Ezra Taylor (rugby union)

Ezra Taylor (born 6 April 1983 in Brisbane, Australia)[1] is a New Zealand rugby union player. He began his career in the second row but now plays as a flanker or number eight.

Ezra Taylor
Birth nameEzra Taylor
Date of birth (1983-04-06) 6 April 1983
Place of birth Brisbane, Australia
Height1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight108 kg (17 st 0 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Loose forward/ Lock
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–11
2011–12		 Connacht
Worcester		 5
1		 (0)
(0)
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
2006–08, 2013– Otago ()
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2007–08
2009–10		 Highlanders
Reds		 8
14		 (0)
(5)
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011– Samoa 2 (0)

Playing career

New Zealand

Born in Australia but raised in New Zealand, Taylor represented New Zealand at U-19 and schoolboy levels[2] and made his debut for Otago in the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup and earned a contract with the Highlanders for the 2007 Super 14 season. He made 5 starts in 2007 and looked to have a bright future for the franchise until a serious knee injury derailed his career and forced him to miss all of 2008.

Australia

After an extended injury break, Taylor signed with the Queensland Reds for the 2009 Super 14 season[3][4] He appeared in 14 matches over two seasons for the Reds and scored his first Super Rugby try.

Europe

Taylor signed with Connacht of the Celtic League for the 2010–11 season. He then came in as injury cover for Worcester Warriors in December 2011, but two minutes after making his debut was injured and ruled out for the rest of the 2011/12 season.

International

Taylor made himself available to play for Samoa in the run-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup and made his debut against Japan on 2 July 2011.

Return to Otago

Taylor returned to New Zealand and signed with the Otago Rugby Football Union for the 2013 ITM Cup season.

References
  1. Ezra Taylor player profile Scrum.com
  2. Taylor-made deal for Connacht | Sky Sports | Rugby Union | Super Rugby | News. Sky Sports (2010-06-29). Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  3. Cole, Rob. (2010-06-29) RaboDirectPRO12 : News : Elwood snaps up Super 14 Aussie Archived 11 September 2012 at Archive.today. Magnersleague.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  4. Fri, 25 Jun 2010 – Kiss could do with change of fortune closer to home. The Irish Times (2010-06-06). Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
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