Samuel Lawrence Whitelock, known as Sam Whitelock, is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played as a lock.
Born on 12 October 1988 in Palmerston North, New Zealand, he grew up on a family dairy farm in the Manawatū region and attended Feilding High School.
He became renowned for his lineout expertise, durability, work rate, leadership, and consistency over a long career.
Whitelock is the most-capped All Black in history with 153 Test appearances between 2010 and 2023.
He spent the bulk of his club career with Canterbury and the Crusaders before brief stints in Japan and a final season with Pau in France, retiring from professional rugby in 2024.
Siblings
Sam is one of four brothers from a prominent New Zealand rugby family.
His older brothers are George Whitelock, a flanker and lock who earned one All Blacks cap and captained Canterbury and the Crusaders, and Adam Whitelock, a centre who played Super Rugby for the Crusaders, represented New Zealand Sevens, and later played in France.
Also Read: Tyrel Lomax Siblings: Getting to Know Sheen
His younger brother is Luke Whitelock, a loose forward who also earned All Blacks caps, captained the national side, and played for the Crusaders and Highlanders.
All four brothers played Super Rugby for the Crusaders and once appeared together in the same match.
Career
Whitelock began his senior career with Canterbury in 2008 and made his Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders in 2010, going on to make 180 appearances for the franchise and helping secure seven consecutive Super Rugby titles from 2017 to 2023.
He earned All Blacks selection in 2010, scoring two tries on debut against Ireland, and quickly established himself as a first-choice lock.
He formed a celebrated second-row partnership with Brodie Retallick that set a world record for Test starts together.
Whitelock featured in four Rugby World Cups, winning the tournament in 2011 and 2015.
He captained the All Blacks on multiple occasions and reached 100 Tests as the youngest New Zealander and the fastest player in world rugby to do so.
After a short period with Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan in 2020, he returned to the Crusaders before joining Pau for the 2023–24 season.
He retired from international rugby after the 2023 World Cup final and from all professional rugby at the end of that French club season.
Accolades
Whitelock holds the record as the most-capped All Black with 153 Tests and ranks among the most-capped men’s international players of all time.
He won two Rugby World Cups (2011 and 2015), finished runner-up in 2023, and claimed third place in 2019.
He secured 11 Tri Nations or Rugby Championship titles and was involved in 14 consecutive Bledisloe Cup retentions.
With the Crusaders he collected seven Super Rugby titles and was named player of the match in the 2022 and 2023 finals.
Individually he was named New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year in 2017 and selected in the World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year in 2022.
In the 2025 New Year Honours he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby and the community.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
