Robert Abel (born 4 July 1989) is an Australian[1] rugby union coach and former professional rugby union player who as of 2023, coaches forwards for the Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby. He previously played at hooker for NSW, Melbourne Rebels and for the Brumbies in Super Rugby. The Māori All Blacks, and the Canberra Vikings and Perth Spirit,[2] and also played for Northland and Auckland in the ITM Cup.[3][4]

Robbie Abel
Full nameRobert Abel
Date of birth (1989-07-04) 4 July 1989 (age 35)
Place of birthOrange, Australia
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight112 kg (17 st 9 lb; 247 lb)
SchoolSt Edmund's College
Notable relative(s)Charlie Abel (brother)
Jake Abel (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Current team Waratahs / Auckland
2013 Northland 9 (5)
2014 Perth Spirit 9 (25)
2015–2017 Canberra Vikings 34 (74)
2018–present Auckland 27 (15)
Correct as of 15 October 2019
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–2015 Force 0 (0)
2016–2018 Brumbies 36 (15)
2019 Rebels 7 (0)
2020–2021 Waratahs 17 (0)
Correct as of 15 October 2019
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2007 Australian Schoolboys 2
2018– Māori All Blacks 3

Career

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Robbie Abel was selected for the Australia 'A' Schools team in 2007,[5] after moving to St Edmund's College, Canberra from Griffith NSW in 2006. He was a part of the Brumbies Academy from 2007 till 2010, having a stint in New Zealand with Northland rugby in 2009.

Abel took a two-year hiatus from rugby from 2010 till the end of 2012 to undertake a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Western Australia.

Upon completion of his duties he linked up with Northland Rugby Union and theBrumbies from 2012 till the end of 2013 spending 2 years playing between Canberra and Whangarei for the Brumbies Runners and theNorthland Taniwha in New Zealand's ITM Cup.

He moved back to Western Australia to become a member of the Western Force playing squad ahead of the 2014 Super Rugby season. Abel didn't make any senior appearances in 2014 but turned out for Perth Spirit in the inaugural National Rugby Championship later that year scoring 5 tries in 9 appearances,[3] and he was named again in the Force squad for 2015.[6]

Abel then signed a contract with the Brumbies,[7] joining the Canberra Vikings late in the 2015 season.[3] In 2016 Abel made his Super Rugby debut for the Brumbies against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.[8] Abel featured in all games for the 2017 season and all games he was available for in 2018.

In 2018 Abel took a contract to play with Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup competition. After a successful season with Auckland which saw the team win the 2018 Premiership, losing just one game in the regular season, Abel was named in the Māori All Blacks team to tour USA and South America.

References

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  1. ^ "Robbie Abel, Assistant Coach (Forwards)". Utah Warriors Rugby. An Australian Native, Abel has extensive professional rugby experience in New Zealand and Australia.
  2. ^ "Robbie Abel Perth Spirit Player Profile". Western Australia Rugby. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "Robbie Abel". It's Rugby. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Robbie Abel ESPN Scrum Player Profile". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Australian Schoolboys by Year" (PDF). schoolsrugby.com.au. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Robbie Abel Western Force Player Profile". Western Force Rugby. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  7. ^ Dutton, Chris (17 November 2015). "Brumbies recruit Robbie Abel walks away from mining riches for Super Rugby shot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  8. ^ Gaskin, Lee (8 April 2016). "Rugby union: Brumbies hooker Robbie Abel brings family across to Easts to boost numbers". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2017.

Super Rugby statistics

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As of 16 June 2019[1]
Season Team Games Starts Sub Mins Tries Cons Pens Drops Points Yel Red
2014 Force 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 Force 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 Brumbies 2 0 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017 Brumbies 14 4 10 443 3 0 0 0 15 0 0
2018 Brumbies 8 0 8 133 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 Rebels 7 2 5 201 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 31 6 25 782 3 0 0 0 15 0 0
  1. ^ "Player Statistics". It's Rugby.