Mark Hammett

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Mark Hammett
Birth nameMark Garry Hammett
Date of birth (1972-07-13) 13 July 1972 (age 51)
Place of birthChristchurch, New Zealand
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight107 kg (16 st 12 lb)
SchoolSt Thomas of Canterbury College
SpouseTash
Children2
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Hooker
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Marist Albion ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1992–03
Canterbury
76 (45)
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996–03 Crusaders 81 (35)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1999–03 New Zealand 29 (15)
Coaching career
Years Team
2006
2006
2007–10
2011–14
2014–15
2016
2016
2016–
2017–
Cardiff Blues (Director of Rugby)
Sunwolves
Japan (Caretaker)
Tasman Makos (Asst. Coach)
Highlanders
(Asst. Coach)
Correct as of 17 July 2016

Mark Garry 'Hammer' Hammett (born 13 July 1972) is a New Zealand

Mitre 10 Cup
.

Playing career

Early career: 1989–97

Hammett first represented New Zealand, while he was a pupil at St Thomas of Canterbury College, when selected for the New Zealand Under 17 team in 1989.[1] He then captained the Under 19 team in 1991, before making his first appearance for Canterbury in 1992. Although his one game for Canterbury in 1992 was as a replacement, he played seven games the following season.[1] As hooker, he played mainly as backup to Matt Sexton in 1993; however, by 1994 they were sharing the role. By 1995, Hammett played more games than Sexton.[1]

Rugby turned professional in late 1995, and in 1996 the

Counties in the final.[3] Although Hammett was receiving more and more game time, he still only participated in the NPC final as a replacement.[1]

Super 12 success: 1998–2001

Hammett started regularly for both Canterbury, and the Crusaders in 1998, with the latter he won his first Super 12 title. The

Blues at Eden Park; Hammett said of the match "If we'd been polled in that week, and had to give an honest answer, most of the boys, deep down, would probably have thought that the Blues would beat us."[4] Despite this, the Crusaders defeated the reigning champions 20–13.[5] Hammett was rewarded with a New Zealand trial, where he captained his team.[1] He was subsequently selected for New Zealand A and played against Tonga.[1]

The Crusaders achieved more success in 1999 as they finished the round-robin in fourth place, then won their semi-final, and final (both away from home) to take another championship.[6] Hammett's achievements with the Crusaders were rewarded by being called into the All Blacks in 1999, at the age of 26. His first game was against New Zealand 'A', on 11 June in Christchurch, quickly followed by his first Test against France on 26 June.[1] Hammett eventually played in the 1999 Tri Nations Series, and was selected for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

After winning a third title with the Crusaders in 2000, he was again selected for the All Blacks; getting a start against Tonga, and in that years Tri-Nations. After returning from All Blacks duty, he played for Canterbury and contributed to a Ranfurly Shield win over Waitako.[7] Canterbury then reached the NPC final, giving Hammett the opportunity to be part of a Super 12, Ranfurly Shield, and NPC winning team, all in the same year.[7] Wellington won the NPC final however, and the opportunity was lost.[8] Hammett was then selected for the end-of-year All Blacks tour, and played against France and Italy (both as a substitute).[1]

Hammett's 2001 Super 12 season was marred by a shoulder injury, and the Crusaders eventually finished tenth.[8][9][10] Due to injury, Hammett only played one game for the All Blacks, as a substitute against Argentina in June.[1] He missed the entire NPC campaign due to injury: an ankle problem which required surgery and causes him to also miss the 2001 end-of-year All Black tour.[10][11]

Final seasons: 2002–03

After the 2001 NPC, Crusaders' captain

half-back Justin Marshall questioned which of the senior players were going to step into Blackadder's leadership role for the tough matches.[12] Hammett took the comment "as a slap in the face", as "one player doesn't make a team."[12] Hammett later said "I took it that way, and I think a lot of the others must have as well, because we all ended up stepping up!"[12] Subsequently, the Crusaders went through the season unbeaten, including a 96–19 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs.[13] He again played for the All Blacks in 2002, starting against Australia and South Africa in the Tri-Nations.[1] The 2002 NPC season was Hammett's last, and although Canterbury were knocked out in their semi-final, they managed to retain the Ranfurly Shield.[2][14] Hammett's last match was his 76th for Canterbury.[2]

The 2003 Super 12 season was Hammett's last.[1] The team ended the round-robin second on the table, and eventually travelled to Eden Park to face the Blues in the final.[15] Although the Crusaders lost the final, Hammett scored two tries, becoming one of only three players to score two tries in a Super 12 final.[16] Despite the two tries, Hammett calls the match the biggest disappointment of his career.[16] Hammett was again chosen for the All Blacks, and eventually played in the 2003 Rugby World Cup.[1] The All Blacks call-up made Hammett reconsider his retirement plans.[17] He planned to continue playing after 2003, however a neck injury during the 2004 pre-season ended his playing career.[18]

Honours

New Zealand

Crusaders

Canterbury

Coaching career

In New Zealand: 2006–2014

Two years after his playing career ended with the Crusaders, Hammett was back with the Crusaders, working as a forwards coaching adviser for the

Hurricanes ahead of the 2011 Super Rugby season.[20] After the 2011 Super Rugby season – his first season in charge – Hammett decided controversially not to renew the contracts of All Blacks Ma'a Nonu and then Hurricanes' captain Andrew Hore.[21] In the three years at the helm in Wellington, the Hurricanes failed to progress to the knock-out phase of the competition, only getting as high as seventh on the table; in 2014 Super Rugby season. In April 2014 Hammett indicated he would not be seeking to renew his contract when it expired at the end of the 2014 season.[22]

Outside New Zealand: 2014–2016

On 18 May 2014, Hammett was named Director of Rugby for Wales-based team

Grenoble and an easy victory over Rovigo Delta in the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup. These games were backed-up by a narrow loss to Irish giants Munster. On 24 January 2015, Hammett led the Blues to an away victory over Grenoble, to see the side through to the quarter-finals of the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup. On 20 February 2015, Cardiff were beaten by Benetton Treviso 40–24 in Treviso, which later turned out to be Hammett's last game in charge of the Welsh side. On 25 February 2015, after six months of a three-year contract, Cardiff Blues agreed to release Hammett at his request for personal reasons, to allow him to return home to New Zealand.[24]

On 21 December 2015, the

Tasman Makos in 2016 as their new assistant coach for the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup.[27] While in June 2016, it was announced that Mark Hammett will remain in Super Rugby, but as an assistant coach at the Highlanders.[28]

In March 2016, Hammett was named as the caretaker coach for the Japanese national team, while Jamie Joseph closes out his contract with the Highlanders.[29] Hammett led the Brave Blossoms to a 26–22 win over Canada, before losing 2–0 to Scotland during their two-test series.

2017 onwards

Hammett was assistant coach for the Highlanders under the Head coach Aaron Mauger.

Coaching Honours

Crusaders (as assistant coach)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mark Hammett at AllBlacks.com
  2. ^ a b c d e "Mark Hammett – Assistant Coach". crfu.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Super 14 Tables". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  4. ^ McIlraith (2005), p. 84.
  5. ^ McIlraith (2005), p. 85.
  6. ^ McIlraith (2005), p. 260.
  7. ^ a b Gifford (2004), p. 181.
  8. ^ a b Gifford (2004), p. 182.
  9. ^ Smith, Tony (2 May 2001). "Hammer Hits the Right Note". The Press (Christchurch). p. 60.
  10. ^ a b Smith, Tony (30 October 2001). "Call to Rest Top Players for Tour". The Press (Christchurch). p. 28.
  11. ^ "Hammett's Future Brightens". The Press (Christchurch). 11 September 2001. p. 34.
  12. ^ a b c McIlraith (2005), p. 147.
  13. ^ Gifford (2004), p. 189.
  14. ^ Gifford (2004), p. 190.
  15. ^ McIlraith (2005), p. 294.
  16. ^ a b McIlraith (2005), p. 186.
  17. ^ Smith, Tony (23 July 2003). "Hammett Ponders Playing On". The Press (Christchurch). p. D16.
  18. ^ a b Knowler, Richard (3 February 2006). "It's Like This Coach". The Press (Christchurch). p. D16.
  19. ^ "Super 14 assistants named". tvnz.co.nz. 22 September 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  20. Stuff.co.nz
    . Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  21. ^ "Hammett admits mistakes". Dominion Post.
  22. ^ "Hurricanes Search for Fifth Coach". Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  23. ^ "Mark Hammett named Cardiff Blues director of rugby". BBC Sport Online. 18 May 2014.
  24. ^ "Cardiff Blues: Mark Hammett leaves as director of rugby". BBC Sport Online. 25 February 2015.
  25. ^ "Former All Black Mark Hammett confirmed as Japanese Sunwolves coach". Stuff.co.nz.
  26. ^ Mark Hammett to leave Sunwolves at end of Super Rugby season
  27. Stuff.co.nz. Archived
    from the original on 15 June 2022.
  28. ^ Highlanders announce Tony Brown to lead team in 2017
  29. ^ Hammett, Nakatake assigned interim coaching duties for Brave Blossoms

Bibliography

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Japan Ryuji Nakatake
(Caretaker)
Japan National Rugby Union Coach
(Caretaker)

2016
Succeeded by