Alex Hodgman
Alexander T O A. Hodgman (born 16 July 1993) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a prop for Auckland in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup[1][2][3] and the Blues in the international Super Rugby competition.[4][5]
| Full name | Alexander Thomas O'Connor Atuolo Hodgman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 16 July 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 122 kg (269 lb; 19 st 3 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Mount Albert Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
Early career
Born and raised in Auckland, Hodgman attended Mount Albert Grammar School in the city and was also a member of the Blues under-18 program during that time.
Hodgman represented Fiji Under-20 at the 2012 IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa, however he changed allegiances ahead of the 2013 edition and turned out for New Zealand Under-20.[1][6][7]
Although contracted for the side, Hodgman suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2013, so he debuted for Canterbury during the 2014 ITM Cup.[1] He made 9 appearances during his first season at provincial level in what was a disappointing campaign overall for the Cantabrians. 2015 and 2016 were far more successful years which ended in Canterbury lifting the Premiership title and in 2016 adding the Ranfurly Shield to their list of honours.[1]
Impressive domestic performances saw Hodgman named in the Crusaders wider training group for the 2015 Super Rugby season where injuries to several front rowers allowed him to make 5 appearances during the campaign, including 1 start.[8] He was subsequently promoted to a full contract for 2016, but was only able to add 4 more caps to his career total.[2]
Seeking more game time, he headed back home to Auckland and signed for the Blues ahead of the 2017 Super Rugby season.[9] Near the end of the season, following impressive performances, Hodgman played as a replacement for the Blues against the British and Irish Lions, coming on in the 57th minute for Ofa Tu'ungafasi, in the team's surprise 22-16 win against the Lions.
2020-21
With All Blacks loosehead prop, Karl Tu'inukuafe, suffering from injuries in 2020, Hodgman was elevated to a starting role in the Blues during Super Rugby Aotearoa. At the end of Super Rugby, Hodgman was named in the South Island team, for the 2020 North vs South rugby union match. Although Hodgman did not play in the match due to a minor injury, he was selected for New Zealand's international team, the All Blacks, the following day.[10]
Hodgman made his international debut for New Zealand on the 8th October 2020, in a 27-7 win against Australia. Hodgman replaced an injured Joe Moody in the first half.
In a 2021 Blues game against the Highlanders, Hodgman was sent off, after receiving a red card.[11] Though Hodgman started for the Blues in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final, he was not selected for the All Blacks in 2021.
Personal life
Hodgman's son was born in 2019. He has Fijian ancestry.
Super Rugby Statistics
- As of 23 November 2016[2]
| Season | Team | Games | Starts | Sub | Mins | Tries | Cons | Pens | Drops | Points | Yel | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Crusaders | 5 | 1 | 4 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Crusaders | 4 | 1 | 3 | 121 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 2 | 7 | 276 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
References
- "Alex Hodgman Canterbury Player Profile". Canterbury Rugby. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- "Alex Hodgman Player Statistics". itsrugby. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- "Alex Hodgman ESPN Scrum Player Profile". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- "Blues 2017 Squad Guide" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- "Alex Hodgman Blues Player Profile". Blues Rugby. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- "Alex Hodgman New Zealand Under 20 Player Profile". All Blacks.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- "NZU20 squad named for IRB World Champs in France". All Blacks.com. 24 April 2013. Archived from the original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- "Crusaders 2015 Squad Naming" (PDF). All Blacks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- "Blues sign Jimmy Tupou and prop Alex Hodgman from Crusaders". Rugby Heaven. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- "'I totally forgot!': How Blues star Alex Hodgman missed his All Blacks call-up". www.rugbypass.com. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- "Blues prop Alex Hodgman's Super Rugby Aotearoa season over following red card against Highlanders". www.rugbypass.com. Retrieved 10 March 2022.