New Zealand hooker Andrew Hore made a name for himself at home and abroad as a hard-running, dogged front-rower. Hailing from Dunedin, he is a spiky presence in the loose and has a more than impressive scoring record for a front-row player.

He made his All Blacks debut in 2002, against England at Twickenham. Hore's international career has been spent scrapping for the hooker's jersey with Keven Mealamu and Anton Oliver, among others, and it was during the 2008 Tri-Nations that he stamped his authority on the position.

With a superb 2008 Super 14 for the Hurricanes behind him, Hore took the No.2 jersey as his own during New Zealand's Tests that season, including a major role in the All Blacks' title defence. His season was cruelly curtailed after only minutes of the All Blacks' Hong Kong Bledisloe Cup Test, with an ankle injury forcing him out of the subsequent Grand Slam tour.

In Novemeber 2008, Hore was named as both New Zealand player of the year and Super 14 player of the year at the annual New Zealand rugby awards. A number of injuries allowed Mealamu to overtake him in the All Blacks' pecking order during 2010 while the following year he was shown the door by the Hurricanes, along with centre Ma'a Nonu.

He will play for the Highlanders in the forthcoming 2011 Super Rugby season but before then the hooker will go to the World Cup with the All Blacks having been named in their 30-man squad for the tournament.

Hore was second-choice to Keven Mealamu for the tournament but did make seven appearances during the competition, including two starts, as the All Blacks completed their mission of regaining the World Cup after 24 years.