Christian Cullen
New Zealand
player portrait
Full name Christian Mathias Cullen
Born February 12, 1976, Paraparaumu
Current age 48 years 45 days
Major teams New Zealand Maori, New Zealand
Position Fullback
Height 5 ft 10 in
Weight 196 lb

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 1996-2002 58 56 2 236 46 3 0 0 42 14 2 74.13
Bledisloe Cup 1996-2002 15 14 1 40 8 0 0 0 8 7 0 53.33
IRB Rugby World Cup 1999-1999 6 5 1 5 1 0 0 0 4 2 0 66.66
The Rugby Championship 1996-2002 24 23 1 80 16 0 0 0 15 9 0 62.5

Career statistics
Test debut New Zealand v Samoa at Napier, Jun 7, 1996 match details
Last Test France v New Zealand at Stade de France, Nov 16, 2002 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list
Profile

Even though the tail end of his career was blighted by injury, Christian Cullen is regarded by many as the finest fullback the game has ever produced.

A prodigious talent, he announced his arrival on the world scene at just 20 years of age, scoring a hat-trick on his All Blacks debut in a game against Samoa. In his next outing for the Kiwis, against Scotland, he went one better, notching four tries against Scotland.

The tries continued to flow thereafter and after playing an integral role in New Zealand's triumph in the inaugural Rugby Sevens event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, Cullen was a part of the All Blacks squad which travelled to the 1999 World Cup.

However, Cullen did not enjoy the tournament as he was played out of position in midfield. Restored to fullback the following season, Cullen again excelled and he went on to break New Zealand's all-time try-scoring record, scoring 46 times for his country in 58 Tests (his tally has since been surpassed by Doug Howlett) before leaving to link up with Munster in 2003.

His time in Ireland was ruined by a succession of injuries, though, and he retired from the game in the summer of 2007. However, he had by then already done enough to ensure himself legendary status the world over.

Latest Articles
Setting the bar high (Jun 14, 2012) De Villiers hails battling Boks (Aug 20, 2011) All Blacks looks to heap woe on Springboks (Aug 19, 2011) New-look All Blacks tackle re-jigged Boks (Aug 18, 2011) History on New Zealand's side (Aug 15, 2011) Christian Cullen news and articles (14) »
Latest Photos
Sep 18, 2011
Christian Cullen of New Zealand sings the National Anthem before a friendly match between the classic All Blacks and the French Classics
Christian Cullen of New Zealand sings the National Anthem before a friendly match between the classic All Blacks and the French Classics
©  Getty Images
Aug 5, 2000
Stirling Mortlock throws Christian Cullen
Stirling Mortlock throws Christian Cullen
©  Getty Images
Aug 29, 1998
Christian Cullen dives in to score
Christian Cullen dives in to score
©  Getty Images
Aug 9, 1997
Christian Cullen is tackled by Russell Bennett
Christian Cullen is tackled by Russell Bennett
©  Getty Images

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