Mitchell Karpik
New Zealand rugby union player (born 1995)
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Mitchell "Mitch" Karpik (born 2 June 1995) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player who played as a flanker for Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Chiefs in the international Super Rugby competition.[1][2][3][4] Karpik became a lawyer after injury cut his rugby career short.[citation needed]
| Full name | Mitchell Ryan Karpik | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 2 June 1995 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (223 lb; 15 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | King's College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early career
Born and raised in Auckland, Karpik attended King's College in Otahuhu from 2009-2013, and was captain of the 1st XV.[4] Karpik also grew up playing cricket for the Parnell Pirates and had a reputation as a formidable all rounder. Furthermore, during High School Karpik; along with future agent Scott Bevin, formed the all conquering Greenbank Javelin academy, garnering success for many years.[5] After graduating from high school, he played his club rugby in the Auckland region and played for the Blues under-20 and developmental teams.[6]
Senior career
He received his first taste of provincial rugby with Auckland during the 2015 ITM Cup, where he played a starring role in their run to the Premiership final. He played 11 of Auckland's 12 games during the campaign and scored 3 tries in what was to be his only season with them.[1]
At the conclusion of the 2015 season, it was announced that Karpik would be joining the Bay of Plenty Steamers for 2016.[6] Unfortunately for both parties, a knee injury sustained at the beginning of the year ruled him of the entire campaign which saw the Steamers eliminated at the semi-final stage after finishing 4th on the Championship log.[7]
Super Rugby
His debut season at provincial level with Auckland was enough to convince the Hamilton-based Chiefs Super Rugby franchise to hand him a contract for the 2016 Super Rugby season.[8] A knee injury picked up in pre-season match against the Waratahs saw him miss the entire campaign. Despite this, he was retained in the squad for 2017.[3][7]
International
Karpik represented both New Zealand Schools and New Zealands Schools Barbarians while at King's College and was also a member of the New Zealand Under-20 side which won the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Italy.[9][10][11]
Career Honours
New Zealand Under-20
