Xavier Joseph Rush was born in Auckland on 13 July 1977 and educated at Sacred Heart College. He captained New Zealand Colts and played at No 8 for the Marist club. At provincial level he led Auckland to the NPC title in 2002 and the Ranfurly Shield the following year. In 2003 he was also captain when Auckland Blues triumphed in the Super 12 tournament. Xavier Rush played in eight tests for New Zealand, the first in 1998 and the remainder after a six-year interval in 2004. In 2005 he moved to Europe and joined Cardiff Blues and was a member of their team that won the European Challenge Cup in 2010. In the same year he captained the Barbarians on their summer tour against England and Ireland.