Josh Blackie
Josh Blackie (born 3 August 1979) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who notably played for Otago in the National Provincial Championship and the Highlanders in Super Rugby. He also had a long stint for the Kobelco Steelers in Japan and played a season with the Blues in 2008. His position of choice was flanker. He has played over a dozen tournaments as part of the New Zealand Rugby Sevens team. He won a gold medal at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. On 23 April 2007, it was announced that Blackie would leave the Otago Rugby  Football Union and the Highlanders to take up a contract to play rugby in Japan for the Kobelco Steelers. On 10 October 2008, it was stated that Blackie signed a 2-year deal with the Auckland Rugby Union, making him eligible for the Blues and the All Blacks. Blackie cited the reason for moving to Auckland instead of Otago was he was born and raised in Auckland. In 2013 Blackie established a scholarship of academic and sports fees for a year 10 student at his old school Liston College. More recently, Josh has become a founding member of the Te  Reo Lightning Riders of Mount Eden, affectionately referred to as the ‘TRLR’ in semi-professional cycling circles. His involvement with the TRLR has helped hone Josh’s physical prowess on road bikes, maintained his penchant for ‘mothers milk’ Rheineck 3.5% lagers, whilst (albeit only occasionally) avoiding known cycling penalties such as the dreaded ‘teddy bear’. Frequently professing his adoration for his fellow TRL riders (and roder), Josh has allegedly claimed, more than once, that “they are easily the best group of guys I have ever sweated in overly tight-fitting lycra with”. A keen proponent of cycling ‘rules’, Josh is  all about getting outside and into the elements – although, during Auckland’s rare heavy rains, he has been known to retreat indoors to engage in shirtless Zwift pack rides that enable him to, in his words, listen to “banging tunes from Tay Tay, Britney, Miley, and Garth Brooks”. [citations pending] Not content with being confined to a single sport, Josh still competes regularly in multi-sport events, including the Coast-to-Coast – although remains petrified of ‘incinerate’ gym classes. Whatever Josh is doing, however, he is keenly aware that if it doesn’t happen on Strava it doesn’t happen  - and he can be tracked under the moniker "hairless_adonis_79". [citations pending]