Michael Broadhurst (born 30 October 1986) is a New Zealand born Japanese

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 ...

player who plays at

flanker Flanker may refer to: * Flanker (perfume), a newly created perfume sharing attributes of an existing one * Flanker (rugby union), a position in rugby union (not found in rugby league) * ''Su-27 Flanker'' (video game), a 1996 computer game modelin ...

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

or number 8 for the

Ricoh Black Rams Black Rams Tokyo (formerly Ricoh Black Rams) is a Japanese rugby union team in the Japan Rugby League One. Being ranked tenth meant that, in order to continue in the league, it had to defeat one of the top regional clubs in a play-off, which it ac ...

in the

Top League Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...

and the

Japan national rugby union team The Japan national rugby union team, also known as the Cherry Blossoms, the Brave Blossoms (), or simply Sakura, represents Japan in men's international rugby union. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia and has enjoyed ...

. Broadhurst was educated at Campion College, Gisborne and started his career with

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay (Māori language, Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa''), officially named Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay, is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. It stretches for ...

in the

Heartland Championship The Heartland Championship is an annual Round-robin tournament, round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic Rugby union in New Zealand, New Zealand rugby. First played in 2006, it is the third highest level of List of rugby union comp ...

and in 2008 he won selection for the

New Zealand Heartland XV The Heartland XV is one of several New Zealand representative 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 ju ...

as one of the top players in the competition. In 2009, Broadhurst moved to

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 ...

to play for the

Kubota Spears Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay (commonly known as the Kubota Spears) is a Japanese rugby union team based in Funabashi, Chiba participating in the Japan Rugby League One. The team rebranded as Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay ahead of the r ...

in the

who he spent one season with before moving to the

. In 2012 he qualified to play for through residency, and he played his first matches for them in June in the two matches series against the

French Barbarians The Barbarian Rugby Club, more commonly known as the French Barbarians, is a rugby union team formed in 1979 and based in France. It was founded as an amateur invitational team modeled on the Barbarian F.C. From the start of the 2017–18 sea ...

playing at

and scored a try in the second match. Later in the year in November, he made his full capped debut for Japan coming off the bench in the wins against and . In 2013, with

Michael Leitch is a New Zealand-born Japanese professional rugby union player who plays as a number eight for Japan Rugby League One club Toshiba Brave Lupus. Born in New Zealand, he represents Japan at international level after qualifying on residency gr ...

out injured, Broadhurst won starting position in the team at flanker and notably scored tries in both matches of the two test matches against in June, helping Japan to their first ever victory over the Welsh in the 2nd Test.

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

"Japan record historic first win over Wales"
15 June 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2013. Broadhurst returned to the Japan team in 2015 after missing all of 2014 with injury, and started every match in their successful

Rugby World Cup The Men's Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams, the winners of which are recognised as the World championship, world champions of the sport. The tournament is administer ...

campaign. Following that tournament he retired from international rugby to spend more time with his family, but continued playing in Japan for the

and became a Japanese citizen in 2017. His younger brother James Broadhurst was also a professional rugby player until his retirement in 2017. James is also a former All Black.

References

External links

* * 1986 births New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Japan Japanese rugby union players Japan international rugby union players Living people New Zealand rugby union players Black Rams Tokyo players Rugby union flankers Rugby union number eights Rugby union players from Gisborne, New Zealand People educated at Campion College, Gisborne 2015 Rugby World Cup players Naturalized citizens of Japan Naturalised rugby union players Poverty Bay rugby union players {{Japan-rugbyunion-bio-stub