Thomas Maling

Thomas Simon Maling (born 3 June 1975 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a New Zealand Rugby Union footballer. His usual position is at lock. He is 1.97m tall and weighs 110kg. He played for theOtago Highlanders in the Super 14 competition. He played 11 tests for the All Blacks since making his international debut against Italy in 2001. He studied at Otago University where he gained his Bachelor of Commerce degree. His first class debut came with three matches for New Zealand Colts in 1996, two of them at the Southern Hemisphere Under 21 tournament. The following year he made three Super 12 appearances for the Highlanders, played once for the Rugby Academy and had eight matches for Otago, mostly as a replacement.

Maling's failure to make the 2003 All Black squad for the Rugby World Cup came as a major disappointment and as a surprise to many commentators as he had been the inform lock and the best lineout jumper in the Super 12 Competition leading up to the World Cup.

In 2004, Maling's All Black career ended with a disheartening 40-26 loss to South Africa. Having played in 11 tests, Maling headed overseas first to London where after a brief spell with Harlequins he headed on to Japan where he now plays for Japanese club Suntory where he is contracted until 2008.

External Link
-TVNZ New Release on Maling's Overseas Move