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| Born | Shontayne Edward Hape[2] (1981-01-30)30 January 1981 (age 45) Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 102 kg (16 st 1 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby player | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shontayne Edward Hape (/ˈhɑːpeɪ/; born 30 January 1981) is a New Zealand born former professional rugby footballer, adual-code rugby international. He playedrugby union at centre forMontpellier,London Irish,Bath andEngland. He playedrugby league for theBradford Bulls in theSuper League and theNew Zealand Warriors in theNational Rugby League. Hape representedNew Zealand at international level rugby league by being selected for both the junior and senior squads, including the2006 Tri-NationsNew Zealand squad. His usual position iscentre. He was forced to retire in 2013 after suffering several serious concussions, which left him with decreased brain function.[3]
New zAMassey High School student, Hape started his rugby education as aTe Atatu Roosters junior, which was coached by his father and managed by his mother.[4] He played for the New Zealand Secondary Schools team in 1998.[5] Hape played for theGlenora Bears in the2001 Bartercard Cup.
Hape signed for theAuckland Warriors in 1999. In the same year, he played for theJunior Kiwis andNew Zealand Māori.[6] In 2000 Hape made hisfirst grade debut for the Warriors and earned the great honour of Rookie of the Year award.
In 2001, the Warriors reached the play-offs and Hape played in the series. In round two of the 2002 season Hape injured hisanterior cruciate ligament, which ruled him out for the year and he missed the Grand Final.
Fellow New ZealanderRobbie Paul pointed out Hape to Bradford Bulls, who signed him in 2003. Helped to settle into English life by Paul and his wife, Hape missed only one of the Bulls' 35 games in the 2003 season, scoring 15 tries.
Hape played for theBradford Bulls at centre and scored atry in their2003 Super League Grand Final victory against theWigan Warriors. Having wonSuper League VIII, Bradford played against 2003 NRL Premiers, thePenrith Panthers in the2004 World Club Challenge. Hape played at centre in the Bulls' 22–4 victory.
Hape played for theBradford Bulls at centre and scored atry in their2004 Super League Grand Final loss against theLeeds Rhinos. A knee injury sustained while playing forNew Zealand in the2004 Tri Nations kept Hape out until round 22 in 2005. His return coincided with the Bulls charge towards the Grand Final and the Super League Championship. His partnership withLesley Vainikolo is seen as one of the best in the game and has yielded many tries for the Bulls.[citation needed] Hape played for theBradford Bulls at centre in their2005 Super League Grand Final victory againstLeeds Rhinos
Hape played forNew Zealand in their2005 Rugby League Tri-Nations Final victory overAustralia.AsSuper League champions Bradford facedNational Rugby League premiersWests Tigers in the2006 World Club Challenge. Hape played at centre in the Bulls' 30–10 victory.In March 2007, Hape was ruled out for most of the season because of a cruciate ligament injury. In August 2007, he was named in Bradford'steam of the century. In September 2007, Hape returned for the round 27 Match vHull F.C. His last game was againstHull Kingston Rovers on 29 June 2008.
In 2004, Hape was chosen to represent New Zealand in the Gillette Tri-Nations, replacing his partner on the wing at the Bulls Vainikolo who was out with a knee injury. Hape played two Tri-Nations games and against France and also represented theKiwis in the clash with Cumbria.
Hape also appeared for New Zealand in the Tri-Nations series in 2005, where he played a starring role helping New Zealand defeat the Aussies to win the final. In 2006, Hape played in the match against Great Britain in the one-off Test match atSt. Helens.
Hape qualified for theEngland team on residency grounds, having spent the last six years in England. After Bulls and New Zealand colleague Vainikolo made a successful switch torugby union withGloucester, Hape was initially linked withGuinness Premiership-boundNorthampton Saints.[7][8]
In late May 2008, it was announced that he would be joiningBath Rugby on a three-year deal.[9]
Coming to the end of his deal at Bath, the club and player were unable to come to an agreement over a new package. As a result, in February 2011 Hape agreed to joinLondon Irish for the 2011–2012 season, replacing the departing Samoan centreSeilala Mapusua.[10] After representing England in the World Cup in his native New Zealand, on his return he was cited for four weeks for a high tackle, followed by an injury plagued domestic season.
In April 2012 Hape terminated his contract with London Irish and signed withMontpellier Hérault Rugby, and due to multiple concussions in the 2012-2013 season, he was forced to retire and did not play for London Irish again.[11][4]
On 13 January 2010, Hape was named in theEnglish 32-man squad for the2010 Six Nations tournament.[12]
On 30 May 2010, he played for England against the Barbarians at Twickenham.[13] where he scored a try. He made his full Test debut for England two weeks later on 12 June inPerth againstAustralia and appeared again a week later in Sydney in the 2nd Test of that English tour.
Hape was again selected for the 2011 England six nations squad and started in all five matches seemingly sealing his place as a dependable centre for England. Although there was fear that his pairing with Mike Tindall lacked the attacking power that other centres possessed however they made up for it with excellent defence leading to the England winning the tournament although narrowly missing out on the grand slam due to a defeat by Ireland.
Hape was later selected to play in the2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, although there was doubt on the role he would play in the tournament due to the strong pairing of Mike Tindall and Manu Tulagi he did play in the 41–10 win over Georgia on 18 September scoring 2 tries in the first half.
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Georgia | Dunedin,New Zealand | Otago Stadium | 2011 Rugby World Cup | 18 September 2011 | Win | 41 – 10 |
| 2 |
Hape is married to Liana, a dancer who has performed withShaggy,Pink andNatalie Imbruglia. The couple have three sons and one daughter,[15] with the youngest son being born after Shontayne retired.[4] As of 2019, Shontayne Hape is a Business Development Manager for EWP Technical Solutions.[16]
His pastime isDJing, which is influenced by rap artists such asJay-Z andKanye West. He undertakes under the stage nameDJ Shape. Hape performed in Bath in 2009 to assist those affected by the 2009 tsunami that hit Samoa.[15]
In 2023, Hape participated in season 3 ofMatch Fit, where former rugby league players return to play against the Australian counterparts. He joined in the first season that featured formerrugby league stars.[17] He revealed in episode 3 that he suffered his first major concussion when he was 9, but knowledge of concussion,CTE and repetitive head trauma was minimal at the time. Owing to this, DrJohn Mayhew advised him against playing contact sports, making him the second person sinceRob Cribb in season 1 to be medically barred from playing contact sports.[4]
In 2024, Hape returned toMatch Fit: Union vs. League only as a guest so he can deal with his mental struggles away from the programme.[18]
| Year | Club | Apps | Pts | T | G | FG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 |  New Zealand Warriors | 13 | 12 | 3 | - | – |
| 2001 | New Zealand Warriors | 14 | 16 | 4 | - | – |
| 2002 | New Zealand Warriors | 1 | - | – | - | |
| 2003 |  Bradford Bulls | 29 | 48 | 12 | - | – |
| 2004 | Bradford Bulls | 26 | 96 | 24 | - | – |
| 2005 | Bradford Bulls | 12 | 48 | 12 | – | - |
| 2006 | Bradford Bulls | 31 | 84 | 21 | - | – |
| 2007 | Bradford Bulls | 9 | 20 | 5 – | - | - |
| 2008 | Bradford Bulls | 13 | 16 | 4 - | – | – |
| 2008–09 | Bath Rugby | 17 | 10 | 2 - | – | – |
| 2009–10 | Bath Rugby | 16 | 15 | 3 - | – | – |
| 2011– | London Irish | 47 | 810 | 0- | – | – |
| Year | Team | Matches | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 |  New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2005 | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2007 | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2010 |  England | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | England | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |