Rugby player
| Birth name | William Michael Osborne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1955-04-24) 24 April 1955 (age 69) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Whanganui, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 82 kg (181 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Wanganui High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Glen Osborne (nephew) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William Michael Osborne (born 24 April 1955) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A second five-eighth and centre, Osborne represented Wanganui and Waikato at a provincial level. Started his club career with the local Kaierau Rugby Union Club in Wanganui. He was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, between 1975 and 1982, playing 48 matches including 16 internationals.
Post rugby playing career
After retiring from playing rugby Osborne has had a successful business career, including:
- group manager of New Zealand Post
- CEO of Quotable Value
- inaugural chair of 2degrees mobile
- chair of CoreLogic New Zealand
- director of Transpower New Zealand
- director of Rangitira Services Ltd
- director of Ports of Auckland Ltd
- serving on the Maori Economic Development Commission
- establishing Te Huarahi Tika Trust, a trust handling Maori interests in the radio spectrum
- chair of Hautaki Limited, the commercial arm of the Te Huarahi Tika Trust.
He also served on the New Zealand Maori Rugby board. In 2017 he was elected vice-president of New Zealand Rugby Union, later ascending to the president's position. In 2022 he was appointed Chair of the Chiefs Rugby board.
Osborne Taonga
In 2021 a new challenge trophy named after Osborne was announced for the Heartland Championship teams, to follow similar rules to the Ranfurly Shield.
References
- Luxford, Bob. "Bill Osborne". New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
- "From All Black to business supremo". 3 September 2023.
- "The winning strategies of New Zealand's rugby All Blacks | McKinsey".
- "Media Release | Bill Osborne Appointed Chair of Chiefs Rugby Board".
- "Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship introduces the Bill Osborne Taonga and Ian Kirkpatrick Medal - RUGBY HEARTLAND". 11 November 2021.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byKent Lambert | Tom French Memorial Māori rugby union player of the year 1977 |
Succeeded byEddie Dunn |
 | This biographical article relating to New Zealand rugby union, about a person born in the 1950s, is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- 1955 births
- Living people
- Rugby union players from Whanganui
- People educated at Whanganui High School
- New Zealand rugby union players
- New Zealand international rugby union players
- Wanganui rugby union players
- Waikato rugby union players
- Māori All Blacks players
- Rugby union centres
- 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen
- New Zealand rugby union biography, 1950s birth stubs