Ben Franks
Ben John Franks ( born March 27, 1984 in Melbourne, Australia) is a New Zealand rugby union player at the position of the pillar. At Frank's strengths, it is one that he can play scrum on both sides, left and right, in the first row in Arranged. His younger brother Owen Franks is also a New Zealand rugby union player.
Franks went to Christchurch on the Boys' High School and Aranui High School to school. In his youth he played in 2003 for the New Zealand U-19 national rugby team from 2004 until 2005 for the U-21 national team. After he had played earlier in the youth team of the Canterbury RFU, he was appointed in 2005 to the squad of the first team of Canterbury for the New Zealand Rugby Championship. However, in his first season he only got a six- minute appearance in the final regular season game.
From 2007 to 2008 Canterbury Franks borrowed from the Tasman RU, which is why he often played for both teams during a season, before he finally moved to Tasman in 2009.
Since 2006, he also runs on for the Crusaders in the Super Rugby. With them he won the title in 2006 and 2008. 2007 and 2010 they failed in the semi-finals and final of the 2011 Championship. His brother Owen plays since 2009 for the Crusaders.
Because of his achievements, he was appointed in 2008 to the squad of the New Zealand national team ( All Blacks ) for the November test matches in Hong Kong and Europe. He played as a reserve player but in none of the five matches, but only against the Irish province of Munster Rugby team. At the end of the All Blacks for the third could win a Grand Slam times in its history.
The next national nomination took place only two years later. 2010 Franks was during the June test matches his international debut against the Irish national team, the All Blacks won with 66:28. In this game, he scored a try and ran simultaneously for the first time with his brother for New Zealand on. With him and the All Blacks he could further attract the Tri Nations 2010, and successfully defended the Bledisloe Cup against the Australian national team ( Wallabies ), which he, however, the November tour and a new Grand Slam New Zealand missed. In 2011 he defended the All Blacks again the Bledisloe Cup and won with his brother the title at the Rugby Union World Cup 2011 in their own country.