Liam Squire

Early career

Squire started his career with Tasman ahead of 2011 season's ITM Cup. After becoming a regular starter for Tasman, Squire was signed to the Chiefs for the 2014 Super Rugby season. Squire also played for the Chiefs in 2015.

After switching Super Rugby teams in 2016, heading south to the Highlanders and becoming a regular replacement for Elliot Dixon and Luke Whitelock off the bench, he was selected on 29 May 2016 for the All Blacks' 32-man squad for the Steinlager series against Wales.^[1] He made his All Blacks debut from the bench in last test of the series, a 46-6 win against Wales on 25 June 2016, replacing Dixon in the 55th minute. Squire was retained in the 33-man squad for the 2016 Rugby Championship and became a regular back-row and locking cover off the bench for the All Blacks during the competition in tandem with fellow newcomer Ardie Savea. Squire also made his first start for New Zealand in round 4 of the competition, starting against Argentina in a 36-17 win in Buenos Aires on 1 October. Squire received a yellow card in the 65th minute, being the second All Black carded that match after prop Joe Moody. Squire also scored his first international try for New Zealand the following week, in the final minute of the 57-18 win over South Africa.

Squire made two appearances for the All Blacks on the 2016 end-of-year tests, both of which were starts against Ireland. The first of those tests was a historic first-time loss to Ireland with a final score of 29-40.

2017-present

Squire became a regular starter for the Highlanders in the 2017 Super Rugby season, but missed the out on playing against the touring British and Irish Lions side and against Samoa due to a broken thumb sustained against the Cheetahs in a 45-41 win in Round 11 of Super Rugby. Vaea Fifita earned his first cap for the All Blacks in the test against Samoa due to Squire's absence. Squire made a recovery from injury to start for the Highlanders in Round 17 of Super Rugby, taking part in the 40-17 win over the Reds on 14 July. Squire started in the quarter-final against the Crusaders, but was yellow-carded for a late hit on Crusaders first-five and his future All Blacks teammate Richie Mo'unga, also costing his team three points for his late hit. The Highlanders lost the match 17-0 with the Crusaders going on to win the competition.

Squire was selected to start against Australia in the first Bledisloe Cup test of 2017, a 54-34 win. Squire scored the opening try of the match, off a pass from winger Rieko Ioane, being replaced by Ardie Savea following the performance. Squire made three more starts in the 2017 Rugby Championship, supplanting 81-test veteran Jerome as New Zealand's clear first-choice blindside flanker during the series. After recovering from an illness, Squire started in a non-capped test against a French XV on 14 November, scoring his third try for the All Blacks in the 28-23 win before making his way for All Blacks debutant Akira Ioane in the 53rd minute. Only four days later, Squire replaced Vaea Fifita off the bench against Scotland in a 22-17 win, before starting in the final test of the year against Wales which was won 33-18, ending his year with a dominant defensive performance against an inexperienced Welsh back-row.