Julian Savea facts for kids
Savea representing New Zealand at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, September 2015
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Sio Julian Savea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 August 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 103 kg (227 lb; 16 st 3 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Rongotai College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Ardie Savea (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sio Julian Savea (born 7 August 1990) is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand. He is known for playing as a wing or centre. Julian currently plays for Wellington in the National Provincial Championship. He also plays for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby.
Before this, Savea played for Toulon in France and the Hurricanes in New Zealand. He is often called "The Bus" because of his powerful running on the field. This nickname was given to him by his under-20s coach, Dave Rennie. Julian was a very important player for the 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team. He scored the most tries in that tournament, with 8 tries. He is one of New Zealand's top try-scorers in history, with 46 tries in international games.
Julian Savea was nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year award in both 2014 and 2015. He also won the Try of the Year award in 2015 for one of his amazing tries.
Contents
Early Rugby Journey
Julian Savea went to Rongotai College in Wellington, New Zealand. In 2008, he was chosen for the New Zealand secondary schools team. He also joined the Hurricanes academy squad, which helps young players develop.
In 2009, Julian made his first appearance for the New Zealand sevens team. He played in the 2009 Adelaide Sevens tournament. The next year, in 2010, he was picked for the New Zealand Under-20 team. They played in the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina. Julian was a star in this tournament, scoring 8 tries. New Zealand won the championship, and Julian was named the IRB Junior Player of the Year. Because of his great performance, he was selected for the Wellington Lions squad in 2010. Many people thought he could be "the next Jonah Lomu", who was a legendary rugby player.
Playing for Clubs
Hurricanes Team
Julian Savea played his second season for the Hurricanes in 2012. His strong performance that year led to him being called up to play for the All Blacks, New Zealand's national team.
In 2016, Julian faced tough competition for his spot in the Hurricanes team. He was on the bench for the last three matches of the season. Other players like Jason Woodward, Cory Jane, and James Marshall were often chosen to play in the back three positions. The next year, he was also on the bench for a semi-final game.
Julian scored 50 tries for the Hurricanes during his time in Super Rugby. He played 116 games for the team, making him one of the players with the most appearances in Super Rugby history. His time with the Hurricanes ended in 2018 when he signed with Toulon. His final game for the Hurricanes was on 28 July 2018, in a semi-final against the Crusaders. The Hurricanes lost that game 12-30.
Wellington Lions Team
Julian Savea made his first-class debut in July 2010. He scored a fantastic try that helped the Wellington Lions win a pre-season game. He played on the right wing in 12 of 14 games that season. He scored eight more tries, including one in his championship debut.
In 2017, Julian was not selected for the All Blacks for the Rugby Championship. This meant he played his first game for Wellington in four years. He played on the right wing. When his teammate Brad Shields got injured, Julian took over as the team captain until Brad returned.
In 2023, Julian Savea signed with Moana Pasifika. This team competes in the Super Rugby championship.
Playing for New Zealand
All Blacks Team
Julian Savea was chosen for the All Blacks squad in 2012. This was his first year playing international rugby. On 9 June 2012, he scored three tries in his very first game for the All Blacks. This game was against Ireland at Eden Park. He was the first All Black to score three tries against Ireland in a test match. He was also only the fourth player to score three tries in his All Black debut. Since then, Julian has been one of the best try-scorers in international rugby.
Julian became a regular starter for the All Blacks in his first few years. In 2014, he was nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year award. His teammate Brodie Retallick eventually won the award.
Julian was part of the 31-man All Blacks squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He scored 8 tries during the tournament, playing in many games. His 8 tries equaled the record for the most tries in a single tournament. This record was previously held by Jonah Lomu and South Africa's Bryan Habana. Julian scored two hat-tricks (three tries in one game) in the tournament. One of these was in a quarter-final game against France. His hat-trick against France led to him being compared to the great Jonah Lomu again. Julian was one of the best players in the tournament. He was nominated for World Rugby's "Player of The Year" award again, which was won by his teammate Dan Carter. He also won "Try of The Year" for one of his tries against France in the World Cup.
In 2016, Julian continued to score tries, but he faced strong competition for his spot. When Waisake Naholo was healthy, he was often chosen over Julian. Julian continued to start internationally when other players like Naholo and Nehe Milner-Skudder were injured. On 20 August 2016, Julian scored his 40th international try against Australia. This made him the fifth New Zealander to reach 40 tries. He was the fastest to do so, reaching it in his 44th match. He broke Joe Rokocoko's record of 40 tries in 46 tests.
On 16 June 2017, Julian scored his 46th test try against Samoa in a big 78-0 win. This made him the second-highest try scorer for the All Blacks, tying with Joe Rokocoko and Christian Cullen.
Julian lost his starting spot in the All Blacks to Rieko Ioane in 2017. He played his final game in the black jersey on 8 July 2017, due to injuries to other players. After some challenging performances in 2016 and 2017, Julian was not chosen for the All Blacks squad for the 2017 Rugby Championship. Other players who had recovered from injuries were preferred.
Julian then played for the Barbarians Club against his former All Blacks teammates on 5 November 2017. He played the whole game, but the Barbarians lost 22-31 to the All Blacks, who included Julian's younger brother Ardie Savea.
International Tries
Julian Savea has scored many tries for the All Blacks. Here is a list of his international tries:
| Try | Opponent | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3 |  Ireland |
Auckland, New Zealand | Eden Park | Mid-year rugby test series | 9 June 2012 | Won |
| 4 |  Argentina |
Wellington, New Zealand | Westpac Stadium | Rugby Championship | 8 September 2012 | Won |
| 5, 6 | Argentina |
La Plata, Argentina | Estadio Ciudad de La Plata | Rugby Championship | 29 September 2012 | Won |
| 7, 8 |  Scotland |
Edinburgh, Scotland | Murrayfield Stadium | End-of-year rugby test series | 11 November 2012 | Won |
| 9, 10 |  Italy |
Rome, Italy | Stadio Olimpico | End-of-year rugby test series | 17 November 2012 | Won |
| 11, 12 |  England |
London, England | Twickenham Stadium | End-of-year rugby test series | 1 December 2012 | Lost |
| 13 |  France |
Christchurch, New Zealand | AMI Stadium | Mid-year rugby test series | 15 June 2013 | Won |
| 14 | Argentina |
Hamilton, New Zealand | Waikato Stadium | Rugby Championship | 7 September 2013 | Won |
| 15 | Argentina |
La Plata, Argentina | Estadio Ciudad de La Plata | Rugby Championship | 29 September 2013 | Won |
| 16 |  Australia |
Dunedin, New Zealand | Forsyth Barr Stadium | End-of-year rugby test series | 19 October 2013 | Won |
| 17, 18 | England |
London, England | Twickenham Stadium | End-of-year rugby test series | 16 November 2013 | Won |
| 19 | Ireland |
Dublin, Ireland | Aviva Stadium | End-of-year rugby test series | 24 November 2013 | Won |
| 20 | England |
Dunedin, New Zealand | Forsyth Barr Stadium | Mid-year rugby test series | 14 June 2014 | Won |
| 21, 22, 23 | England |
Hamilton, New Zealand | Waikato Stadium | Mid-year rugby test series | 21 June 2014 | Won |
| 24 | Australia |
Auckland, New Zealand | Eden Park | Rugby Championship | 23 August 2014 | Won |
| 25, 26 | Argentina |
Napier, New Zealand | McLean Park | Rugby Championship | 6 September 2014 | Won |
| 27 | Argentina |
La Plata, Argentina | Estadio Ciudad de La Plata | Rugby Championship | 27 September 2014 | Won |
| 28, 29 |  United States |
Chicago, USA | Soldier Field | End-of-year rugby test series | 2 November 2014 | Won |
| 30 |  Wales |
Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | End-of-year rugby test series | 23 November 2014 | Won |
| 31, 32 |  Namibia |
London, England | London Stadium | 2015 Rugby World Cup | 24 September 2015 | Won |
| 33, 34, 35 |  Georgia |
Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2015 Rugby World Cup | 2 October 2015 | Won |
| 36, 37, 38 | France |
Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2015 Rugby World Cup | 17 October 2015 | Won |
| 39 | Wales |
Auckland, New Zealand | Eden Park | Mid-year rugby test series | 11 June 2016 | Won |
| 40 | Australia |
Sydney, Australia | ANZ Stadium | Rugby Championship | 20 August 2016 | Won |
| 41 | Australia |
Wellington, New Zealand | Westpac Stadium | Rugby Championship | 27 August 2016 | Won |
| 42 | Argentina |
Hamilton, New Zealand | Waikato Stadium | Rugby Championship | 10 September 2016 | Won |
| 43 |  South Africa |
Christchurch, New Zealand | AMI Stadium | Rugby Championship | 17 September 2016 | Won |
| 44, 45 | Australia |
Auckland, New Zealand | Eden Park | End-of-year rugby test series | 22 October 2016 | Won |
| 46 |  Samoa |
Auckland, New Zealand | Eden Park | Mid-year rugby test series | 16 June 2017 | Won |
New Zealand Under-20 Team
Julian Savea was named the 2010 IRB Junior Player of the Year. He was a standout player in the IRB World U20 tournament. He scored eight tries in just three games. This included four tries in one match against Samoa, and two tries each against Wales and South Africa. Julian played on the right wing for New Zealand in the 2010 World U20 tournament.
New Zealand Sevens Team
Julian Savea first played for the New Zealand Sevens team at the 2009 Dubai Sevens. He also played in other Sevens tournaments in Hong Kong, Adelaide, London, and Scotland.
Awards and Achievements
Team Awards
- Hurricanes
- New Zealand
Individual Awards
- IRB Player of the Year - Nominee - 2014, 2015
About Julian's Life
Julian Savea is of Samoan descent. His younger brother, Ardie Savea, is also a rugby player for the Hurricanes and the All Blacks.
In December 2015, Julian married his girlfriend, Fatima. They had been together for three years. The couple shared on Instagram that they were expecting their first child in December 2017. Their daughter, Jude Telesia Savea, was born on 7 December 2017.
See also
In Spanish: Julian Savea para niños
