David Havili

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David Havili
Havili representing New Zealand during the November Internationals
Full nameDavid Kaetau Havili
Date of birth (1994-12-23) 23 December 1994 (age 29)
Place of birthNelson, New Zealand
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight88 kg (194 lb; 13 st 12 lb)
SchoolMotueka High School
Nelson College
Notable relative(s)William Havili (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, Fullback
Current team Tasman, Crusaders
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014– Tasman 65 (154)
2015– Crusaders 124 (197)
Correct as of 26 April 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014 New Zealand U20 1 (0)
2017– New Zealand 27 (45)
Correct as of 26 April 2024

David Kaetau Havili (born 23 December 1994) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for Super Rugby club Crusaders and the New Zealand national team.[1][2][3][4][5]

Early life[edit]

Havili is of Pākeha and Tongan descent and is the son of former Nelson Bays rugby representative Bill Havili. David Havili was born in Nelson in the South Island of New Zealand, but raised in nearby Motueka. He initially attended Motueka High School, but later went to Nelson College, where he was a member of their top side. After finishing school he began working as a builder's apprentice while playing local club rugby for Nelson. During this time, he made his way through Tasman's youth structures and was a member of the Crusaders Knights Development team.[6]

Club career[edit]

Tasman[edit]

Havili made the Tasman Mako squad for the first time in 2014, and burst onto the scene with four tries in 10 appearances for the Mako as they reached the final of the ITM Cup Premiership before going down 36–32 to Taranaki.[7] He played all 11 games for the Mako in their run to the semi-finals in 2015, scoring 31 points in the process. Tasman were again losing finalists in 2016 with Havili playing a key role with two tries in 10 games.[2][8] During the 2019 season Havili captained Tasman to their first Mitre 10 Cup premiership title, scoring a try in the final win over Wellington.[9] Havili again captained the Mako to their second premiership title in a row in 2020.[citation needed]

Super Rugby[edit]

As a result of his impressive displays in his debut season at provincial level, Havili was named as a member of the Crusaders wider training group for the 2015 Super Rugby season.[10] Somewhat surprisingly, he featured 11 times in his first season in Christchurch and helped himself to two tries which saw him promoted to the full squad for 2016. He made 14 appearances in 2016 and contributed two tries as the Crusaders reached the competition's quarter finals before going down 42–25 to the Lions in Johannesburg.[2][5] In October 2016, it was announced that he had signed a new three-year deal which would see him stay with the Crusaders through to the end of the 2019 season.[11]

Havili started at second five-eighth against the touring British and Irish Lions in 2017, slotting into the place of the injured Ryan Crotty. Havili played the full 80 minutes as the Crusaders lost to the Lions 3–12.

In the 2017 Super Rugby season, Havili was a key member of the Crusaders squad that lost only one match on the way to their eighth Super Rugby title. Havili was one of the Crusaders stand out performers in the 2017 season, not only displacing All Blacks 60-plus test veteran Israel Dagg from the fullback position, causing Dagg to be shifted to the right wing upon his return from a knee injury, but was also voted the Crusaders Player of the Year for 2017. Havili was one of the leading try scorers of the 2017 Super Rugby season, finishing with eight tries. Winger Seta Tamanivalu was the only Crusader to score more tries than Havili, scoring 10.

Havili again played a crucial part in the Crusaders title wins in 2018 and 2019.

Havili played most of the 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa season at centre and starred as the Crusaders won their fifth title in a row with Havili playing every minute in a 24–13 win over the Chiefs in the final.

In Round 6 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season Havili played his 100th game for the Crusaders against the Chiefs, the Crusaders coming away with a 19–34 win. Havili had a stand out performance in the final against the Blues as the Crusaders made it six in a row with a 7–21 win.

International career[edit]

Havili was a member of the New Zealand Under-20 side that finished third in the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship in his home country. He was not named in the initial squad, but was later called up to replace the injured Simon Hickey.[12]

Havili was called up to the All Blacks for the 2017 Rugby Championship squad after shoulder surgery ruled out Hurricanes back Jordie Barrett for the rest of the year.

Havili made his All Blacks debut against the Pumas on 1 October 2017 at José Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires, replacing in-form winger Rieko Ioane with only 10 minutes left of the match. Despite only 10 minutes of game time Havili scored a try in the last minute of the test, allowing the All Blacks to beat Los Pumas 39–22. His standout performance against Argentina saw him named on the bench the following week against South Africa where he replaced the injured Nehe Milner-Skudder shortly before half time. Havili was the best performing substitute off the bench in that fixture, setting up Damian McKenzie's try to make the score a 25–24 win over the Springboks for New Zealand.

Havili played in three games on the 2017 end of year tour, the first of which was a quiet performance in a 23–18 loss to the Wallabies where he replaced Lima Sopoaga off the bench. Havili earned his first start for the All Blacks on 5 November 2017 in a 31–22 win over the Barbarians where he was replaced by Sopoaga in the 46th minute. Havili also started for the All Blacks ten days later in a 28–23 win over a French side where he produced a good performance and was not subbed off.

Havili was not part of the side in 2018, 2019 and 2020 but after an outstanding season playing in the midfield for the Crusaders during the 2021 Super Rugby season he was named in the All Blacks squad to play Tonga and Fiji in the July Steinlager Series.[13] He made his return against Fiji at Forsyth Barr Stadium, starting in the number 12 jersey in a 57–23 win for the All Blacks. He had a mixed game, scoring two brilliant tries but later being yellow carded.

Havili became the first-choice at 12 during the Ian Foster era, playing 22 test matches from 2021-2022; mostly in combination with Rieko Ioane at 13. A key moment in Havili's run of game time was a crucial try against South Africa on 13 August 2022, which played a part in ending an unprecedented losing streak for the All Blacks; with the final score ending as a 35-23 win.

Having missed much of the 2023 Super Rugby season, Havili played just two test matches in 2023; both being in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Havili came off the bench as a replacement during the team's tournament opener against France, while he scored his ninth test try against Namibia.

Career statistics[edit]

List of international tries[edit]

As of 6 February 2024 [14]
Try Opposing team Location Venue Competition Date Result Score
1  Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina Millennium Stadium 2017 Rugby Championship 30 September 2017 Win 10 – 36
2  Fiji Dunedin, New Zealand Forsyth Barr Stadium 2021 July rugby union tests 10 July 2021 Win 57 – 23
3
4  Australia Auckland, New Zealand Eden Park 2021 July rugby union tests 7 August 2021 Win 33 – 25
5  Australia Auckland, New Zealand Eden Park 2021 Rugby Championship 14 August 2021 Win 57 – 22
6  Australia Perth, Australia Optus Stadium 2021 Rugby Championship 5 September 2021 Win 21 – 38
7
8  South Africa Johannesburg, South Africa Ellis Park Stadium 2022 Rugby Championship 13 August 2022 Win 23 – 35
9  Namibia Toulouse, France Stadium de Toulouse 2023 Rugby World Cup 15 September 2023 Win 71 - 3

References[edit]

  1. ^ "David Havili". Mako.nz. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "David Havili Player Statistics". itsrugby. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  3. ^ "David Havili ESPN Scrum Player Profile". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Crusaders 2017 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b "David Havili Crusaders Player Profile". Crusaders Rugby. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Tasman snaps up young player". Nelson Mail. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Taranaki vs Tasman 25 October 2014". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  8. ^ "Tasman Makos name 2014 ITM Cup Squad". Makos Rugby. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  9. ^ "David Havili serves reminder of provincial rugby's importance". NZ Herald. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Crusaders 2015 Squad Naming" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Utility back David Havili re-signs with the Crusaders to end of 2019". Rugby Heaven. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Havili called up for NZ squad". Nelson Mail. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  13. ^ "All Blacks squad named for Steinlager Series". allblacks.com. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  14. ^ "David Havili All Blacks profile". allblacks.com. Retrieved 6 February 2024.

External links[edit]

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