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Brad Weber

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Brad Weber
Full nameBrad McCormick Weber
Date of birth (1991-01-17) 17 January 1991 (age 33)
Place of birthNapier, New Zealand
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb; 11 st 11 lb)
SchoolNapier Boys' High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Half-back
Current team Stade Français
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012 Otago 9 (0)
2013–2015 Waikato 26 (62)
2014–2023 Chiefs 123 (139)
2016–2023 Hawke's Bay 50 (127)
2023– Stade Français 27 (10)
Correct as of 11 November 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011 New Zealand U20 5 (10)
2015–2022 New Zealand 18 (30)
2015–2022 Māori All Blacks 9 (15)
2020 South Island 1 (0)
2022–2023 All Blacks XV 3 (0)
Correct as of 16 May 2024

Brad McCormick Weber (born 17 January 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a halfback for Stade Français in the French Top 14. He previously played for Hawke's Bay in the National Provincial Championship[1] and the Chiefs in Super Rugby.[2] He has represented New Zealand internationally.

Early life

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Brother of Napier Marist rugby player Sam Weber and son of Neil Weber. Brad attended St Patrick's school in Napier before moving to Napier Boys’ High School for his secondary school education. Brad played his junior rugby for Napier Old Boys’ Marist and was selected into the Napier Ross Shield team in 2003.

Career

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After moving to Dunedin he joined the Dunedin Rugby Football Club (Inc) 'The Sharks' Established in 1871 playing firstly for the Premier Colts side in 2010 and then the Senior Premier side in 2011. He was in the Hawkes Bay ITM side in that year. He played for Dunedin in 2012 and was in the Senior Premier side that were runners up for the Premier Banner. In 2013 the Dunedin Premier side won the Premier 1 Dunedin Metropolitan Club Championship and the club named him Speight's Premier Player of the year. Weber has still referenced his playing days with the 'Sharks' with a 'Fins Up' salute after he has scored for his current team.[3]

Weber started his senior career playing for the Otago Razorbacks while studying for an applied science degree at the University of Otago. He made nine appearances during the 2012 ITM Cup, but could not dislodge Fumiaki Tanaka as first choice half-back.

2013 did not start well for him as rising-star Josh Renton was named ahead of him in the Dunedin team's ITM Cup squad and he began to focus more on his studies than rugby. However, a month into the season he received a call from Waikato coach Johnny Walters who wanted to take him north to provide more competition for halfbacks Mick Snowden and Kylem O'Donnell.[4] His switch was more successful than he could have imagined as a series of good performances saw him named in the Chiefs wider training group ahead of the 2014 Super Rugby season.[5] Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Augustine Pulu were selected as the defending champions first-choice halfbacks; however, an injury to Kerr-Barlow prior to the season opener against the Crusaders opened the door for Weber, who made his Super Rugby debut as a second-half substitute in an 18–10 win for the Chiefs.[6]

Weber was named captain of the Waikato ITM Cup squad for the 2014 ITM Cup season[7] and co-captain with Whetu Douglas for the 2015 ITM Cup season.[8]

At the end of the 2015 ITM Cup season, after scoring a second half hat trick in the final match against Hawke's Bay to win the Ranfurly Shield for Waikato, it was announced that Weber had signed a contract to return to Napier to play for Hawke's Bay during the 2016 ITM Cup season.[9]

On 19 May 2023, after ten years at the franchise, the Chiefs announced that Weber would be leaving for France after the 2023 season.[10] French Top 14 club Stade Français confirmed on 7 June 2023 that it had signed Weber ahead of the 2023–24 Top 14 season.[11]

Weber made his debut for Stade Français – from the bench – on 18 November 2023 against Racing 92.[12] He scored his first two tries for the club on 14 September 2024 against Vannes.[13]

International career

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Weber was a member of the New Zealand Under 20 side that won the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship in Italy. He largely served as back up to TJ Perenara during the competition.[14]

Weber made his All Blacks debut against Samoa on 8 July 2015.[15] On 2 October 2019, during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, Weber scored his first international try in a pool match against Canada. He scored a second in the same match.[16]

Personal life

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Weber is a New Zealander of Ngāti Porou descent and stated in an interview that he wants to be an inspiration to those who are of Māori descent but who feel they do not look Māori to seek out their origins (Whakapapa).[17][18][19]

Honours

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New Zealand

References

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  1. ^ "2023 Magpies squad release". Hawke's Bay Rugby Union. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Brad Weber Chiefs Player Profile". Chiefs. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Dunedin Rugby Football Club (Inc)".
  4. ^ "Brad Weber makes mercy dash to join Mooloos". Waikato Times. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  5. ^ "NZ Super Rugby franchises name 2014 squads". Super XV. 29 October 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  6. ^ "Match Centre - Super Rugby - Crusaders vs Chiefs". SANZAAR. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Initial 2014 ITM Cup Squad Announced". Waikato Rugby. 9 June 2014. Archived from the original on 12 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  8. ^ "Waikato 2015 ITM Cup Captaincy Announcement". Waikato Rugby. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Waikato confirm Brad Weber's departure to Hawke's Bay". Stuff New Zealand. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Brad Weber confirms 2023 will be his last season with the Gallagher Chiefs" (Press release). Chiefs. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  11. ^ @SFParisRugby (7 June 2023). "Brad Weber 17 caps sous le maillot des All Blacks, 9 saisons avec la province de Waikato. Le chef d'orchestre & expérimenté co-capitaine des Chiefs sera à la baguette la saison prochaine" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 July 2023 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Hawke's Bay's Brad Weber makes French debut in Parisian derby". Hawke's Bay Today. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Ex-All Black Weber guides Stade Francais past Vannes despite late comeback". supersport.com. 15 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Brad Weber Player Profile". JWC 2011. IRB. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  15. ^ "All Blacks have narrow win over Samoa in Apia". Radio New Zealand. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Barrett boys make try-scoring history as All Blacks sink Canada". World Rugby. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  17. ^ "5 players from Ngāti Porou named in "Maori All Blacks"". Ngāti Porou East Coast. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Rugby: Māori All Blacks halfback Brad Weber hopes to inspire those who 'don't look Māori' to explore their whakapapa". Newshub. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  19. ^ "All Black Brad Weber reveals his reluctance to lead Māori All Blacks". Stuff. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
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