Charles Luke McAlister (born 28 August 1983 in Waitara) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He plays at fly-half and at centre. He is the brother of New Zealand women's sevens player Kayla McAlister and son of rugby league footballer Charlie McAlister.
 McAlister in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Charles Luke McAlister | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 28 August 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Waitara, Taranaki, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 93 kg (14 st 9 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Westlake Boys High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Charlie McAlister (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career edit
McAlister was born in Waitara, New Zealand, and attended Westlake Boys High School, where he played first five-eighth. He played for Silverdale in the North Harbour premier competition before making his provincial debut for North Harbour in 2002 and Super Rugby debut for the Blues in 2004. He made his international debut for New Zealand aged 21, versus the British and Irish Lions in 2005.
In June 2006, his father, Charlie, resigned his position as head coach of the Manawatu team in the Air New Zealand Cup. Charlie McAlister is a former rugby league footballer, and Luke McAlister lived in the Manchester area from the age of four to 13 while his father played rugby league for Oldham, Castleford and the Sheffield Eagles, during which time Luke was a member of the Manchester United Academy.[2]
Following the announcement of his inclusion in the All Blacks squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, it was announced on 23 July 2007 that McAlister would be joining Guinness Premiership side Sale Sharks after the World Cup on a two-year deal. It was also reported that he had turned down offers from both Munster and Toulouse to join Sale.[3]
McAlister played in four of the All Blacks' five matches at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, including the 20–18 quarter-final loss to France, in which he was controversially sent to the sin bin for an obstruction. France converted the resulting penalty, and the sin-binning was cited by many New Zealand fans as one of the reasons why their team lost the match. Over the course of the tournament, McAlister accumulated a total of 17 points.
In 2009 after two seasons with Sale in the Guinness Premiership, McAlister returned to New Zealand, where he re-signed with North Harbour and the Blues, with the intention of regaining his place in the national side. He appeared for the All Blacks as a substitute for Stephen Donald against France in Wellington on 20 June 2009.[4]
From August 2011, McAlister played for Stade Toulousain in France's Top 14 championship.[5] On his first season with Toulouse, he won the Bouclier de Brennus. He played a crucial role in it, scoring all of his team's points during the final.[6][7][8]
On 12 May 2017, McAlister left Toulouse to sign for former Top 14 champions Toulon ahead of the 2017–18 season.[9]
References edit
- ^ "Silverdale United Rugby Football Club - International Honours". Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ Mortimer, Gavin (November 2007). "Headline makers: Luke McAlister". Rugby World (569): 78–79.
- ^ "All Black McAlister to join Sale". BBC Sport. 23 July 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2007.
- ^ "All Blacks level series in slugfest" (Press release). All Blacks. 20 June 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
- ^ "McAlister confirms Toulouse switch". ESPN. 17 June 2011.
- ^ "McAlister kicks Toulouse into final". Planet Rugby. 2 June 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
- ^ "Toulouse defend Top 14 title". Planet Rugby. 12 June 2012. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
- ^ "Luke McAlister Profile". Itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ^ "Former All-Black fly-half Luke McAlister leaves Toulouse for Toulon next season". Stuff.co.nz. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.