Craig Clare (born 19 August 1984 in Palmerston North, New Zealand) is a professional rugby union player who plays at fullback for Manawatu in the ITM Cup. He previously played for the Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition, before a seriously broken leg stalled his career and caused a long injury layoff.
| Date of birth | 19 August 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing career
New Zealand
Clare made his debut for Manawatu in 2003, and spent two seasons for the province before transferring to Otago in 2005 in the hopes of earning a Super Rugby contract with the Highlanders.
After a strong 2006 Air New Zealand Cup, Clare was included in the Highlanders squad for the 2007 Super 14 season. Aged only 22, his Super Rugby career was off to a highly promising start as he started 4 of the team's first 5 games of the season. However, his career came to a crashing halt on 2 March in a game against the Blues when he suffered a compound fracture to his leg. Clare's leg injury forced a two-year layoff from the sport, and he didn't play again until 2009.
After a stint in Italy, Clare returned to New Zealand in 2010 as he signed with his home province Manawatu. He proceeded to start all 13 games of the 2010 ITM Cup for the Turbos, primarily at his preferred position of fullback.
Europe
After a long injury layoff, Clare returned to high level rugby in 2009, signing with Rugby Viadana of the Italian Super 10 (now National Championship of Excellence). He enjoyed a solid season in Italy, but fell victim to import restrictions when the club joined the Magners League as Aironi.[1]
Clare spent the 2010–11 European season with Spanish side Bera Bera RT before returning to Manawatu for the 2011 provincial campaign in New Zealand.
References
- ^ Lampp, Peter (13 April 2010). "Boost for Turbos as Craig Clare signs". Manawatu Standard. Retrieved 26 September 2011.