Ben Funnell
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
6 June 1990 Palmerston North, New Zealand |
||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 105 kg (16 st 7 lb) | ||
| School(s) attended | Palmerston North Boys' High School | ||
| University | University of Canterbury | ||
| Relatives |
George Whitelock (cousin) Adam Whitelock (cousin) Sam Whitelock (cousin) Luke Whitelock (cousin) |
||
| Club information | |||
| Playing position | Hooker | ||
| Current club | Canterbury / Crusaders | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Pts)† |
| 2011– | Canterbury | 68 | (60) |
| 2012– | Crusaders | 58 | (15) |
| Representative team(s) | |||
| 2008 | New Zealand Schools | () | |
|
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 29 October 2016. |
|||
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 29 October 2016.
Ben Funnell (born 6 June 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a hooker for Canterbury in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Crusaders in the international Super Rugby competition.
Born in Palmerston North in New Zealand's Manawatu-Wanganui region, Funnell grew up on a dairy farm in the small town of Opiki, 15 km to the south-west of his birthplace. He is a cousin of the Whitelock brothers; George, Adam, Sam and Luke who all went on to play for Canterbury and the Crusaders and attended the same primary school as the boys before attending Palmerston North Boys' High School, where he captained their rugby first XV, while the Whitelocks attended the rival Feilding High School.
While in school, Funnell represented Manawatu at under-18 level before heading south to Christchurch after graduation to study accounting at university. He joined the High School Old Boys side which compete in the local Canterbury club rugby competition and also made his way through the Canterbury youth structures, turning out for both their Academy and Colts sides as well as the Crusaders Knights development team.
Funnell first made the Canterbury squad for the 2011 ITM Cup and immediately made a big impression. Taking advantage of an injury to Steve Fualau, he made his national provincial championship debut as a replacement for Paul Ngauamo in the first match of the season against Auckland and went on to play 7 times during his first year at provincial level, lifting the Premiership trophy for the first time as Canterbury overcame Waikato 12-3 in the final.
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