Anton Oliver

Infobox Rugby biography
name = Anton Oliver


caption =
birthname = Anton David Oliver
nickname = Hatch
birthyear = 1975
birthmonth = 09
birthday = 09
placeofbirth = flagicon|New Zealand Invercargill, New Zealand
dateofdeath =
placeofdeath =
height = height|m=1.84
weight = convert|111|kg|st|abbr=on
School = Malborough Boys' High, There he was the Head Boy
ru_position = Hooker|capital=yes
ru_nationalteam = ru|NZL
ru_nationalyears = 1996-2001, 2003-2007
ru_nationalcaps = 55
ru_nationalpoints = (15)
ru_ntupdate =
allblackid = 673
allblackno = 960
ru_province = flagicon|NZ Otago
flagicon|NZ Marlborough
ru_provinceyears =
ru_provincecaps = 85
-
ru_provincepoints = (95)
(-)
ru_provinceupdate =
super14 = flagicon|NZL Highlanders
super14caps = 120
super14points = (45)
super14years = 1996-2007
super14update =
other = yes
occupation =
spouse =
children =
relatives = Frank Oliver
school = Marlborough Boys' College
university = Otago University

Anton David Oliver (born 9 September 1975 in Invercargill) is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer who most recently played for the French second-division club Toulon, recently noted for signing veteran greats including former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga and nrut|Australia great George Gregan. [cite news |first=Nick |last=Cain |title=Player exodus threatens world order |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby/article1719922.ece |publisher=The Sunday Times |date=2007-04-29 |accessdate=2007-04-30] Previously, he played as a hooker for Marlborough (one of the predecessors to today's Tasman side) and Otago in the National Provincial Championship and Air New Zealand Cup, the Highlanders in Super 14, and the All Blacks.

Early life

Oliver was born in Invercargill, New Zealand, and attended Marlborough Boys' College. He made his provinical debut for Marlborough against Nelson Bays in 1993. He also represented NZ Secondary schools and NZ Under 19s in 1993. In 1994, he represented NZ Under 19s and NZ Under 21s, and represented the Under 21s for the next two years.

He moved to Dunedin in 1994 to attend the University of Otago, and made his debut for Otago that year. As a student he flatted with fellow All Blacks Simon Maling and Tony Brown.

All Blacks

Oliver made his All Blacks debut age 21, versus Fiji in 1997. He has currently scored a total of 10 test points (2 tries).

Oliver created the first father and son captain combination for the All Blacks when he was appointed as All Blacks captain in 2001. Father Frank Oliver captained the All Blacks in 1978 and was one of the hardmen of New Zealand rugby.

Anton was dropped from the All Blacks in 2003 after the test against England in Wellington 2003 by John Mitchell - the then All Black coach who cited a number of deficiencies in Anton's game as being the reason for his decision. He was a surprise recall to the team in 2004 for the end of the year tour reflecting a desire by the coaching staff for the All blacks to regain the forward power that so characterized the All black team of 95 - 97. From then until his retirement from international rugby after the 2007 Rugby World Cup, he was either the first choice hooker for the All Blacks or contending for first choice with Keven Mealamu.

Oliver evolved into a "thinking man's rugby player" and spoke openly on the excessive drinking that once took place in the All Blacks camp in his book "Anton Oliver, inside" (2005). In this book he speaks unashamedly of how a young fan's letter to him made him rethink his loutish drunken behaviour as a young man and he praises Wayne Smith and Andrew Martin for getting the All Black ethos back to "where it belongs". He is erudite and is always worth listening to if involved in a post-match interview - no trite "all credit to the opposition" comments to be expected from him.

Oliver has been a critic of building windfarms in Otago in New Zealand and in 2007 mounted a campaign against Meridian Energy's Project Hayes, a planned new 630MW windfarm. [cite news|title=All Black sees red|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10444642|work=NZ Herald|date=2007-06-10]

Oliver is a patron of the Coalition for Open Government.

Latest News

In May 2007, Anton Oliver signed a contract to play with French rugby club Toulon after the completion of the Rugby World Cup. He joined up with legends of the world rugby game, including Springbok Victor Matfield, former Wallaby Captain George Gregan, former All Black Andrew Mehrtens and former All Black captain Tana Umaga. After 14 years in Otago playing rugby Oliver decided that it was time for a change. Turning down numerous offers to play rugby in the United Kingdom Oliver chose to play rugby in France, which was more of a cultural experience.

In early 2008, Oliver announced his retirement from professional rugby at the end of the 2007-08 season to read for an MSc in Biodiversity, Enivornment and Management at the University of Oxford. In a May 2008 interview, he noted that he was concerned that his rugby prominence helped him earn admission, but received feedback that his dissertation proposal was the main factor in his admission. After he completed his Toulon contract in June 2008, ending his professional career by seeing Toulon win the Pro D2 title and earn automatic promotion to the following season's Top 14, he travelled to the Ringgolds Islands, an outlying archipelago of Fiji, for a month of research on the relationship between poverty and conservation before arriving at Oxford to continue his studies. He is scheduled to play in the 2008 Varsity Match between Oxford and Cambridge. [cite news|title=Anton Oliver's new game |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/sundaystartimes/4551182a6619.html |publisher="The Sunday Star-Times" |date=2008-05-18 |accessdate=2008-05-22]

Notes and references

External links

*All Blacks|673