Brodie Retallick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Brodie Retallick

Full name	Brodie Allan Retallick
Date of birth	(1991-05-31) 31 May 1991 (age 34)
Place of birth	Rangiora, New Zealand
Height	204 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Weight	120 kg (265 lb; 18 st 13 lb)
School	Christchurch Boys' High School
Notable relative(s)	Culum Retallick (cousin) John Ashworth (uncle)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock Current team Kobelco Kobe Steelers Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2010–2023 Hawke's Bay 13 (5) 2012–2019 2022–2023 Chiefs 128 (100) 2020–2021 2023– Kobelco Kobe Steelers 35 (80) Correct as of 17 January 2025 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2011 New Zealand U20 4 (0) 2012–2023 New Zealand 109 (45) Correct as of 29 October 2023

Brodie Allan Retallick (born 31 May 1991) is a famous New Zealand rugby union player. He plays as a lock, which is a position in the middle of the scrum. Brodie currently plays for the Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan. Before that, he played for the Chiefs in New Zealand's Super Rugby competition and for Hawke's Bay in the National Provincial Championship.

Brodie started playing for the All Blacks, New Zealand's national team, in 2012. He has played over 100 games for them! He was a very important player when the All Blacks won the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In 2014, he was named the World Rugby Player of the Year, which is a huge award in rugby. He was the youngest player ever to win it. Many people say he plays like Sir Colin Meads, another legendary All Black lock.

Brodie Retallick's Rugby Journey

Starting His Career

Brodie Retallick began his professional rugby journey with the Hawke's Bay Magpies. He played for them in New Zealand's provincial rugby competition in 2010 and 2011.

In 2011, he was part of the New Zealand Under 20 team. They played in the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship.

Brodie then got a contract with the Chiefs, a Super Rugby team, for the 2012 Super Rugby season. Super Rugby is a big competition with teams from New Zealand, Australia, and other countries. He quickly became a regular player for the Chiefs. He even started in the Super Rugby Final on August 4, 2012, where the Chiefs beat the Sharks 37–6.

His first game for the All Blacks was against Ireland on June 9, 2012. Brodie started the game alongside Sam Whitelock. This pair became a very common and strong combination for the All Blacks. New Zealand won that game 42–10. Brodie played in every All Blacks match in 2012, either starting or coming off the bench.

Big Wins and Top Awards (2013–2015)

Brodie continued to play a key role for the Chiefs in the 2013 Final. He also played 11 more games for the All Blacks that year. He became a regular starter for the team. On September 14, 2013, he was named "Man of the Match" against South Africa. He scored his first international try in that game, helping the All Blacks win 29–15.

By 2014, Brodie was always chosen to play for the All Blacks. He played in 12 games for them that year. He won the amazing World Rugby Player of the Year award! He also won the Kelvin R Tremain award for the best New Zealand-based player.

Brodie was chosen for New Zealand's team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. This is one of the biggest rugby tournaments in the world. He played very well during the competition. He started in the quarter-final against France on October 17, 2015. Brodie scored the first try in that game, and the All Blacks won by a huge score of 62–13. He played the whole game in the semi-final, where they beat South Africa 20–18. He also played the full 80 minutes in the final on October 31, when the All Blacks beat Australia 34–17. This made them the first team to win three Rugby World Cups!

Challenges and Strong Comebacks (2016–2017)

In 2016, Brodie had to leave a game against Australia because of a head injury. This meant he missed a game against Ireland later that year. He came back strong in the second game against Ireland, helping New Zealand win 21–9.

In 2017, Brodie was chosen to play against Samoa and the British & Irish Lions. The British & Irish Lions are a famous team made up of players from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Brodie even became captain for the last 20 minutes of a game against Samoa, which the All Blacks won 78-0! He was one of the best players in the Lions series, which ended in a 15-15 draw.

Later in 2017, Brodie had to take a break from rugby for personal reasons. Young player Scott Barrett stepped up and played well in his place.

More Great Moments (2018)

Brodie returned to play for the Chiefs in the 2018 Super Rugby season. He scored two tries in one game for the first time in his Super Rugby career, helping the Chiefs beat the Bulls 41–28. He scored six tries that season, which was the second-highest for his team.

He missed some games for the All Blacks in 2018 due to a chest injury. But he came back for the 2018 Rugby Championship. In his first game back, on August 18, the All Blacks beat Australia 38–13. Brodie played the whole game and scored a try. He was named "Man of the Match" and his try even won the IRP Try of the Year award!

He played three games in the 2018 Rugby Championship before getting another injury against Argentina. He then played in four more games at the end of 2018. He was "Man of the Match" again in a close 16–15 win against England.

Co-Captain and Another World Cup (2019)

In 2019, Brodie was named co-captain of the Chiefs team, along with Sam Cane. Even though the Chiefs had a tough season, Brodie helped guide them to the playoffs.

He played two games in the 2019 Rugby Championship. He scored his fifth try for the All Blacks against Argentina. He dislocated his shoulder in a game against South Africa, but it wasn't a serious injury.

On August 28, Brodie was named in New Zealand's team for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. This was his second World Cup! Even though he was still recovering from his shoulder injury, he played in all four games during the tournament, including the playoffs. After losing to England in the semi-final, Brodie was named "Man of the Match" in the "Bronze Final" (the game for third place). The All Blacks beat Wales 40–17 to finish third.

Playing in Japan (2020–2021)

On June 11, 2019, Brodie signed a new contract with New Zealand Rugby. This contract allowed him to play two seasons in Japan's Top League. He played 15 games for the Kobelco Steelers in Japan during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

He wasn't available to play for the All Blacks in 2020. But he was back in the team for the 2021 Rugby Championship and the games at the end of 2021.

Reaching 100 Tests (2022)

In 2022, when he was 31 years old, Brodie Retallick played his 100th game for the All Blacks! This happened against England at Twickenham on November 19, 2022. This also set a world record for the most games played as a lock pair with Sam Whitelock, with 64 tests together.

Back to Japan (2023)

On February 8, 2023, it was announced that Brodie would return to the Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan. He signed a three-year deal with the club. His former Chiefs coach, Dave Rennie, coaches the team. Brodie finished his Super Rugby career with the Chiefs, having played 128 games for them.

Brodie's Life Off the Field

When he's not playing rugby, Brodie Retallick enjoys driving classic cars. He married Niki Thompson, a nurse, in 2015. They have two daughters together.

Brodie Retallick's Achievements

Super Rugby

• Super Rugby Champion: 2012, 2013

Individual Awards

• New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year
  • Winner: 2014
• World Rugby Player of the Year
  • Winner: 2014
• IRP Try of the Year
  • Winner: 2018

International Team Awards