Jerry Collins played for New Zealand, for whom he was capped 48 times, as well as for the Wellington Hurricanes in New Zealand, Toulon and Narbonne in the Rugby Pro D2, Ospreys in the UK, and Yamaha Jubilo in Japan.
14 Facts About Jerry Collins
2.
Jerry Collins played as a flanker and number eight, and was considered to be one of the hardest tacklers in rugby history.
3.
Jerry Collins was born in Samoa but grew up in his beloved hometown of Porirua.
4.
Jerry Collins made New Zealand Secondary Schools through his performance in the 1st XV side at St Patrick's in Wellington for three seasons running in 1996,1997 and 1998 and was Player of the Tournament at the 1999 World Junior Championships which New Zealand won, before going on to become the first player from that team to be called up to the All Blacks in 2001.
5.
Jerry Collins made his Wellington debut in the NPC in 1999, and his Wellington Hurricanes debut in 2001.
6.
Jerry Collins made a total of 74 appearances for the Hurricanes between 2001 and 2008, which included an appearance in the 2006 final against the Crusaders at AMI Stadium.
7.
Jerry Collins was named as All Black captain 2007 Rugby World Cup matches against Portugal and Romania, standing in for regular captain Richie McCaw.
8.
In October 2007, following New Zealand's exit from the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Jerry Collins was vacationing in Devon when he was spotted by Barnstaple head coach Kevin Squire who invited him to watch the team play a match at the weekend.
9.
Much to the club's surprise Jerry Collins turned up so they asked if he minded running a coaching session with the junior section.
10.
In May 2009, Jerry Collins agreed to a two-year deal to join Welsh team Ospreys.
11.
Jerry Collins then played for Yamaha Jubilo in the Top League in Japan, whom he joined at the beginning of the 2011 season.
12.
Jerry Collins last played for the classic All Blacks against Fiji in 2013, and he took 2014 off.
13.
In January 2015, Jerry Collins signed a contract as a Medical Joker to play in the French ProD2 with Racing Club Narbonne.
14.
Jerry Collins was a cousin of former All Blacks captain and Hurricanes teammate Tana Umaga.