Tony Woodcock

Once described as having ‘the best range of skills of any prop on the planet’, Tony Woodcock enjoyed a stellar career in the game. During his playing days, he featured in 118 tests for the New Zealand national team and was a regular for the Blues in Super Rugby. Tony Woodcock was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.

Born 27 January 1981, Tony Woodcock began playing rugby professionally in 2000, when he joined North Harbour. Thanks to a string of impressive performances, he was signed by the Blues in 2002 and he made his New Zealand debut later in the same year.

Although Tony Woodcock didn’t play for the All Blacks again until 2004, he became a regular starter for the side only a year later. Between 2002 and 2015, he made 118 appearances for the team. During this time, he won multiple Rugby World Cups (in 2011 and 2015).

Although it’s considered rare in the modern era, Tony Woodcock had a reputation as a player who wanted to play as much rugby as possible. As a result, when he wasn’t with New Zealand, he played a lot of domestic rugby. During his career, he made 54 appearances for North Harbour and 137 appearances for the Blues. In 2013, he also enjoyed one season with the Highlanders before he returned to the Blues to finish his career.

Tony Woodcock’s New Zealand career finished in 2015. A year later, he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby. Today, he has a deer farm near Kaukapakapa.