George Gregan

George Gregan.

Date of Birth: 19th April 1973.
Height: 5′ 8.
Weight: 12st 7lbs.
Club: Randwick.
State: ACT.

George Gregan was born in Lusaka, Namibia, of an Australian father and a Zimbabwean mother, the family returned to Canberra when George was just one year old. He began his rugby playing career at St Edmund’s College, quickly rising through the ranks and he represented Australia at U19 and U21 level.
The first of his 92 caps for ACT came in 1993 against Northern Transvaal and he made his debut for Australia against Italy in 1994.

It was his performance later that year in the Bledisloe Cup that really caught the public attention. In that game, played in Sydney under lights, Gregan made a superb try-saving tackle on Kiwi flyer, Jeff Wilson to deny the All Blacks victory.
He represented Australia at the Hong Kong Sevens that year and the following year (1995), he captained the side in Hong Kong.

He played for the ACT Brumbies in all their Super 12 games in 1996 and again in 1997 when he was voted Player of the Tournament. In all, Gregan has played 75 Super 12 games for the Brumbies. This year he led the side in the defence of their Super 12 title.

On the international front he played in all of Australia’s tests in ’97 ending up with the Player’s Player of the Year award. Injury disrupted his 1998 Super 12 involvement but he recovered to play a key role in the Wallabies successes later that year and he was a central figure in their ’99World Cup winning side.

Professionalism, work rate, vision, skill and courage form the basis of his consistently high standards of performance. When Gregan runs out with his team-mates against Ireland in Lansdowne Road he will be winning his 80th international cap. An international career that has brought him 61 points including 11 tries and 2 drop-goals, leaves him Australia’s third most capped player behind John Eales and David Campese.