SAM DARRY

Hailing from the Mainland, Sam Darry enjoyed sporting success in Christchurch for Christ’s College where he captained the 1st XV and was a member of the school rowing eight that won the Maadi Cup. 

He was also selected as the Canterbury Under-19 player of the year and selected for the New Zealand Schools as well as a New Zealand Under-20 trialist with Covid-19 ruling out the 2020 Under-20 Rugby World Cup. 

Boasting a 2.03m frame, Sam progressed to the Canterbury team for the 2020 Mitre-10 Cup campaign, making his debut in the Ranfurly Shield defence against North Otago. He went on to play six times for Canterbury. 

In a desire to develop his game and be more self-sufficient, Sam made the bold move to sign a three-year contract with the Blues from 2021. He made his debut for the Blues in Round Three of Super Rugby Aotearoa in a dominant performance against the Highlanders. 

With Patrick Tuipulotu on sabbatical in 2022, Darry featured more in the Blues pack putting his clear physical attributes to good use. This hard work was rewarded in 2023 with further game time throughout the middle part of the campaign where Darry’s voice and presence on and off the field grew.  However, an ill-fated trip to his hometown to play the Crusaders in the regular season saw him break his arm, effectively ending his season.  

Darry returned to the Blues for 2024 a more experienced and well-rounded lock and started the season in good form for the first two rounds. Another injury setback saw him spend five weeks on the sidelines before he made a return to the park against the Brumbies at Eden Park. From there, Darry never looked back in 2024 and partnered with Tuipulotu as a formidable lock pairing for the majority of the Super season. His clean lineout ability and work-rate around the park was recognised by the national selectors, picked first as injury cover for the England Tests before making his All Blacks debut against Fiji in San Diego.  

Darry returns to the Blues in 2025 as a young leader in the forward pack and someone who proves that hard work and dedication to their craft can pay off. He will no longer be able to fly under the radar of opposition teams and fans can look forward to another stellar year from the hulking lock.  

Sam is contracted with the Blues through until the end of the 2025 season.