 Anscombe in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Gareth William Anscombe (1991-05-10)10 May 1991 (age 34) Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (12 st 8 lb; 176 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Rosmini College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative | Mark Anscombe (father) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gareth Anscombe (born 10 May 1991) is arugby union player who plays forTop 14 sideBayonne and theWales national rugby union team.[1] He primarily plays atfly-half but can also play as a fullback. Anscombe is the son of formerAuckland andUlster coachMark Anscombe.
Anscombe debuted for Auckland in the 2010 season, in his first year out of school. In 2011, he was the top point scorer at theIRB Junior World Championship[2] and retained his place in the Auckland squad.
Anscombe made his debut for Auckland'sBlues in 2012, coming on to replaceMichael Hobbs in the round two match against theChiefs in Hamilton. His starting debut was against theBulls in round three, in which he scored all of the Blues points in a 29–23 win. Despite compelling form in the 2012 ITM Cup, where his pin-point accurate kicking helped Auckland to a finals appearance against eventual winners Canterbury,[3] the Blues management seemed unmoved, and afterJohn Kirwan took over the coaching of the Blues, Anscombe was delisted. It was announced that he would play for the Chiefs from the 2013 season.[4] In 2013, he signed a contract extension with the Chiefs until 2014.[5]
On 24 July 2014, Anscombe moved to the UK to sign for Welsh regionCardiff Blues on a long-term deal as he is Wales qualified through his mother.[6] On 15 August 2019, Anscombe signed for regional rivalsOspreys after making the switch from Cardiff.[7]
Anscombe left Ospreys at the end of the 2022-23 season as he moved to Japan to joinTokyo Sungoliath in theTop League competition for the 2023-24 season.[8] However, his registration for the Japanese club was cancelled after suffering a groin injury which required surgery.[9]
On 12 March 2024, Anscombe returned to the UK, signing forGloucester in the EnglishPremiership for the 2024-25 season.[10]
On 7 May 2025, after a season in the Premiership, Anscombe would move to France to sign forBayonne in theTop 14 for the 2025-26 season.[11]
Anscombe represented New Zealand atunder-20 level; he started at first-five when New Zealand won the competition now known as theWorld Rugby Under 20 Championship in2011.[1] However, he was not tied to New Zealand at senior level; only an appearance for the All Blacks themselves, or the country's official second-level side, theJunior All Blacks, would have tied him to that country.[1]
In April 2014, a report inCardiff'sWestern Mail indicated thatWales head coachWarren Gatland was seriously considering fast-tracking Anscombe into that country's international set-up, and that theCardiff Blues ofPro12 were set to offer him a contract starting with the 2014–15 Northern Hemisphere season.[1] Anscombe qualifies for Wales through his Cardiff-born mother.[1]
On 20 January 2015, Anscombe was named in the 34-man Wales squad for the2015 Six Nations Championship.[12] He made his full international debut for Wales versus Ireland on 8 August 2015 as a second-half replacement.
On Saturday 16 March 2019, Anscombe was named Guinness Man of the Match having scored 20 points in Wales's 25-7Grand Slam-winning victory over Ireland at thePrincipality Stadium.
