Michael Hobbs (rugby union)

Michael Hobbs
Birth name	Michael Joseph Deans Hobbs
Date of birth	18 October 1987 (age 36)
Place of birth	Wellington College
University	Victoria University of Wellington; University of Texas at Austin;
Notable relative(s)	Jock Hobbs (father); Robbie Deans (uncle); Bruce Deans (uncle); Bob Deans; (great-great-uncle)
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Inside centre
Senior career
Years	Team
2007 ; 2013 ; 2014 – 2016	NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes
	Correct as of 19 January 2015
Provincial / State sides
Years	Team
2008, 2011; 2012	Wellington; North Harbour
	Correct as of 13 October 2012
Super Rugby
Years	Team
2009, 2012; 2010	Highlanders
	Correct as of 25 July 2012

Michael Joseph Deans Hobbs (born 18 October 1987) is a retired professional

Air New Zealand Cup

. His playing positions are First Five-Eighth and Inside Centre.

Personal life

Hobbs was born in

Wellington College in 2005. He is the son of former All Black Captain and NZ Rugby chairman Jock Hobbs and the nephew of former All Black fullback and Australian rugby union coach Robbie Deans.^[1]

Career

Hobbs represented both New Zealand Schools and New Zealand Under-19s before moving to Brisbane, Australia to undertake study at the University of Queensland. He debuted for the

Melbourne Rebels in the inaugural Australian Rugby Championship season.^[2] He went on to be drafted by the Blues

for the 2009 Super 14 season.

After starting the 2010 Super rugby season by scoring four tries in the first three games, Hobbs suffered a fractured vertebra in his back^[3] and underwent spine surgery in Los Angeles.^[4] He studied at the University of Texas at Austin on exchange while he completed his rehab.^[5]

In 2011, Hobbs re-signed with the Blues and NZRU for two more years.^[5]^[6]

During the 2012 Super rugby season, Hobbs's father Jock died after a long battle with leukaemia. The 2012 ITM Cup saw Hobbs move north from Wellington to North Harbour. He played the first 3 matches before limping out of the

Counties match early with ankle damage. Hobbs returned to the side for their final game against Tasman

. At the end of the season he was granted an early release from his NZRU contract to take some time away from rugby.

In March 2013, Hobbs signed a one-year deal with the

NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes

to remain in Japan for another two seasons.

After helping guide the

NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes

to their first ever win in the Japan Cup wildcard playoffs during the 2014/15 season, Hobbs was unable to take the field in the 2015/16 season due to undergoing shoulder surgery.

In 2016, Hobbs announced that he was taking a break from rugby to study for an MBA at Stanford University.[7]