Nicholas Ian Collins (born 13 August 1976) is a New Zealand former professional rugby union player.[1]
| Full name | Nicholas Ian Collins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 13 August 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (220 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Kamo High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Justin Collins (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Collins was educated at Kamo High School in Whangarei and played his early senior rugby with Hamilton Old Boys after moving to the city to attend the University of Waikato. He was on the books of Waikato but never made an appearance and transferred to the Bay of Plenty at the end of the 2000 season. In 2001, Collins made his representative debut in the World Sevens Series for New Zealand, which was being led by his Bay of Plenty coach Gordon Tietjens.[2]
A centre, Collins won a Chiefs call up during the 2001 Super 12 season as an injury replacement for Scott McLeod and debuted off the bench against the Crusaders at Jade Stadium.[3] He didn't feature again that year, then in 2002 made seven Super 12 appearances, including a three-try performance in a win over the Hurricanes at Waikato Stadium in the final round of the season.[4]
Collins wasn't offered a contract by the Chiefs for the 2002 campaign after undergoing a second shoulder operation and instead signed with Japanese club Sanyo Wild Knights. He also played for Mitsubishi DynaBoars and Toyota Jido Shokki, before returning to New Zealand in 2009 and joining his elder brother Justin at Northland, where he had a dual role as a player and fitness trainer.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Surgery at top of game". Stuff.co.nz. 8 December 2009.
- ^ "Rugby: Collins says sayonara to Steamers". NZ Herald. 4 February 2003.
- ^ "Chiefs call up Collins for Crusaders clash". ESPN.com. 9 March 2001.
- ^ "Chiefs end on a high". ESPN.com. 10 May 2002.
- ^ "RUGBY - Collins back in dual role with Taniwha". NZ Herald.