View source for Christian Cullen

{{Short description|New Zealand rugby union player}}
{{For|the standard-bred horse|Christian Cullen (horse)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name            = Christian Cullen
| image           = Christian Cullen.jpg
| caption         = Cullen in 2010
| birth_name      = Christian Mathias Cullen
| nickname        =
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1976|2|12}}
| birth_place     = [[Paraparaumu]], New Zealand
| height          = 1.80 m
| weight          = {{convert|85|kg|stlb lb}}
| school          = [[Kāpiti College]]
| university      = 
| relatives       = [[Brian Steele (rugby union)|Brian Steele]] (great-uncle)
| spouse          = 
| ru_position     = [[Fullback (rugby union)|Fullback]], [[Wing (rugby union)|Wing]], [[Centre (rugby union)|Centre]]
| years1          = 1994
| years2          = 1995–1996
| years3          = 1996–2003
| years4          = 1997
| years5          = 1998–2003
| years6          = 2003–2007
| clubs1          = [[Horowhenua-Kapiti Rugby Football Union|Horowhenua-Kapiti]]
| clubs2          = [[Manawatu Rugby Union|Manawatu]]
| clubs3          = [[Hurricanes (rugby union)|Hurricanes]]
| clubs4          = [[Central Vikings Rugby Union|Central Vikings]]
| clubs5          = [[Wellington Rugby Football Union|Wellington]]
| clubs6          = [[Munster Rugby|Munster]]
| apps1           = 8
| apps2           = 15
| apps3           = 85
| apps4           = 9
| apps5           = 39
| apps6           = 44
| points1         = 48
| points2         = 80
| points3         = 308
| points4         = 35
| points5         = 93
| points6         = 75
| ru_clubupdate   = 
| repyears1       = 1995
| repyears2       = 1996–2003
| repyears3       = 1996–1998
| repyears4       = 2000–2004
| repteam1        = [[New Zealand national under-21 rugby union team|New Zealand U21]]
| repteam2        = [[New Zealand national rugby union team|New Zealand]]
| repteam3        = [[New Zealand Barbarians]]
| repteam4        = [[Barbarian F.C.]]
| repcaps1        = 6
| repcaps2        = 60
| repcaps3        = 4
| repcaps4        = 3
| reppoints1      = 38
| reppoints2      = 266
| reppoints3      = 20
| reppoints4      = 10
| ru_ntupdate     = 
| repsevensyears1 = 1995–1996
| repsevensteam1  = [[New Zealand national rugby sevens team|New Zealand]]
| repsevenscomp1  = 5
| medals          = {{MedalSport|Men's [[rugby sevens]]}}
{{MedalCountry| {{NZL}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1998 Commonwealth Games|1998 Kuala Lumpur]] | [[Rugby sevens at the 1998 Commonwealth Games|Team competition]] }} 
}}

'''Christian Mathias Cullen''' (born 12 February 1976) is a retired New Zealand [[rugby union]] player. He played most of his rugby at fullback for [[New Zealand national rugby union team|New Zealand]] (the All Blacks), for the [[Wellington Hurricanes|Hurricanes]] in the [[Super 12]], and for [[Manawatu Rugby Union|Manawatu]], [[Wellington Rugby Football Union|Wellington]] and later [[Munster rugby|Munster]] at provincial level. He was nicknamed the ''[[Paekakariki]] Express'' and was considered to be one of the most potent running fullbacks [[rugby union|rugby]] has ever seen.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-06-24 |title=The Paekakariki Express: How Christian Cullen became the greatest attacking fullback of all-time |url=https://www.rugbypass.com/news/the-paekakariki-express-how-christian-cullen-became-the-greatest-attacking-fullback-of-all-time/ |access-date=2025-07-24 |website=www.rugbypass.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jonah Lomu was destructive, but Christian Cullen had it all, says former Test ref Jonathan Kaplan |url=https://www.news24.com/sport/jonah-lomu-was-destructive-but-christian-cullen-had-it-all-says-former-test-ref-jonathan-kaplan-20200607 |access-date=2025-07-24 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}</ref> With 46 tries scored in 58 tests, Cullen is the [[List of leading Rugby union Test try scorers|equal-11th-highest]] try-scorer in international rugby.<ref>{{Citation |title=List of leading rugby union test try scorers |date=2025-07-20 |work=Wikipedia |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_leading_rugby_union_test_try_scorers&oldid=1301597253 |access-date=2025-07-24 |language=en}}</ref>

==Youth and early career==

Cullen was born in [[Paraparaumu]] and grew up in [[Paekākāriki]], a small town north of Wellington. He is the youngest of three children. He has an elder twin brother named Shane and a sister named Anita. Cullen is of Irish descent; he also has Samoan, Māori and German ancestry.

His rugby talent emerged in his high school years and he was selected in the New Zealand secondary schools team in 1993 and 1994. He played senior rugby for Manawatu in 1995 and scored 70 points through 12 tries, two conversions and two penalty goals. He was selected to the New Zealand sevens squad for tournaments in Fiji and Hong Kong.

== Professional career ==
Cullen's provincial career started in 1994 season for Horowhenua-Kapiti. In 1996 he played in the first-ever Super 12 game, contested by the Hurricanes and the Blues. That year he scored seven tries in nine matches.

At the 1996 World Sevens competition in Hong Kong he scored 18 tries, including seven in one match.<ref name="awesome">{{cite book |last=Becht |first=R. |title=Christian Cullen 'Awesome' |location=Auckland, New Zealand |publisher=Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Ltd |year=1997 |page=14}}</ref> Later that year he was selected as an All Black. He scored seven tries in his first two Test matches: a hat-trick on debut against Samoa and four tries against Scotland. He sustained a knee cartilage injury on the All Blacks' tour to South Africa.<ref name="run">{{cite book |last=Matheson |first=J. |title=Christian Cullen – 'Life on the run.' |location=Auckland, New Zealand |publisher=Hodder Moa Beckett Publishers Ltd |year=2003 |pages=66, 127, 133, 147, 192}}</ref>

In 1997 Cullen returned from injury and scored 11 tries in 10 games for the Hurricanes, and 12 tries in 12 Test matches for the All Blacks.

The All Blacks had a poor year in 1998 with five consecutive losses, but Cullen scored four tries in seven matches. He represented New Zealand in rugby sevens at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, playing seven games, scoring nine tries and kicking 23 conversions. New Zealand won the tournament and the gold medal.

In 1999 Cullen was a member of New Zealand's unsuccessful Rugby World Cup squad. He played six matches in the Cup tournament, starting five at centre which was not his preferred position.<ref>"There are a few things in my career I would loved to have done. The [1999] World Cup, playing at centre wasn't my favourite position. I would have loved to go in and play fullback," Cullen said.https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12144752</ref> In 2000 he scored 10 tries in 11 games for the Hurricanes and seven tries in four Tri Nations Tests, including three consecutive pairs.

In 2001 Cullen sustained a severe knee injury that required surgery and an intensive recovery programme. He made himself unavailable for the All Blacks' 2001 end-of-year tour, but was announced 'dropped' by coach John Mitchell at a NZRU press conference.<ref name="run" /> Cullen and Mitchell's personal differences went unresolved over time. Cullen was selected to and dropped from the All Blacks squad throughout 2002. He scored four tries in the five Test matches that year.

In the 2003 Super season Cullen scored eight tries in 12 games for the Hurricanes, taking his [[Super Rugby]] career tally to 56, a record at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.super14.com/stats/alltimerecords.asp |title=All Time Super Rugby Records |publisher=Sports Digital Media.com |date=20 February 2008 |accessdate=5 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407032012/http://www.super14.com/stats/alltimerecords.asp |archivedate=7 April 2009}}</ref> He was briefly and controversially selected for the [[New Zealand Māori rugby union team|Māori rugby team]], despite having, according to his father, about 1/64th Māori ancestry.<ref>{{cite web |work=BBC Sport |title=Uncovering the Maori mystery |date=5 June 2003 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/2965212.stm}}</ref> He was left out of New Zealand's 2003 World Cup squad. He played out the NPC season for Wellington and received a standing ovation after the Championship final, despite Wellington's losing to Auckland.

== Later career and retirement ==

At the end of 2003 Cullen moved to Ireland, after he was dropped by John Mitchell, where he played for [[Munster Rugby|Munster]]. His time with Munster was blighted by injuries, particularly to his shoulder, limiting his appearances. His last match for Munster was a 15–7 [[United Rugby Championship|Celtic League]] win over the [[Dragons (rugby union)|Newport Gwent Dragons]] at [[Musgrave Park, Cork|Musgrave Park]] on 28 April 2007. Two weeks later, on 12 May, he announced his retirement from rugby and stated his intention of returning to New Zealand to start a business.<ref>{{cite web |work=BBC Sport |title=Cullen decides to end his career |date=12 May 2007 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/munster/6649359.stm}}</ref>

==Records==
{{BLP sources section|date=August 2017}}

Cullen is the All Blacks' second-highest try-scorer in the [[Tri Nations Series]] with 16,{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} second only to [[Richie McCaw]]. He was the first player to score a try in every Tri Nations test in one season.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} He is New Zealand's second most-capped test fullback.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} At the time of his retirement he was the All Blacks' leading try-scorer with 46;{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} that record has since been overtaken by [[Doug Howlett]]. He scored over 150 tries while playing in New Zealand. He is the third-highest try-scorer in Super Rugby with 56 tries,{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} behind [[Joe Roff]] and Howlett.

==Biography==

His biography, ''Christian Cullen: Life on the Run'' (by John Matheson) was released in October 2003. The book received attention particularly for Cullen's criticism of [[John Mitchell (rugby union)|John Mitchell]].

== See also ==
* [[List of international rugby union tries by Christian Cullen]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{All Blacks|new_id=Christian-Cullen-AB-952|old_id=195}}
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208154434/http://www.thesportswriter.co.uk/cvs/index.htm |date=8 December 2008 |title=Christian Cullen at ''theSportsWriter'' }}
* [http://munsterrugby.ie/player?PlayGuid=CC243644 Munster profile]
* {{ESPNscrum|12251}}

{{All Blacks Squad 1999 World Cup}}
{{New Zealand Squad 1998 Commonwealth Games}}
{{1998 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Christian}}
[[Category:New Zealand rugby union players]]
[[Category:Rugby union fullbacks]]
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:New Zealand international rugby union players]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of Samoan descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Samoan descent]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of German descent]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Irish descent]]
[[Category:People from Paraparaumu]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the Kāpiti Coast District]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from the Wellington Region]]
[[Category:Hurricanes (rugby union) players]]
[[Category:Central Vikings players]]
[[Category:Munster Rugby players]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Māori All Blacks players]]
[[Category:Wellington rugby union players]]
[[Category:Manawatu rugby union players]]
[[Category:Horowhenua-Kapiti rugby union players]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Ireland]]
[[Category:New Zealand international rugby sevens players]]
[[Category:New Zealand male rugby sevens players]]
[[Category:People educated at Kāpiti College]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in rugby sevens]]
[[Category:Rugby sevens players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:1999 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand sportsmen]]