to fullback as Stephen Brett was again healthy and reclaimed the number 10 jersey. Despite the shift in position, however, Slade didn't miss a beat as he started 14 games as one of the leading fullbacks in the competition, scoring 4 tries over the course of the season (including two outstanding tries in the final) as Canterbury again emerged champions.

For the 2010 ITM Cup, Slade reclaimed the starting first five position for Canterbury – along with first-choice goal-kicking duties – and emerged as one of the most dominant players in the competition. Despite missing games while with the All Blacks, Slade scored 152 points in just 11 starts to finish 2nd in the competition to Lachie Munro. He also led Canterbury to their third consecutive title, sealing victory in the final against Waikato with a fine individual try.

Super Rugby

Slade's impressive performance in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup caught the eye of Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder who included Slade into the squad for the 2009 season. Playing mainly out of position on the wing, he emerged as a regular member of the squad, making 11 starts as well as a substitute appearance in the semi-final against the Bulls.

For the 2010 Super 14 season, Slade was shifted to fullback, as he had been in the previous Air New Zealand Cup. His season was highlighted by a 21-point performance against the Lions on 20 March and his first Super Rugby try against the Stormers on 20 April.

In an effort to get more playing time at his favoured position of first five-eighth, Slade transferred to the Highlanders for the 2011 Super Rugby season. However, his season would be blighted by injury, beginning with a broken jaw suffered in a preseason game that ruled him out of the first 5 matches of the competition. After two solid performances in Highlander victories, he suffered a second broken jaw in his third game back, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

International Rugby

A former member of New Zealand U-19 and U-21 sides, Slade was selected for the Junior All Blacks side for the 2009 IRB Pacific Nations Cup where he played mainly at fullback, scoring 30 points including a try against Japan. On the back of that solid performance, he was selected into the All Blacks training squad for the 3rd leg of the Tri Nations Series although he didn't see any game action.

In 2010, Slade was called up again as a replacement for injured fly-half Dan Carter for the All Blacks final match in the 2010 Tri-Nations against the Wallabies on 11 September.^[1] He made his All Black debut off the bench in the 60th minute coming on as a replacement for Aaron Cruden.

Slade then made a mark in New Zealand's friendly against Fiji in July 2011. He scored a try, two penalties and four conversions for the All Blacks. He then played in New Zealand's opening Tri-Nations game against South Africa and scored New Zealand's sixth try of the match, resulting in victory by 40–7. He came on as a substitute in New Zealand's next match against Australia. He got his first Tri-Nations start against South Africa in the All Black's penultimate game.

He was selected for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and came on as a substitute in the opening match where he scored a conversion after Ma'a Nonu's try. After Dan Carter injured his groin and was forced out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup it was announced that Slade would become the All Blacks starting fly-half for the remainder of the World Cup. After having a 'horror' Tri-Nations game against the Springboks and an 'ordinary' first World Cup game, the public of New Zealand initially doubted the ability of Slade to perform in Carters absence.^[2] However, coach Graham Henry voiced his trust in Slade, urging the New Zealand supporters to give him their full support.

Slade then aggravated a groin tear injury during the Argentina game and was ruled out of the rest of the Cup.

References

1. ^ Daniel Gilhooly Slade ready for step up. NZPA Wellington, 1 September 2010
2. ^ Back Colin Slade, Henry urges Kiwis. BusinessDay. Retrieved on 2011-10-27.

External links

• Canterbury player profile
• Crusaders player profile
• All Blacks player profile

Persondata
Name	Slade, Colin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	10 October 1987
Place of birth	Christchurch, New Zealand
Date of death
Place of death