Christian Cullen - The Paekakariki Express
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2016
- Christian Cullen was, in our opinion, the greatest fullback that ever played the game.
He was an exceptional runner who could sidestep anything and instinctively create try scoring opportunities out of nothing.
We still can't understand how he played his last test at 27.
Enjoy and thanks for watching! 
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The best fullback ever - respect from an Irish fan
Greatest All Black fullback in my book. It was disgraceful how John Mitchell dropped him in 2003. He was still in good form. I still remember the standing ovation Wellington fans gave him in his final NPC match as he walked off. The game stopped and all the players clapped him off the field.
Absolutely agree. Best fullback ever. The All Blacks coaches prematurely ended his peak and career. They should never have moved him from fullback to the wing and inside centre positions during John Hart's time and later dropped by Mitchell...insane decision by a terrible coach.
Totally agree. As a Welshman love the All Blacks and Cullen was the best attacking full back of all time. That back three of Lonu, Cullen and Jeff Wilson was outstanding
I thought John made his ego clear with that pick. Never had time for John Mitchell after that. He was a shit coach anyway
Cully is my all-time favourite rugby player, poetry in motion.
@@kiwidavid72 John Mitchell lost me when he didn't include cully in his squad. Ego to much I'd say
Easily the smoothest player of all time for me. He never looked like he even broke a sweat. Was dangerous from ANYwhere. I rate him as the Greatest fullback of all time 💯
Totally agree
Me too. Silk. My all time favourite rugby player
G.O.A.T Ben Smith and Beauden Barrett are as good as if not better. All 3 are/were game changers.
Mr UV hi. I never wade in on this stuff, but as luck would have it, was at a thing at the weekend and a conversation about silky runners (not just fullbacks) broke out. So, without taking anything away from Cullen, can I invite you to remember (in no particular order) Serge Blanco, Bruce Roberson, ? Gallagher (Wellington and AB fullback who went to league in the uk? and confused them with a body swerve not a sidestep) and Michael O’Conner... sigh - showing my age...
100% agree.... My fav AB of all time.
For me...Christian Cullen and Rupeni Caucau were the definition of poetry in motion...they run with grace and make it look so easy
Just the greatest open field runner ever. He changed speed without any perceptible effort. Never has a player stood up so many defenders and glided past them without them laying a hand on him. Absolute class.
Right on mate. Most people don't even notice his gear change its so smooth.
Yep, he also had an ability to seemingly shrug off tackles.
Had a sublime understanding with Umaga.
Him and Tana were the dream team man. They worked like a unit.
I played against Cullen when he played for Manawatu it was obvious he’d become an All Black he teared us up no one could catch him think he scored like 5 tries in that game I wish there was highlights of his younger years cause man he was simply the best I ain’t seen anyone come near to emulate him
Wow. He's my favourite player of all time. I would love to have seen a young cullen in open field running. i tried to find some decent 7's rugby footage but there isnt a lot. must have been amazing to play against him. was he just ridiculously quick?
@@kd2239 as someone from the area he grew up in and is still very famous in, he was insanely quick. Uncatchable in space
@@yyuweyyyminxx8195 he's still quick now when he wants to be. Played a charity touch rugby game with him a few years back. Still got the step and go.
When I was a young fella, I played prop for Paekakariki in the Horowhenua Senior Reserve grade. One night, this kid turned up in jeans and a jean jacket and asked to join our warm-up touch game. Despite being in jeans and being about 14, he smoked us.
Yeah - I try to imagine him at school level. He would've been a nightmare to defend. I have friends who played against the famous Matraville High the years that school contained the Ella brothers. The stories they tell about trying to defend them are legendary. I would imagine Cullen would be something similar.
Just an awesome talent. I am a Springbok supporter, but absolutely loved the way this guy played. What a blessing to watch him run with ball in hand.
Andre Joubert, Caucau and Cullen had, imo, the best running styles I've ever seen...
His outstandng skill and agility were only matched by his modesty. Absolute legend.
I named my son after this dude
Then your son is a legend!
You named your son Paekakariki express. Legend indeed
@@MultiBots hahahaha
@@MultiBots "Dad, why did you name my sister Rose?"
"We named you two after things we love."
"Oh, I see."
"No problem, Paekakariki Express."
I'm an Aussie, I hated watching him cut us apart, but he was amazing to watch, the best support runner I've ever seen. He knew where to be, unstoppable at times.
I named my first boy after Matt Hayden, Hayden. Second after Darren Lockyer. Lochlan. Misses didn't catch on, I just said I liked them, and she suprisingly agreed.
He is easily one of the best All Black of time, we were robbed when they dropped him.
it's like dropping michael jordan - bloody mitchell
He was iinjured and made himself unavailable for the allblacks, But Mitchell ego had to drop Cullen, Tane, Goldie just to prove the new sheriff was in come to town, lmao last time I write that coaches name.
@@moaningpheromones spot on
@@JumboWiniata That %@&* cut Cullen in his prime. The rugby world lost the potential to see Cullen at his best beyond what he had already produced on the field. If new players ever want to learn about backing up or shadowing, you get a Cullen master class.
@@tekootianderson yeah totally agree
It seems that every time he caught the ball he was at full speed. Amazing positional play. Never seen anything like it.
The best ever
His from SAMOA
@@lemafoeleutogi3550 Hes Irish
Agree...hitting the ball at pace is 1 of the basics of rugby and he showed why its so effective...the best running AB fullback
Duh highlights 🙄
Cullen's pace and strength was incredible for the size bloke he is. And he IS the greatest fullback to play the game, anyone playing in that position should be notice that he almost always hits the ball at pace running at a gap. Brilliant to watch.
Fullback job #1 is defence, and JPR was supreme at that. Cullen was pretty good at job #2 though.
@@Loosehead "Fullback's number one job is defence" 🤦♂️🤡 Yeah if you're playing amateur rugby in the 1970s, old timer.
@@Chris-zd7gw I merely mean that when JPR hit you, you stayed hit.
@@Loosehead the ABs of that era didn’t require much defence…
11:15 best creative set play move I've seen..but on a side note, Cullen easily the best fullback in history. The ability to sprint a 100m to score a try then run back all ready to run again. The mental fortitude on this guy. Legend.
There will never be another Cully. Pure, instinctive brilliance, pace and an extraordinary ability to change direction at full noise.
Cully is the most exciting player that I have ever seen in 40 years of watching rugby. Full respect and thanks to the Maestro.
7
He was my favourite player growing up. I tried to emulate the way he'd almost shephard a defender where he wanted them to go and then go the other way, all in one fluid motion. I'm reading his book at the moment. Interesting to know how quiet he was. As one teammate said, "there's shy, and then there's Christian Cullen shy." He came from an incredibly hard working and humble background and was the less talented, but more dedicated of two brothers. He was always trying to prove himself....which he most certainly did. No other full back that I've ever seen comes close. Nobody was as clinical a runner with the ball. Absolute legend.
What a player!!! A beautifully balanced runner who never appeared to be at full speed. Strength, pace, vision, step and strong as an ox. Uncanny ability to read the play and run the best line whether with ball in hand or as a support runner. Last but not least he is ALWAYS accelerating on to the ball and thus breaking the line and exploiting the gap. I’ve admired many great fullbacks -JPR, J-M Aguirre, Pierre Villepreux, Serge Blanco, Andy Irvine, Gysie Pienaar and Matt Burke - but Christian Cullen is at the top of my list. As an aside, how many times does Zinzan Brooke (a superb footballer in his own right) throw Cullen a great pass in the video.
I used to always dread when he played against us (Boks). His skill and injection of pure pace was electrifying. The God of fullbacks.
Jpr Williams the god of fullbacks
@@kristianhumphreys JPR was good but Cullen had a strike rate like no other the guy practically scored each time he took the ball at pace
@@samwlloyd Jpr was good?? That's a massive understatement , Cullen wouldn't score if Jpr was playing because Jpr would SMASH him, best defensive back of all time
Hands down the greatest fullback ever.
It’s crazy how after almost 30 years of the professional era, he’s still to this day the greatest fullback of all time and number 2 isn’t even close.
To me Cullen was my favourite player to watch. Very elegant player, always seemed to have the right mix of strength, speed, agility and stamina. What a champion.
What I really like is the lack of showboating...... get the ball down safely, get on with the next play. Watching him in full flight just made me weep with joy. Thank you.
Best fullback ever and my favourite All Black! There will never be another Christian Cullen #christiancullenforever15
what about Serge Blanco?I think Serge is the best fullback I have ever seen
Hey sis fancy seeing a comment on here from you lol 2 years later & I'm just watching this now 🙄 can see why he's your all time favourite 👌
Rose Te Amo awww hi my sis 😘 yeah fancy catching up on here 2yrs later. Yup Cully all the way 🙌
@@robosborne7103 He's good but if you've seen Cullen, You'd throw Blanco out of the Window
CC is the most exciting rugby player I have seen in 40 years of watching the sport. Thanks Champ. You are a Genius
Between him and Rupeni Caucau for me.
My dear old Nanna would’ve loved this. She used to scream ‘GO Cullen!’ either at the game or at the tv.
Hahaha ohh bro. Mine did to 🙏🏽. The good old days
God I can still taste mums roast beef n gravy on a Sunday watching these tests on tv, what an absolute privilege
Christian Cullen was a freak. We were blessed to watch those guys -- Cullen, Bunce, Larkham, Wilson, Horan, the Littles etc -- a truly magical era.
Yes - an amazing era. Include the likes of Zinzan Brooke, Merhtens, Michael Jones, Nick Farr Jones, Campese,, Tuigamala, Umaga, Lomu ... sooooo many southern hemisphere greats all playing at the same time. The days when the Bledisloe was a contest ...
tim horan was pretty special as well but cullen was utterly devastating
@@Fuzcapp Don't forget Joost!
That's right
@@Fuzcapp so true..i feel lucky i was able to watch these greats play
What a player! I feel privileged to have lived to watch Christian play. When you can play alongside & against the players he did & still stand head & shoulders above all others you know you have witnessed greatness. Thanks for a great video Real Rugby.
Monty Brewster I'm glad you enjoyed it Monty! As a Saffa he was devastating against us. I loved watching him play, the greatest full back ever
Yeah, as a Welsh man RR I can assure you we were on the wrong end of his brilliance too. But as I'm sure you'll agree, what sets rugby apart from most other sports is we love the game & we love great players whether they are our own or from other countries. I've spent hours marveling over players you had like Joost Van der Westhuizen (RIP), Percy Montgomery, Jean De Villiers etc, etc. A great player is a great player. I love the game & I love a great player where ever they are from. Thanks again fro a great vid.
Great comment 🤛🏽
Found a copy of his book and appalled at the way John Mitchell and Robbie Deanes treated him.
Karma has a way dealing with this as they really didnt make much of an impact with the All Blacks and their stints over seas.
There's only one Christian Cullen!
Yep they shafted him, and don't forget John Harts "lets move the best fullback we have and make him a centre!"
Yes I was furious about that at the time. He was the greatest fullback ever in world rugby. Met him in New Plymouth and he was polite and happy to autograph my copy of his book. Great guy and very humble.
He was the "Dan Carter" of fullbacks! Outstanding!
I'm amazed at how consistently he ran support, even when it looked like there wasn't much on.
every kid in nz at the time wanted to play like cullen, i was one of them. best 15 EVER. legend.
Even when tacklers seemed to be close to him, he still managed to carry on running - for some reason (balance, strenth etc) he was very difficult to tackle. Amazing injection of pace and skill. What a team the Kiwi's had in Cullen's heyday!
Yeah he was crazy strong. Could still keep his legs pumping with big defenders hanging off him
He got robbed by bad timing and bad coaches of RWC chances.
And still the best of all time.. no one like him
In my opinion the greatest player of all time because he made other so called greats look pedestrian and amateurish. He demolished international teams. With the game played the way it is now we may never see anything like this again. A joy to watch.Wished he had been English!!!
Greatest All Black Running fullback, pace & strength and had a great knack for hitting the ball at pace in broken play...one of the basics of rugby ...
No-one has ever hit the ball at that pace with such consistency and impeccable timing and positioning. Absolutely out there on his own.
The Rolls Royce of fullbacks.
I played against him at College. It's a shame that fans didn't get to see the tries he scored in 1994 and 1995 when he played for Horowhenua and Manawatu provinces.
I saw him. I was meant to play against him once but we both had unexpected results in the lead up and we didn't cross paths... I was gutted... And relieved, he would've carved us up.
Mate can you tell us a bit more, what was he like to play against in college.
@@matthewsoftley234 I was playing fullback so I had the best view. He didn't touch the ball that many times in the game because our forward pack was better. But I do remember him running the ball back at us from the back, and that he stepped two of our players in succession. He was very unselfish because he looked to pass. Did I think he was going to become an All Black, let alone become an All Black great? HELL NO. Lol
They had some flair back then, watching this made me remember just how good they were and Cullen exploded on the scene and set the world on fire for years.
That try at 6:49 against the Wallabies is probably my favourite try of all time. The way he turns Gregan inside-out is just mind-blowing.
An Arbitrary Miscellany sorry, 7:04 for me
6:36 for me against the World Champions at the time.
He lost everything that made him great by 27, the knee injuries killed his pace and he was a shadow of himself after that. He was SO good before then that the difference was even more noticeable. Brilliant player, my favourite of all time.
Best fullback ever!!he makes scoring tries look so easy
he made being scored against (by him) pleasurable. Running rugby became a thing of true beauty when he was in full flight.
The best ever. Against Scotland at 2:30 on the video, he steps like Phil Bennett. He shifted to overdrive even when he appeared to be at full stretch. No player has so consistently and so frequently brought me to the front 2cm of my seat as Cully getting the ball in the open. Ridiculously talented fella. Bravo Cully, bravo and THANK YOU!!!!!
As an Australian rugby fan, Cullen was one of only 4 All Blacks I really love to watch ... (The others are Zinzan Brooke, Michael Jones and Syd Going). They made torture pleasurable ...
I get the same buzz from watching Dan Carter and Beauden Barrett doing their thang.
When it comes to fullbacks Matt Burke was a champion, the guy had it all, who could forget that length of the field try he scored against the ABs. And I say that as a kiwi.
not Lomu though....
wtf
@@NZENZN Apologies - Yes, Lomu ... what was i thinking. :-)
Campo with Lomu to join Cully as my back three. Imagine that!
I only started watching rugby because of Cullen, my favourite player of all time followed closely by Jonah 🙏🏽☝🏾
I thought you were Andy Ruiz.
Beauty in motion, is he the most fluid athlete, ever seen on a rugby field? Perfectly summed up as "speed,balance and agility" - Ray aye.
It's him or Caucau
Joost
@@skyelark155 h8
@@epeli8roko323 English please?
Caucau too
Appreciate your work. Thanks for bringing the abilities of past legends to a younger generation.
Cullen was such brilliant attacking fullback, & one of rugby's most elusive players.
Peppermint Patrick the pleasure is all mine! Thanks for the support
He didn’t do a sidestep, he did a feint. He just swayed his body and after that he was gone. What a player.
Cullen for rugby, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, or Messi for Soccer, Brian Lara for Cricket. Some players just have that X-factor that elevates them, So fluid with his movement and that ability to find a gap that most players cannot match. I remember the anger I felt went he was dropped, and it all came flooding back briefly watching this video. I think he is the greatest running back. Lomu also, but he was a mace rather than a surgical scalpel.
The most beautiful running fullback of All time. I'm Fijian and and il be biased that Fijians are great runners with ball in hand with likes of Caucau, Vidiri ,Nadruku , Vunibaka etc but Cullen was a pleasure to watch. Poetry in Motion. Just so sad that he retired early in his career.GodBless The Paekakariki Express.Thanks for the wonderful memories Christian.
Cacau and Cullen were the best runners of all time- just in watchable talents
@@vagalN Joe roko, sivivatu, caucau, vidiri and Vunibaka Cullen My god as an Englishman these are my favourite wings and FBs. These boys could score from anywhere. So much speed.
one of the GREATEST FULL BACKS ever.
Gareth John He was the best in my opinion as well, and that's coming from a South African
who ?????
Jude Graham yeah who??
THE best
My wife always drooled over CC every time she watched him play, she wasn't watching the ABs , she would only watch him, even today ,she always reminds me when watch the ABs , that there will never be another CC, he is the greatest #15 player in world rugby of all time & always will be , I tend to agree with her 100%.
ha ha!! me too, ur wife has great taste ahhahahaha
Even as an Aussie I never get tired of seeing that try at 11:15. The thing often forgotten about Cullen is his defense. As a fullback he made excellent defensive decisions all the time, as well as being probably the best attacking fullback of all time - maybe Serge Blanco comes into the calculation but Cullen is at another level. But Cullen's defensive reads were always spot on, although reels like this one only highlight his attack. Cullen's change of pace is unbelievable. And his balance as a ball runner. Good tacklers get good hits on him and he just keeps going. A bloody freak. I was thinking: can you imagine him when he was playing school boy rugby?! What a freakin' nightmare for the other schools!
Great player to watch. So silky. Loved watching him (a Scotland fan).
Arguably the best fullback ever, with the best outside break
New Zealand has produced so many special players it’s unbelievable.
Greatest ever fullback by a big distance. Absolute class
Love the way this fulla plays. One if not the best we have had.
John Mitchell was the problem. He could never accommodate Cully's instinctive genius. Mitchell set the ABs back majorly
Mitchell was a bloody control freak. Great inspirational Captain for the Mooloos .... but a Coach for the All Blacks? Hmmm
By 2000 Cullen knees were shot. He wasn't the same player and so Mitchell had no choice
@@yehbuddy1005 I agree,i thought Ben Blair was a better fullback by 03. That's taking nothing away from Cullen whom I rate as the best AB fullback ever in his pomp but he was done by the time Mitchell took the reins.
@@yehbuddy1005 He did have a resurgence after his injury and was still over looked.
Mitchell was the worst NZ coach ever
untill to this days cullen still the beast 2019 r.i.p lomu n collins🕊
The most exciting rugby player I have ever seen in 40 years. Wow!!!
Christian Cullen gets my vote as best rugby player that ever played the game ... not only the best fullback. Truly a nightmare as an opponent who made a complete shambles of any defence in the world.
BTW, have you ever seen the ball bounce unkindly to him?
CHRISTIAN CULLEN WAS A GREAT PLAYER HES COOL
Nope. Best individual player of all time is Jonah Lomu. No contest.
@@johnoneill9902. Sorry, Cully was a much better player than Jonah ..... hard thing to say ...... but unfortunately true. MUCH, MUCH love for Jonah and a fantastic player ... but unfortunately, people rated him for the wrong reasons.
Cullen scored more Test tries than Lomu .... in less appearances. Cullen had a much higher chance of scoring per game than Lomu. Lomu either bashed through or ran around defence .... Cullen sliced through defence, could find gaps, create opportunities and provide support play. And finally, Cullen was a MUCH better defensive player .... solid tackler, deceptively strong, could see and shut down an attack, could chase down potential run-away tries, stopped MANY try attempts dead ... like any solid, reliable Fullback. Unfortunately, Jonah had a reputation for inconsistency in his defence .... left too many holes in the line and once you're past him, you were safe.
Christain Cullen was a more solid, all round player.
Sorry Dude. Jonah Lomu R.I.P .... may have been the greatest All Black Rugby superstar the World ever saw (no doubt) ..... but he wasn't the greatest All Black player.
As an Aussie I hated see this guy get the ball. Hands down best player of all time and my fav. Fooking legend
@Real World Warrior lowen Pfft. You obviously haven't watched much of Cully. Cully, AS A FULLBACK, could strike from ANY part of the field ..... from under a high ball, from behind his own line, anywhere ... slicing through opposition lines ... forwards and backs. Scoring tries from his OWN tryline was a regular occurrence. And as an effective FULLBACK, he was the last line of defence ... that's one on one defence. And he was a strong tackler.
Jonah was a WINGER. By default, his position relied on his team to give him the ball .... pretty much on the wing only ... where all he had to do was face a back, who was half his size. And he wasn't an effective defensive player.
Who relied on his team more?
Smooth bladerunner...like Silk. Humble player n the best Fullback n at times playing at Centre of my Generation. LEGEND....
sheesh and this was just the 15s, Cully in the 7's was just as scary. Will never forget the full field try winning score he did against the mighty Flying Fijian's when legendary Serevi was killin it too.
CULLEN WILL ALWAYS BE THE BEST EVER FB & MY FAV AB PLAYER OF ALL DAMN TIME. #15 #POETRYINMOTION #MANAWATU #CANES #ABS
I love how there isn’t one swan dive, no unnecessary elaborate leap for a try. Just a simple dive or places the ball. No theatrics. Made it look so easy.
The greatest full back of all time. Pure pace, pure genius. Thanks CC
Absolutely one of a kind. Great speed and skills but also very humble. Definitely my fave AB of all time 👍🏽
The best fullback that has ever played the game and my favorite player of all time.
One of the greatest and most aesthetically beautiful athletes in history - in any sport. Up there with federer, Ali, zidane, Jordan.
My favorite rugby player of all time
watching Christian Cullen was poetry in motion - and I always caught the Paekakariki Express from Wellington
The sole reason I started following nz rugby. Such a pleasure to watch.
Brilliant!....... The last try was friggin awesome 🤙🏾😎🇳🇿💖
What a ALL BLACK line up,so many great players AWESOME
I love how he makes it look so easy as he cuts up defences! Probably one of the most graceful players of all time :)
Thanks for this... never realised how long his stride was
The vision, pace and the steps puts the Paekakariki express up there with the greatest of rugby greats and the best full back ever. And just Lomu there will never be another Cullen type full back.
From a Bok supporter...One of the best ever...I loved watching him play..respect to you Mr Cullen
The best fullback I've ever seen no doubt
What a pleasure to watch the All Blacks play the Boks - arguably the two best teams in the world doing battle...this era was fantastic!
My childhood hero.. What a legend
Rugby players apart from tens had so much dynamics and dimensions to their game for a 15 he was so dynamic.
My first glimpse of Cullen was in the 1996 Hong Kong's 7's final against Fiji..knew straight away how gifted and raw he was..he was carving up all teams during the tournament.. despite the Fijian boys zeroing in on him at his own ingoal area he still slipped through their clutches broke away and set up masirewa who loomed up in support broke all fijian hearts and to add salt on the wound he stepped Serevi try for all money hadn't serevi used his feet to trip him thus resulting in a penalty try being awarded .. from that final on I became a fan and every fijian knew him , it was how good he was..my favourite fifteen of all time pace power and strength..
Wow....what an unbelievable talented player. Respect!!
Greatest fullback ever, I may be biased though, named my son Cullen after him.
Nice one mate, i bet there's a few Christians and Cullens running round because of this Kiwi legend.
Revisiting here. Great stuff. Best fullback ever.
Wednesday - May 12, 2021.
My god he was good, great to see some of those great old school players, Marshall, zinny, Goldie. Thanks for this great memories
Wonderful balance and timing, coupled with searing pace. Never seen a better finisher.
He seemed to glide when he ran and he made it look so effortless. An absolute travesty when he got dropped, but the greatest all time player ever to adorn an AB's jersey. In a class of his own he was.
The game was so much better then. Some of the skills...wow.
still rate him the best ever fullback and my fav player of all time i mean this guy could turn defense into attack and make the other team look silly the greatest
2:22 Come on bro, that's got to be one of the greatest trys ever!!
Nahh that 105mtr try is
1:35 wtf
Beats 7 players 🙌🏽 damn
What an incredible player, and just look at the calibre of those around him - Umanga, Bunce, Lomu, Marshall, to name but a few. A golden era for both Wellington and the ABs.
when haven't the hurricanes had a star studded team? lol. i still think canterbury is/was and always be better, just because of their coaches and grass roots rugby culture. when was the last north vs south? from what i remember the crusaders will jordan won it for south
@@mentalasylumescapee6389 The cane's had a freakishly insane backline in the late 90's early turn of the 2000's. How they weren't able to turn that to accolades..🤔🤔.
@@locominyana8916 crusaders.
@@mentalasylumescapee6389 was actually the blues
Boy! He was quick on the hoof with a wonderful swerve! Appeared to glide across the park.
Difference between cully and the likes of Doug Howlett is that cully made try's from nowhere
Feel blessed I got to watch him in his prime
What an amazing pair to have in your team, Christian Cullen and Jonah Lomu
Never get tired of watching CC
thanks for the great compilation , been looking for a clip like this for a while now on the great Christian Cullen.a true legend of the game. to you sir i salute you
mike shaw Thanks a lot Mike! I appreciate the support!
He runs like a Gazel and they run beautifully and deceptive, to confuse their attacker and he does every time, he reminds me of me when i was young : )