Corey Flynn

Corey Robert Flynn ( born January 5, 1981 in Invercargill, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union player at the position of the Haklers.

Youth

Flynn went to the Southland Boys' High School in his birthplace Invercargill to school. He also joined the rugby club Star RC. In his youth he played further in the U-16 national team ( 1997), in the national school choice (1998), in the U-19 national team ( 2000) and in the U-21 national team ( 2001-2002) New Zealand.

Province Rugby

In 2001 he made his debut for the national team of Southland Rugby in the New Zealand Rugby Championship. In the following season he was the captain of the team.

In 2003, Flynn Southland to Canterbury RFU. With Canterbury he won the 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, the New Zealand Cup and 2004 ( 14 successful defenses ), 2007 ( a successful defense ), 2009 ( four successful defenses ) and 2010 ( two successful defenses ) the Ranfurly Shield. Due to national team duty or injury he came in some seasons but hardly or only rarely.

Super Rugby

In addition, he has been running since 2002 to the Crusaders in the international Super Rugby. With them he gained as a substitute in his first season the title, as the Crusaders won all thirteen games. In 2003 and 2004 they failed only in the final against the Blues or against the Australian Brumbies. After the end of his career competitors Mark Hammett in 2003, Flynn established himself as a regular hooker in Canterbury and the Crusaders. 2005, 2006 and 2008 were made more title wins with the Crusaders. 2007, 2009 and 2010 they failed again in the semi-finals and final of the championship in 2011 against the Australian Reds.

Also Flynns seasons in the Super Rugby were such as, but always overshadowed in the New Zealand Cup of injury. So far he has in his career five times broken his arm.

National

Despite a previous broken arm and his role as a substitute for the Crusaders, he was appointed for the Rugby Union World Cup 2003 in Australia surprising as the third hooker in the squad of the New Zealand national team ( All Blacks ), although he was not yet accrued in any international match. At the World Cup he made his debut for the All Blacks in the victorious match against the Canadian national team, when he came on. A week later he played in also winning the match against the Tongan national team from the beginning, and scored his first international goal attempt. For more inserts but he did not come. At the end of the All Blacks stepped down from the semi-final against the Australian national team ( Wallabies ), and won against the French national team to third place.

But since he only plays very irregular in the national team and comes when he for once plays only from the bank, because he there, unlike in Canterbury and the Crusaders, was never able to establish itself. In 2008, he took with the All Blacks at the November tour in Europe the Grand Slam. With New Zealand, he also won the Tri Nations in 2010 and defended in 2010 and 2011 with the All Blacks Bledisloe Cup each successfully against Australia.

His biggest success in rugby was winning the Rugby Union World Cup 2011 in their own country. At the tournament, he came only once as a substitute in the victorious opening match against Tonga used.

Outside of the regular national team he played since 2002 repeatedly for the national team of New Zealand Māori and since 2005 also for the Junior All Blacks. He won the New Zealand Māori in 2005 their game against the touring British and Irish Lions in New Zealand with 19:13.