Aaron Mauger
Encyclopedia
Aaron Joseph Douglas Mauger (last name pronounced "Major"; born 29 November 1980 in Christchurch
, New Zealand
) is a former rugby union
player who played at centre for Leicester Tigers
. He previously played first five-eighths and second five-eighths for Canterbury
(Air New Zealand Cup
), the Crusaders (Super Rugby
) and the New Zealand All Blacks
. He joined the Leicester Tigers
at the end of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
after signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the English side.
Mauger captained the New Zealand Under-21 team to success in the International Under-21 Tournaments in 2000 and 2001. He made his All Blacks
début in 2001.
He is the younger brother of Nathan Mauger
and his uncles are former All Blacks
Graeme Bachop
and Stephen Bachop
. His great-uncle, Ivan Mauger
, is a former six time Speedway World Champion
.
In March 2010, Mauger announced his retirement due to a back injury.
He had attended clinics in the United Kingdom and Germany in his bid to overcome the injury but had been unable to complete training sessions without breaking down. In June 2010 he is returning with his family to live in his native New Zealand where he hopes to remain involved with rugby union in a coaching role.
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
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...
) is a former 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...
player who played at centre for 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...
. He previously played first five-eighths and second five-eighths for Canterbury
Canterbury Rugby Football Union
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
(Air New Zealand Cup
Air New Zealand Cup
The ITM Cup is New Zealand's annual professional domestic Rugby union competition, taking place from late July through October . It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the National Provincial Championship was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC...
), the Crusaders (Super Rugby
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
) and the New Zealand All Blacks
All 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....
. He joined 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...
at the end of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
after signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the English side.
Mauger captained the New Zealand Under-21 team to success in the International Under-21 Tournaments in 2000 and 2001. He made his All Blacks
All 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....
début in 2001.
He is the younger brother of Nathan Mauger
Nathan Mauger
Nathan Keith Mauger is a rugby union player. He spent the entirety of his Super Rugby career with the Canterbury Crusaders. He played for the All Blacks in 2002 in which he played 2 games but never played a test. He made his debut against Ireland A and played his latest game against Scotland A....
and his uncles are former All Blacks
All 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....
Graeme Bachop
Graeme Bachop
Graeme Bachop is a former rugby player from New Zealand of Samoan,Tahitian and Cook Islands Heritage.He played for the Linwood Rugby club for ten years followed by four years at Christchurch High School Old Boys. His move to HSOB allowed him to develop a combination with first five-eighths Andrew...
and Stephen Bachop
Stephen Bachop
Stephen Bachop is a former rugby player from New Zealand. He is the older brother of fellow All Black Graeme Bachop.-Provincial:...
. His great-uncle, Ivan Mauger
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Mauger, OBE, MBE, is a retired motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships, a feat only equalled by Tony Rickardsson of Sweden...
, is a former six time Speedway World Champion
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
.
In March 2010, Mauger announced his retirement due to a back injury.
He had attended clinics in the United Kingdom and Germany in his bid to overcome the injury but had been unable to complete training sessions without breaking down. In June 2010 he is returning with his family to live in his native New Zealand where he hopes to remain involved with rugby union in a coaching role.