Craig David Wickes (born 26 February 1962) is a former

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

rugby player. He is notable as being the second-youngest

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

ever and the only player selected while still at high school.

Career

Wickes was born in

Whakatāne Whakatāne ( , ) is a town located in the Bay of Plenty Region, Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and northeast of Rotorua. The town is situated at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. The Whakatāne Dis ...

and his family moved to Palmerston North when he was around 10. He attended

Palmerston North Boys' High School Palmerston North Boys' High School is a secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school for boys founded in 1902. It is located in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Location Palmerston North Boys' High School has a campus located on ...

. He was also a sprinter, with best times of 10.9 seconds for the 100m sprint and 23.0 seconds for 200m. He was selected as a winger for the Manawatu rugby team in 1979, aged 17, and also played for

New Zealand Colts The New Zealand Under 21s rugby union team was a national representative team for players aged under-21. In 2008, in accordance with new IRB rule, the New Zealand Under 21s and the Under 19s were both permanently replaced by the New Zealand Und ...

. In 1980 he was selected as a reserve for the All Black team to play a non-test match against

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at Auckland on 13 September 1980 (making him 18 years 200 days). The selection policy for this match excluded all players who had played against

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and

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earlier in the season. He replaced injured winger Ken Taylor with 14 minutes remaining in the game, but made little impact. In 1981 he sustained a series of knee injuries which prevented him from going further. He returned to the Manawatu squad for four games in 1986, but a recurrence of the knee injuries ended his career.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wickes, Craig 1962 births Living people New Zealand international rugby union players Rugby union players from Whakatāne Rugby union players from Palmerston North People educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School Manawatu rugby union players Rugby union centres Rugby union wings New Zealand rugby union players