FINLAY CHRISTIE

Position
Halfback

Blues debut
2020 vs Hurricanes

Blues caps
50

Blues points
55

Born
19/09/94

Height
177cm

Weight
82kg

Province
Tasman

 Born in Scotland, Finlay Christie moved to New Zealand aged seven and attended Saint Kentigern’s College in Auckland before heading to Canterbury to study. Christie is a former New Zealand gymnastics representative.

He played for the Chiefs making his debut against the Hurricanes in 2017 before opting to take up a contract with the Hurricanes where he made his debut in 2018 against the Sunwolves.

Christie went on to make 14 appearances during his time with the Hurricanes before returning home to the Blues for the 2020 season.

With plenty of St Kent’s alumni in the Blues squad, including Blake Gibson, Sam Nock, Dalton Papali’i and Tanielu Tele’a, Finlay found plenty of familiar faces to welcome him into the Blues family.

Christie was a key part of Tasman’s run to the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership final in 2017, and his familiarity with Leon MacDonald’s game plan and structures meant he made a seamless transition to the Blues.

Finlay’s debut occurred in the opening round of Super Rugby Aotearoa and a sold out Eden Park, with 43,000 fans turning up to watch a 30-20 victory over the Hurricanes.

Finlay’s form saw him selected as starting Halfback for the South in the revived ‘North v South’ clash in Wellington, as well as securing a second consecutive Mitre 10 Cup title with the Tasman Mako.

2021 turned out to be a watershed year for Christie. He established himself as the Blues first choice halfback, playing a key role in the 2021 Trans-Tasman Championship run. Finlay’s performances caught the eye of national selectors and he made his All Blacks debut against Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium. He was then selected for the All Blacks Northern Hemisphere tour to finish off a remarkable season for the young halfback.

Christie continued to impress in his 2022 and 2023 seasons and is now an established member of the Blues family. He was selected in the All Blacks squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France where he was picked in the match day 23 as a backup for Aaron Smith in both the Semi Final and Final. Expect to see all of Christie’s experience, ability and passion on display in the Blues jersey in season 2024.