Chris Whitaker
{{Short description|Australian rugby union coach and player}}
{{for|the English author of the same name|Chris Whitaker (author)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name = Chris Whitaker
| image =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1974|10|19}}
| birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| height = {{convert|179|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}{{cite web|title=2001 Australian Wallabies squad - British & Irish Lions Tour |url=http://www.rugby.com.au/lions2013/About/WallabiesSquad2001.html |website=rugby.com.au |publisher=Australian Rugby Union |accessdate=17 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922193242/http://www.rugby.com.au/lions2013/About/WallabiesSquad2001.html |archivedate=22 September 2013 |df=dmy }}
| weight = {{convert|84|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}
| occupation =
| school = Sydney Boys High School
| university =
| spouse =
| children =
| relatives =
| ru_currentposition =
| ru_currentteam =
| ru_position = scrum-half
| clubs1 = Leinster
| years1 = 2006–2009
| apps1 = 59
| points1 = 25
| amatyears1 = 1996–2005
| amatteam1 = Randwick
| superyears1 = 1997–2006
| super1 = NSW Waratahs
| superapps1 = 118
| superpoints1 = 60
| provinceyears1 =
| province1 =
| provinceapps1 =
| provincepoints1 =
| repyears1 = 1998–2005
| repteam1 = Australia
| repcaps1 = 31
| reppoints1 = 10
| repsevensyears1 =
| repsevensteam1 =
| repsevenscomp1 =
| coachyears1 = 2016–2018
| coachyears2 = 2018
| coachyears3 = 2018–2021
| coachyears4 = 2021-
| coachteams1 = Montauban (co-head coach)
| coachteams2 = Sydney Rays
| coachteams3 = Waratahs (assistant)
| coachteams4 = Waratahs (interim head coach)
}}
Chris Whitaker (born 19 October 1974) is an Australian professional rugby union coach and former international player. {{as of|2018}} he is head coach of the Sydney Rays in Australia's National Rugby Championship, and the interim head coach of Super Rugby side the New South Wales Waratahs,
Whitaker began his professional playing career in 1997 as a scrum-half for the Waratahs, where he remained for ten seasons. He also played for Australia, but his Test career was constrained for many years by the incumbent scrum-half and captain, George Gregan. As such, he got minimal international game time but was in the match-day squad for many a year. He captained the Wallabies in a World Cup match against Namibia in Adelaide in 2003. In 2006 Whitaker moved to Ireland where he played four seasons for Leinster before hanging up the boots and taking up coaching.
Early life and career
Whitaker was born in Sydney and started playing rugby at Sydney Boys High School, where he graduated in 1992. He played his club rugby at Randwick.
Rugby career
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}
Whitaker joined Super Rugby side the NSW Waratahs in 1997, and gained his first Australian cap the next year. He played a total of 31 games for Australia and scored 10 points.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} Whitaker left the Waratahs in 2006, and joined Leinster Rugby in Ireland. He won the Celtic League in 2008 with Leinster before winning the Heineken Cup as vice-captain with the side in May, 2009.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} The final was, in fact, his last professional game before retirement.
Coaching
Whitaker began his coaching career as an assistant with Leinster before moving to France with his wife and three daughters in 2012 to become the defence coach under Michael Cheika for Stade Français, where he remained for two seasons.
He joined Pro D2 club RC Narbonne as assistant coach under Justin Harrison in 2013. Whitaker was signed to coach Montauban in 2016. After a two-year stint there he left the co-head coach role at Montauban and returned to Australia.
Whitaker took on the backs coaching role under Daryl Gibson at the Waratahs ahead of the 2019 Super Rugby season. He was also appointed head coach of the Sydney Rays for the 2018 NRC season.
Whitaker was appointed as NSW Waratahs interim head coach alongside Jason Gilmore on 28 March 2021 after the sacking of head coach Rob Penney.{{cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/300264141/struggling-nsw-waratahs-sack-kiwi-coach-rob-penney|title= Struggling NSW Waratahs sack Kiwi coach Rob Penney|date=2 October 2019|work=Stuff|accessdate=29 March 2021}}
References
{{reflist|25em|refs=
|date=5 August 2018
|first1=Sam|last1=Phillips
|first2=Beth |last2=Newman
|title=One Percenters: Reds' off-season roller coaster ramps up
|website=Rugby.com.au
|accessdate=5 August 2018
|url=http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2018/08/05/one-percenters-august-5
|url-status=live
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805093707/http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2018/08/05/one-percenters-august-5
|archivedate=5 August 2018
}}
|date=20 April 2010
|title=Whitaker lands coaching job in Paris with Cheika
|work=The Sydney Morning Herald
|accessdate=5 August 2018
|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/whitaker-lands-coaching-job-in-paris-with-cheika-20100423-tj5q.html
|url-status=live
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805120307/https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/whitaker-lands-coaching-job-in-paris-with-cheika-20100423-tj5q.html
|archivedate=5 August 2018
}}
|date = 31 March 2014
|title = Narbonne locks in Wallabies Justin Harrison and Chris Whitaker
|work = The Australian
|accessdate = 5 August 2018
|url = https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/rugby-union/narbonne-locks-in-wallabies-justin-harrison-and-chris-whitaker/news-story/63fc83acbeba2812f5405d3840d9f049
|url-status = live
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20230510185106/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/rugby-union/narbonne-locks-in-wallabies-justin-harrison-and-chris-whitaker/news-story/63fc83acbeba2812f5405d3840d9f049
|archivedate = 10 May 2023
|df = dmy-all
}}
|date = 6 April 2016
|title = Chris Whitaker, nouvel entraîneur pour deux ans
|work = La Dépêche du Midi
|location = Toulouse
|language = French
|url = http://www.ladepeche.fr:80/article/2016/04/06/2318843-chris-whitaker-entraineur-pour-deux-ans.html
|accessdate = 5 August 2018
|url-status = live
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160512012919/http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2016/04/06/2318843-chris-whitaker-entraineur-pour-deux-ans.html
|archivedate = 12 May 2016
|df = dmy-all
}}
|date=3 August 2018
|title=Waratahs legend Chris Whitaker returns to NSW as backs coach
|website=News
|accessdate=5 August 2018
|url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/super-rugby/waratahs/waratahs-great-chris-whitaker-returns-to-nsw-as-backs-coach/news-story/15b03da3125e585cfcb7c70b4e89b0a0
|url-status=live
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804165201/https://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/super-rugby/waratahs/waratahs-great-chris-whitaker-returns-to-nsw-as-backs-coach/news-story/15b03da3125e585cfcb7c70b4e89b0a0
|archivedate=4 August 2018
}}
}}
External links
- {{Cite web |url=http://www.nswrugby.com.au/nsw/nsw.rugby/page/14760 |title=NSW Rugby bio |access-date=23 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230162912/http://www.nswrugby.com.au/nsw/nsw.rugby/page/14760 |archive-date=30 December 2005 |url-status=bot: unknown |df=dmy-all }}
- {{Cite web |url=http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/profiles/531.php?player=5360&includeref=dynamic |title=Leinster profile |access-date=29 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927083337/http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/profiles/531.php?player=5360&includeref=dynamic |archive-date=27 September 2008 |url-status=bot: unknown |df=dmy-all }}
- [http://www.nswrugby.com.au/HSBCWaratahs/PlayerProfiles/ChrisWhitaker[c].aspx Waratahs profile] {{dead link|date=August 2018}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[Australia rugby union captains|
Australian national rugby union captain]] |before=George Gregan|after=Nathan Sharpe|years=2003}}
{{s-end}}
{{Australia Squad 2003 World Cup}}
{{Australia Squad 1999 World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Chris}}
Category:Australian rugby union coaches
Category:Australian rugby union players
Category:Australia national rugby union team captains
Category:Australia international rugby union players
Category:New South Wales Waratahs players
Category:Rugby union scrum-halves
Category:Leinster Rugby players
Category:People educated at Sydney Boys High School
Category:Rugby union players from Sydney
Category:1999 Rugby World Cup players