Luke Gary Braid (born 5 October 1988) is a rugby union footballer who plays for the Blues in Super Rugby and Auckland in the ITM Cup. He plays as a loose forward. Braid has also played for three national rugby union teams, the New Zealand Schoolboys,[1] the New Zealand Under 19's,[2] and the New Zealand Under 20s[3] Braid is the son of former player Gary Braid and the younger brother of fellow Blues player Daniel Braid.
| Birth name | Luke Gary Braid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 5 October 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (15 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Tauranga Boys' College, Cranleigh School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Daniel Braid (brother) Gary Braid (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Braid made his professional debut with Steve Honey and Jason Fly at Tauranga boys college in 2008. In 2010, he made his Chiefs debut against the Lions, with the Chiefs winning 65 – 72 away from home. The match set several new records for Super Rugby including the highest aggregate score in a single match (137 points), highest score by an away side (72) and the most tries scored in a Super Rugby match (18). Braid appeared 8 times during the 2010 season as the Chiefs finished in 10th place.
In 2011, he signed with the Blues, with whom he appeared in the 2011 Super Rugby semi-finals. In 2012, he captained the side in a number of matches whilst regular captain Keven Mealamu was injured.
In November 2014, it was Braid revealed that he would join French Top 14 side Bordeaux at the conclusion of the 2015 Super Rugby season.[4]
References
- ^ RugbyNet – Australian Schools Rugby Union Archived 3 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Austschools.rugbynet.com.au. Retrieved 16 August 2011
- ^ Auckland-Under 19 Rugby World Champs arrive home. NZPA Images (24 April 2007). Retrieved 16 August 2011
- ^ Steamers re-sign world champion Braid | infonews.co.nz New Zealand's local news community. Infonews.co.nz (21 November 2008). Retrieved 16 August 2011.
- ^ "Braid - why I'm leaving Blues". The New Zealand Herald. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.