Ash Dixon

Ash Dixon (born 1 September 1988) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a hooker for Green Rockets Tokatsu in the Japan Rugby League One.[1] He formerly played for the Highlanders in Super Rugby and for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition.[2][3] He has also played for the Hurricanes and Auckland.[4][5]

Ash Dixon
Full nameAshley Lyonal Dixon
Date of birth (1988-09-01) 1 September 1988
Place of birthChristchurch, New Zealand
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight102 kg (225 lb; 16 st 1 lb)
SchoolChristchurch Boys' High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Current team Green Rockets Tokatsu
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2008–2021 Hawke's Bay 111 (140)
2010–2011 Auckland 23 (0)
2013–2014 Hurricanes 15 (5)
2015–2021 Highlanders 100 (65)
2018 Panasonic Wild Knights 4 (0)
2022– Green Rockets Tokatsu 28 (25)
Correct as of 17 May 2023
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2007 New Zealand U19 5 (0)
2008 New Zealand U20 5 (0)
2013–2021 Māori All Blacks 19 (35)
2020 North Island 1 (5)
Correct as of 3 July 2021

Early career

Dixon was a 2006 New Zealand Secondary Schools representative and Canterbury age-group rep through to Under-19 level. He has won the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship with the New Zealand Under-19 team as well as the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship with the New Zealand Under-20s.[6]

Senior career

Dixon started his career with Hawke's Bay, playing 21 matches for the province from 2008 to 2009 before shifting north to further his career with Auckland. The move paid off after he was awarded a wider training group contract with the Blues for the 2010 Super 14 season. After being a part of the Blues Wider Training Group in 2010, Dixon was then promoted to the senior side for the 2011 Super Rugby season,[6] but didn't play for the franchise.

In 2012, Dixon moved back to Hawke's Bay ahead of the 2012 ITM Cup season, and some solid displays for the Magpies saw him named in the Hurricanes Wider Training Group for the 2013 Super Rugby season.[7] He made his Super Rugby debut on 15 March 2013 against the Highlanders.[2] He ended up playing 9 games for the Hurricanes that season and in October 2013, he was named in the Hurricanes squad for the 2014 season.[8]

After two seasons with the Hurricanes, Dixon moved to Dunedin to play for the Highlanders. He was first named in the Highlanders squad for the 2015 Super Rugby season[9] and played 7 seasons for the southern franchise. He was part of the Highlanders squad that won the 2015 Super Rugby title, defeating the Hurricanes 21–14 in the final.[10][11]

On 12 August 2021, the Highlanders announced that Dixon would be leaving the franchise, having played exactly 100 games for them, to take up a two-year contract in Japan. The same day, Japanese club Green Rockets Tokatsu, which competes in the Japan Rugby League One competition, announced that Dixon would be joining the club.[12][13]

New Zealand Māori

On 25 October 2016 Dixon was named Captain of the New Zealand Māori for their Northern hemisphere tour.[14] Ahead of their game against Munster in Thomond Park in Limerick, he presented a Māori jersey with the initials of the recently deceased Anthony Foley to Foley's sons.

In 2020, Dixon was awarded the Tom French Cup for Māori rugby player of the year.[15]

Career honours

Highlanders

Hawke's Bay

References
  1. "Ash Dixon Green Rockets Tokatsu Player Profile". NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu (in Japanese). 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  2. "Ash Dixon Highlanders Player Profile". Highlanders. 2021. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  3. "2021 Magpies Squad". Hawke's Bay Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. "Ash Dixon Hurricanes Player Profile". Hurricanes. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  5. "Ash Dixon Auckland Profile". Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  6. "Ash Dixon Blues Player Profile". Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  7. "Investec Super Rugby Wider Training Groups named". Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  8. "Hurricanes name squad for 2014 Super Rugby". SANZAAR. 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  9. "Highlanders announce 2015 squad". Highlanders (Press release). 29 October 2014. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  10. "Highlanders team named for 2015 Super Rugby Final". Highlanders (Press release). 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  11. "Highlanders superb in Super Rugby title win". allblacks.com. 4 July 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  12. "Ash Dixon heading to Japan". Highlanders (Press release). 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  13. "２０２１－２２シーズン新加入選手のお知らせ". Green Rockets Tokatsu (Press release) (in Japanese). 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  14. "Maori All Blacks squad named for northern tour". Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  15. "All Blacks captain Sam Cane ends tough year with top NZ Rugby award for 2020". Stuff.co.nz. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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