Rugby World Cup 2019: Over 100 Test victories and a record number of assists – Kieran Read’s career in numbers

Kieran Read’s international career came to an end on Friday, as the New Zealand captain led the All Blacks to a 40-17 triumph over Wales in the Rugby World Cup bronze match.

Having announced his decision to retire from Test rugby in March, Read would have been hoping to go out on a high by taking his side to an unprecedented third successive World Cup triumph.

However, a semi-final defeat at the hands of England – who will face South Africa for the Webb Ellis Cup on Saturday – meant Read had to settle for third place on his swansong.

Here, with the help of Opta, we take a look at some of the best facts from a glittering career.

Thankful.

We are grateful for all the support we received during our journey in Japan. Your support means the world to us, always. #BACKBLACK pic.twitter.com/MKc6GthPj1

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) November 1, 2019

127 – Read’s 127 caps for the All Blacks place him third in New Zealand history. His predecessor as captain, Richie McCaw, tops the list on 148.

52 – Read played 52 of his Tests as skipper and was the 66th captain of the side. Only McCaw (110) made more appearances as captain of the All Blacks.

148 – New Zealand’s skipper has made 148 carries in World Cups, the eighth-most of any player in the tournament’s history. Fifty of those carries came in the 2019 tournament.

5 – Read (107 wins) is one of only five players to win 100 Test matches, along with fellow All Blacks McCaw, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock and Sam Whitelock.

19 – His run of 19 consecutive victories as All Blacks captain from 2012 to 2016 is a record.

26 – McCaw is the only forward from a tier-one nation to have scored more international tries than Read, shading it by 27 to 26.

157 – Read has made 157 tackles in World Cup action, the sixth-most of any player in the tournament’s history.

69 – His tally of 69 tackles during New Zealand’s 2019 World Cup campaign was the most of any All Blacks player. He also made 20 during his final appearance against Wales – his previous best in a World Cup game was 14 against Ireland in the quarter-finals.

6 – With six assists, Read has set up more tries than any other forward in World Cups, while he also scored three tries of his own in his appearances at the global tournament.

KEO.co.za News wire is powered by opta