Marc Christopher Gwynne Ellis (born 8 October 1971) is a New Zealand businessman, television presenter, and former

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A graduate of the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

, his primary business interest was in

Charlie's Charlie's Group Limited is a New Zealand-based producer of beverage drinks. It is owned by the Japanese beverage company Asahi. Charlie's was founded in 1999 by Marc Ellis, Stefan Lepionka and Simon Neal. Originally the company produced fr ...

, a juice company. During the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup (), was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in ...

he scored six tries in the game against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, which is the record for the most tries by an individual in a Rugby World Cup match.

Rugby union

Ellis started out for

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

in 1991, and earned

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 ...

selection in 1992. In 1995 Ellis was re-called to the All Blacks for the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

, playing five games on the wing. He scored seven tries in the tournament, six of them in the 145–17 win over Japan. Ellis stayed with Otago until 1995 when he switched code to rugby league.

Rugby league

At the end of the 1995 season Ellis switched to league to play for the

Auckland Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

. He played for the Warriors between 1996 and 1998, also representing the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team () has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the Kiwi (bird), native bird of that name. The team' ...

in 5 matches.

Super 12

Ellis returned to

in 1998, playing in the Super 12 for

North Harbour North Harbour or North Harbor may refer to: Canada * North Harbour, St. Mary's Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community on St. Mary's Bay * North Harbour, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community on Placentia Bay * North Harbour, ...

, the

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, and the Highlanders before retiring from rugby.

Post playing career

In the early 2000s, Ellis was a popular figure on New Zealand television, often appearing alongside fellow former rugby union and league player

Matthew Ridge Matthew John Ridge (born 27 August 1968) is a New Zealand television presenter, and a former rugby union and rugby league footballer. A fullback in both codes, Ridge played rugby union for Auckland and became an All Black, but never won an ...

, notably on light-hearted documentaries. In 2004, as part of a one such programme, Ellis took part in and won the famous and eccentric British annual event, the

Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Bank holiday#In the United Kingdom, Spring Bank Holiday at Brockworth, Gloucestershire#Cooper's Hill, Cooper's Hill, at Brockworth near Gloucester, England. Participants r ...

. From 1996 to 2005 Ellis was a regular presenter on the TV2 talk show ''

SportsCafe ''SportsCafe'' was a New Zealand sports TV show. The show's original run was hosted by Lana Coc-Kroft, Marc Ellis, Leigh Hart, Graeme Hill, Ric Salizzo and reporter Eva Evguenieva. In 2001 Leigh Hart was added to the cast under his persona ...

'', where he was known for his "larrikin" personality. In 2003 he inaugurated the mock public holiday " National Nude Day" by challenging viewers to streak in front of then Prime Minister

Helen Clark Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...

. In 2006, he released his autobiography ''Crossing the Line'', which details all aspects of his life. Ellis has since co-authored ''Good Fullas: A Guide to Kiwi Blokes'', released in 2010 with friend and New Zealand Consul General to Italy, Charlie Haddrell. In 2010 the Gardens Tavern, then a popular student pub in North Dunedin, was advertised for sale; Ellis attempted to buy it but was outbid by the

, who converted it into a study centre. The university student magazine ''

Critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

'' alleges that the University bought it for the specific purpose of keeping it out of Ellis' hands.

Controversy

In 2005, Ellis purchased

ecstasy Ecstasy most often refers to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...

tablets from a drug dealer who was under surveillance by the New Zealand Police. Ellis was among many high-profile figures caught in the operation, code-named Aqua. His court appearance put an end to a poorly-kept secret, as despite the fact he had originally obtained name suppression, his identity was widely known by the New Zealand public. Ellis was fined $300. On 15 November 2007, as part of an elaborate marketing ploy for his latest business venture, Ellis detonated 600 kg of explosives on top of

Rangitoto Island Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The wide island is a symmetrical shield volcano cone capped by central scoria cones, reaching a height of . Rangitoto is the youngest and largest of the appr ...

, a nature reserve in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

. This was an attempt to create an illusion that the volcanic island was erupting. The

New Zealand Department of Conservation The Department of Conservation (DOC; Māori language, Māori: ''Te Papa Atawhai'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage. An advisory body, the New Zealand ...

described the stunt as "demoralising and very disappointing". There is a total fire ban on the island because of ecological significance.

References

External links

Marc Ellis at rugbymuseum.co.nzThe Listener 2004 Power List
Ellis is listed as no. 49. Retrieved 27 August 2005.
Sports Comedy Shows and New Lad Culture in NZ
Retrieved 30 November 2006 from www.sportsfreak.co.nz.
Marc Ellis joins the Hare Krishnas
New Zealand Herald- 27 May 2007

*
Marc's bloke spotting - Sunday Star Times 15 August 2010

goodfullas.co.nz

Marc Ellis Good Fullas Marc Ellis And Charlie Hadd at nzwomansweekly.co.nz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Mark 1971 births Living people 1995 Rugby World Cup players 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen Blues (Super Rugby) players Dual-code rugby internationals Highlanders (rugby union) players New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand international rugby union players New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand naturists New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand Warriors players North Harbour rugby union players Otago rugby union players People educated at Wellesley College, New Zealand People educated at Wellington College, Wellington Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Wellington City Rugby league wingers Rugby union players from Wellington City Rugby union wings Social nudity advocates University of Otago alumni