Scott Scrafton (born 18 April 1993) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a lock for Benetton in the United Rugby Championship competition.[1][2]

Scott Scrafton
Date of birth (1993-04-18) 18 April 1993 (age 31)
Place of birthAuckland, New Zealand
Height200 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Weight118 kg (260 lb; 18 st 8 lb)
SchoolSt. Kentigern College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Current team Benetton
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–2021 Auckland 41 (5)
2016–2019 Blues 23 (20)
2020–2022 Hurricanes 27 (0)
2022– Benetton 9 (0)
Correct as of 31 Dec 2022
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013 New Zealand U20 4 (5)
2020 North Island 1 (0)
Correct as of 5 June 2022

Early career

edit

Scrafton completed 5 years at Kelston boys' High School, later attended Saint Kentigern College, one of Auckland's premier rugby schools and helped them to win the Auckland senior college final in 2011. Additionally after building a reputation for himself in the Auckland club scene, he spent 2 years with the Blues development team.[3]

Senior career

edit

Although not initially named in the Auckland squad for the 2014 ITM Cup, Scrafton did manage to work his way into the senior team that year, making 2 substitute appearances with his debut coming in a match against the Bay of Plenty. A full squad member in 2015, he played 10 times as Auckland reached the Premiership final before going down narrowly to Canterbury. He continued to be a regular starter through 2016, playing in all 10 of Auckland's games during a disappointing season for them which culminated in a 5th place finish on the Premiership log. He played with Auckland until 2021 season.[4][1]

Super Rugby

edit

After spending 2 years with their development side, Scrafton was handed a wider training group contract with the Auckland based Blues franchise ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season. Due to strong competition from more experienced locks such as Josh Bekhuis and Patrick Tuipulotu, he was limited to just one substitute appearance against the Waratahs. Bekhuis' subsequent departure for France at the end of the season, opened up a spot on the roster for 2017 and Scrafton was upgraded to the Blues first team squad by coach Tana Umaga. He played with Blues until 2019 and with Hurricanes from 2020 to 2022 season.[1][5][3]

International

edit

He was a New Zealand Schools representative in 2011 and was also a member of the New Zealand Under 20 team which finished 4th in the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship in France.[6]

Super Rugby Statistics

edit
As of 26 November 2016[1]
Season Team Games Starts Sub Mins Tries Cons Pens Drops Points Yel Red
2016 Blues 1 0 1 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1 0 1 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d "Scott Scrafton itsrugby.co.uk Player Statistics". itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  2. ^ "SCOTT SCRAFTON IS THE NEW SECOND LINE OF LIONS". Benetton Rugby.it (in Italian). 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Scott Scrafton Blues Player Profile". Blues Rugby. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Scott Scrafton Auckland Player Profile". Auckland Rugby. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Blues 2017 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Scott Scrafton All Blacks Player Profile". All Blacks.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.