Reuben O'Neill
Reuben Graeme O'Neill (born 17 February 1995) is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a tighthead prop for the Chiefs in Super Rugby Pacific and for Taranaki in the NPC. He is 183 cm tall and weighs 115 kg. He went to New Plymouth Boys' High School.
Born in New Plymouth, he is the son of Jarrod O'Neill and Delwyn McCurdy. O'Neill faced long-term injuries early in his career. In 2011 he had surgery to remove a bone cyst from his left foot and was diagnosed with diabetes, which he manages daily with insulin. He recovered and performed well for his school team and for the Taranaki under-18 side.
He earned a place in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team after school, along with Lachlan Boshier, becoming one of the few players from New Plymouth to reach national level rugby.
O'Neill joined Taranaki in 2015 and made his debut as a reserve against Auckland. In 2016 he scored his first senior try for Taranaki in the Mitre 10 Cup and helped the team reach the semi-finals. He also dealt with injuries, including an Achilles issue in a 2016 qualifier against Waikato.
In 2017 he was named in the Chiefs 41-man development squad. He spent time with the Crusaders as short-term injury cover ahead of the 2018 season and became a regular in Taranaki’s Mitre 10 Cup campaign, earning the union’s forward of the year award. He was invited to join the wider All Blacks squad for the 2018 end-of-year tour preparation, though he did not make a Super Rugby debut then.
O'Neill’s versatility to play on both sides of the scrum attracted the attention of the Chiefs, who named him in their 2019 squad and then, from 2020 onward, he has been a regular with the Chiefs. By 2022 he had made 44 Super Rugby appearances for the Chiefs and played 51 times for Taranaki, scoring a total of 15 points between the two teams.
As of 12 June 2022, Reuben O’Neill continues to play at the professional level for the Chiefs and Taranaki.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:06 (CET).