Nicky Little

Nicky Little

Little in 2007
Birth name	Nick Tyrone Little
Date of birth	(1976-09-13) 13 September 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	Tokoroa, New Zealand
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	96 kg (15 st 2 lb; 212 lb)
School	Te Awamutu College
Notable relative(s)	Walter Little (uncle) Lawrence Little (uncle)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1994–1996 Te Awamutu () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1996–1997 Canterbury () 1997–1998 Waikato () 1998–1999 North Harbour () 1999–2001 Sale 38 (287) 2001 Dax () 2001–2002 Pontypridd 14 () 2002–2006 Saracens 49 (287) 2006 Calvisano () 2006–2009 Petrarca Padova 55 (291) 2009–2010 Bath 21 (123) 2010–2011 Bristol 14 (104) 2011–2012 Esher 10 (32) 2012–2013 Canterbury 3 (0) International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1996–2011 Fiji 71 (670) Coaching career Years Team 2012– Canterbury Academy 2013– Fiji (assistant)

Nicky Tyrone Little (born 13 September 1976) is a former professional rugby union footballer. He plays at fly-half. He is a nephew of All Blacks centre Walter Little, but represents Fiji at international level.

Career

He has scored 652 points for Fiji and is the Pacific region's second highest point scorer of players who are currently active. He previously played for Canterbury and North Harbour in New Zealand provincial rugby, before moving to England where he played for the Sale Sharks in late 1999. He signed with Dax in France, but soon moved to Pontypridd, before signing with the Saracens.

Little made his test debut for Fiji in 1996 in a match against the Springboks in Pretoria, at just 19 years of age. He finished the 2000 and 2001 Pacific Rim tournaments as the top points scorer. He entered the 2003 Rugby World Cup as Fiji's all-time highest points scorer, with 488 points. He got four caps for Fiji at the 2003 World Cup, scoring a total of 45 points in those games. At the 2007 event he starred as Fiji defeated Wales to reach the quarter-finals, but was injured late in the final group game, after straining his medial knee ligaments and missed the quarter-final.

On 15 July 2009, it was announced that Little had signed a one-year deal with Bath, with Head Coach Steve Meehan stating that he would be in the squad for the tour to Portugal in late July 2009.

On 26 February 2010 it was announced that Little would be playing for Bristol Rugby from the 2010–11 season onwards.^[1] But at the end of the 2010/2011 season it was announced that Little would be part of the clearout of players departing Bristol Rugby.

At the midpoint of the 2011/12 season, it was announced that Little was joining RFU Championship side Esher RFC.

At the start of the 2012/13 season Little became part of a joint venture with Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, and The Canterbury High School. Canterbury's Elite Rugby Player Development Centre, headed by Little, is the first of its kind within the country and its aim is to develop grass roots rugby within the area.

References

1. "Fijian star Little joins Bristol". BristolRugby.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.

External links

• Pontypridd profile
• Bath Rugby
• Fiji profile
• Nicky Little at ESPNscrum