Chris_Masoe
Chris Masoe
Rugby player
Chris Masoe (born 15 May 1979 in Savaii, Western Samoa) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer, who last played for Racing Metro 92 in the Top 14 and a current professional boxer. He is the brother of boxer Maselino Masoe. He was born on the island of Savai'i
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| Birth name | Matemini Christopher Masoe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1979-05-15) 15 May 1979 (age 44) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Savaii, Western Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 106 kg (16 st 10 lb; 234 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Wanganui City College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Maselino Masoe (brother; former WBA middleweight champion) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Early life
Masoe was born in Savai'i, Western Samoa as the second youngest of 13 children. He emigrated to New Zealand aged 8 and was raised in Wanganui.[2]
Super 14
Masoe used to play for the Wellington Hurricanes in the Super 14. He appeared in all 11 Hurricanes matches in the 2005 season. He is capable of playing in all three loose-forward positions but has been concentrating on the openside flanker's role. Masoe has good pace and is a strong ball runner and a tough defender.
Sevens
He has been a regular member of the New Zealand Sevens squad in the past and was a member of the 2002 Commonwealth Games gold-winning team.
Handbag incident
On the night of the Super 14 final on 27 May 2006, former All Black captain Tana Umaga struck Hurricanes team mate Chris Masoe over the head with a woman's handbag, breaking her cell phone, after Masoe allegedly attempted to strike another patron. Masoe was fined $3000 by the NZRU as punishment.[3]
Castres Olympique
In 2008, he signed a contract for French Top 14 team Castres Olympique. In 2010, he was selected in the French Barbarians squad to play Tonga on 26 November.
Toulon
In April 2012 it was confirmed Masoe was joining RC Toulonnais on a three-year deal.[4] In May 2013 he started as Toulon won the 2013 Heineken Cup Final by 16–15 against Clermont Auvergne.[5]
His allround ability earned him the Taranaki Sportsman of the Year in 2002 and in the same year he was named New Zealand Sevens Player of the Year. Following his last season at Castres Olympique, he received the 2011–2012 Top 14 rugbyman of the year award on 15 October 2012.[6]
Chris Masoe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Matemini Christopher Masoe (1979-05-15) May 15, 1979 (age 44) |
| Nationality | Samoa New Zealand |
| Other names | Masi |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Boxing record[8] | |
| Total fights | 1 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Wins by KO | 0 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
On December 2, 2022, Masoe followed in his brothers footsteps and made his professional boxing debut against Hawaian born Lui Te'o.[9] Masoe won the fight by Split Decision.
| 1 fight | 1 win | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Lui Te'o | SD | 4 | Dec 2, 2022 | TSB Stadium, New Plymouth, New Zealand |
- "RCT - Rugby Club Toulonnais | site officiel |". Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
- Booker, Jarrod (30 May 2006). "Players say sorry over handbag incident". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- "Masoe heading to Toulon". Planet Rugby. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- "Toulon claim Heineken Cup glory". ESPN. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- "Masoe elu meilleur joueur". Retrieved 15 October 2012.
- "Racing 92 beat Toulon to win Top 14 Rugby title". rugbyweek.com. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- Chris Masoe at AllBlacks.com
- Toulon profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-08-30)
- Chris Masoe at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Chris Masoe at the World Rugby Men's Sevens Series (archived)