2 June 2013: Hutt Old Boys Marist lock Jeremy Thrush was named in the 32-man All Blacks squad for the first Test series of the year against France.

Selection in the All Blacks squad, following selection in the initial All Blacks WTG is great reward for Thrish, who In 2013 is playing his sixth straight season with the Hurricanes, and will end the season on well over 75 Super Rugby caps and as one of the side’s senior forwards.

Thrush was earmarked for a bright future from a young age, progressing from the New Zealand Secondary Schools in 2003 to ?the New Zealand U19 in 2004 on to two years in the New Zealand Colts in 2005 and 2006. An early career setback was a shoulder injury that kept him out of all rugby for the first half of 2005. He won the World U19 Player of the Year at the end of 2004 after earlier helping New Zealand to beat France in the U19 final in South Africa.

Now aged 27, he has six seasons with the Lions under his belt and played his 50th game for Wellington against Canterbury that season. Thrush captained the Lions in the 2011 and 2012 ITM Cups.

He had the distinction of scoring the first try for the Wellington Lions in their memorable Ranfurly Shield victory over Auckland in 2008. He was selected for the Junior All Blacks in June 2009.

Previously, a shoulder injury kept workaholic lock and 2004 IRB World U19 Player of the Year Jeremy Thrush on the sidelines for much of the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup and he returned to the Hurricanes in 2010 hungry for action.

In 2011 he earned another 13 appearances, including 10 starts, and reached the milestone of 50 Super Rugby matches in the last game of the season against the Crusaders.

The wide-ranging Thrush previously made a real impact for the Wellington Lions in the 2007 NPC. He was a mainstay of the Lions pack, playing all 13 matches of that season.

This deservedly earned him a berth in the 2008 Hurricanes, proving a revelation in his first season at the next level. In his rookie Super 14 year he appeared 14 times, including eight run-on starts and seemed to thrive under the pressure of the bigger games at the end of the season. He was also a regular in the Hurricanes pack in 2009 and deservedly earned the call-up into the Junior All Blacks to play in the Pacific Nations Cup in June and July.

An aggressive ball winner in the air and committed in the tight, Thrush is also a highly mobile and skilful lock with a nose for the tryline and a rare ability to always be in the right place at the right time.

Thrush’s father played on the wing for Bush prior to their amalgamation with Wairarapa Bush.

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