2014 SUPER RUGBY MEDIA GUIDE BRUMBIES 26 CHRISTIAN LEALIIFANO @CLealiifano Position: Flyhalf Physical: 179cm/95kg Date of Birth: 24 September 1987 Place of Birth: Auckland, NZL Super Rugby Caps: 70 Super Rugby Points: 400 Super Rugby Debut: Round 1, 2008 vs Crusaders, Christchurch Test Caps: 13 Test Points: 124 Test Debut 22 June 2013 vs British & Irish Lions, Brisbane In the midst of a stellar 2013 Super Rugby season, Christian Lealiifano was finally presented with the opportunity to represent Australia and he grabbed it with both hands. Equally as comfortable at 10 or 12, Lealiifano is the first-choice goalkicker at the Brumbies and in the national setup, landing penalty goals at 87.87% and 81.71% throughout Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship respectively. His 400 points now rank him amongst the club’s most prolific scorers and he trails only Stirling Mortlock, Joe Roff, Andrew Walker and Matt Giteau in this department. Lealiifano will miss the start of the 2014 season after undergoing ankle surgery in early December. It is the same ankle that was reconstructed in 2012 but it’s hoped the dynamic playmaker won’t be sidelined for more than a few weeks early in the year. JOSH MANN-REA Position: Hooker Physical: 181cm/105kg Date of Birth: 19 February 1981 Place of Birth: Narromine, AUS Super Rugby Caps: 2 Super Rugby Points: 0 Super Rugby Debut: Round 13, 2012 vs Stormers, Cape Town Test Caps: 0 Test Points: 0 Test Debut – The Brumbies have added an old head in Josh Mann-Rea, who returns for his second season in the Australian capital. A tough-as-nails, no nonsense sort of player, Mann-Rea forms one of the strongest hooking combos in the competition along with Siliva Siliva and Stephen Moore. He played schoolboys rugby alongside George Smith and Morgan Turunui in 1998, represented Western Sydney in the ARC, the Waratahs in 2012 and also spent three years at Kyuden Voltex in Japan from 2009-11. Nicknamed Bongo for his love of African percussion, Mann-Rea has dabbled in plenty of work off the rugby field including mining ironore and dealing rare musical instruments. But it’s at the bottom of a ruck where Mann-Rea feels most comfortable as he strives to find a regular spot in the 22-man squad.
2014 Super Rugby Media Guide
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