Cortez Ratima Explained

Cortez Ratima
Fullname:Cortez-Lee Peter Ratima
Birth Date:22 March 2001
Birth Place:Piopio, New Zealand
Height:1.790NaN0
Weight:870NaN0
School:Hamilton Boys' High School
Position:Half-back
Currentclub:Waikato, Chiefs
Years1:2020–
Clubs1:Waikato
Apps1:38
Points1:45
Years2:2022–
Clubs2:Chiefs
Apps2:42
Points2:80
Repyears1:2022
Repteam1:All Blacks XV
Repcaps1:1
Reppoints1:0
Repyears2:2024–
Repteam2:New Zealand
Repcaps2:9
Reppoints2:5
Clubupdate:5 November 2024
Repupdate:5 November 2024

Cortez-Lee Peter Ratima (born 22 March 2001) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a Halfback for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and Waikato in the Bunnings NPC.[1] [2]

Early life

Ratima was born in the King Country area of New Zealand's North Island in 2001.[3] His name, Cortez, comes from the 1972 Nike shoe of the same name because of his father's collection of the shoe.[4] He was raised on a farm in Piopio[5] and attended Piopio Primary School and College[5] in his youth and briefly attended New Plymouth Boys' High School on the North Island's western coastal region of Taranaki before relocating to Hamilton in the adjacent region to the north, Waikato.[5] Ratima finished his education at Hamilton Boys High School (HBHS) and was a regular representative of Waikato through all grades and was a part of the schools' first XV.[5] Ratima also represented the Waikato Chiefs U18s and New Zealand Māori U18s before eventually playing for the Waikato Rugby Academy at 17-years-old.[5]

Club career

He was named in the Chiefs squad for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.[6] [7] He was also a member of the 2021 Bunnings NPC squad.[8]

International career

He made his international test debut against England on 13th July 2024. He scored his first international try against Fiji on the 19th July 2024.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gallagher Chiefs Squad Announced for 2023 . 26 October 2022 . chiefs.co.nz . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221025205504/https://www.chiefs.co.nz/news-item/gallagher-chiefs-squad-announced-for-2023 . 25 October 2022 .
  2. Web site: Cortez Ratima – Halfback, Chief #350 . chiefs.co.nz . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204070251/https://www.chiefs.co.nz/player/cortez-ratima . 4 December 2023 .
  3. Web site: McConnell . Lynn . Ratima eyes opportunity in 2024 season . 12 December 2023 . allblacks.com . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421093730/https://www.allblacks.com/news/ratima-eyes-opportunity-in-2024-season/ . 21 April 2024 . The King Country-born Ratima said Super Rugby was enjoyable with the chances to be part of the squad and have some perks in travelling to Australia to play. .
  4. News: Pearson . Joseph . 3 April 2022 . Why Cortez chose the Chiefs over Crusaders, Hurricanes . . .
  5. Web site: Number Twelve 2022 Calender . 2022 . numbertwelve.co.nz . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240421094743/https://numbertwelve.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Number-Twelve-2022-Calendar.pdf . 21 April 2024 .
  6. Gallagher Chiefs squad announced for 2022 . Chiefs . 21 November 2021 . 21 November 2021.
  7. News: Super Rugby Pacific: Five New Zealand and Moana Pasifika squads revealed . Stuff.co.nz . 22 November 2021 . 22 November 2021.
  8. 2021 Waikato Bunnings Warehouse NPC Squad Announced . Waikato Rugby . 2 August 2021 . 2 August 2021.