Cooper Flanders
New Zealand rugby union player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cooper Flanders (born 31 August 2003) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for the Hurricanes and Hawke's Bay. His preferred position is flanker or number 8.[1]
| Born | 31 August 2003 Hastings, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 104 kg (229 lb; 16 st 5 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hastings Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative | Devan Flanders (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early career
Flanders was born in Hastings and attended Hastings Boys' High School where he played rugby for the first XV, originally as a halfback before converting to loose forward.[2] His performances for the school earned him selection for the New Zealand Schools side in 2021.[3] After leaving school he joined up with the Hurricanes academy, representing their U18 side in 2021,[4] and U20 side in 2022.[5] In 2023, he was selected for the New Zealand U20 side.[6] He is the brother of fellow Hurricanes and Hawke's Bay player Devan Flanders.[7]
Professional career
Flanders has represented Hawke's Bay in the National Provincial Championship since 2024, being named in the squad for the 2025 Bunnings NPC.[8] He was named in the Hurricanes wider training group for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.[9]
