Portrait of Sam Whitelock

Birthday profile

Sam Whitelock

Sam Whitelock, New Zealand rugby player

Born
October 12, 1988
Age in 2026
38
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1988

About Sam Whitelock

Samuel Lawrence Whitelock (born 12 October 1988) is a New Zealand former rugby union player. Whitelock played 153 tests for New Zealand between 2010 and 2023, and is the youngest New Zealander to reach 100 tests. He is the fastest player ever to reach 100 international appearances, achieving the feat eight years and two months after his test debut. Whitelock was the winner of New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year in 2017. He formed a renowned locking combination with Brodie Retallick; Whitelock and Retallick played 50 tests together. He was a key member of the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning teams, becoming one of only 43 players who have won the men's Rugby World Cup more than once. Whitelock played for Canterbury, the Crusaders, Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights, and retired from rugby after playing for French club Pau in 2024. After missing the first test against Wales due to injury in 2016, Whitelock returned to action in the second test of the Wales series, putting in another 80-minute performance.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Sam Whitelock timeline

  1. Whitelock played 153 tests for New Zealand between 2010 and 2023, and is the youngest New Zealander to reach 100 tests.
  2. He was a key member of the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning teams, becoming one of only 43 players who have won the men's Rugby World Cup more than once.
  3. After missing the first test against Wales due to injury in 2016, Whitelock returned to action in the second test of the Wales series, putting in another 80-minute performance.

The world when Sam Whitelock was born

Sam Whitelock was born in 1988. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1988

  • #1 song"Faith" – George Michael
  • Top movieRain Man
  • Top TV showThe Cosby Show
  • Best-selling bookA Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBen Johnson stripped of Olympic 100m gold for doping
  • Top headlineGeorge H.W. Bush elected president
  • Technology milestoneFirst transatlantic fiber optic cable
  • Defining fadKoosh balls
  • Notable inventionFirst disposable contact lenses
  • World population5.11 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population244.5M

1988 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Sam Whitelock's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19882026
Gas$0.95$3.45/gal
Average home$89,300$435,000
Average income$32,191$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$4.11$11.95
Postage stamp$0.25$0.73
Population244.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, It's Rugby, Rugby Database. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.