One half of a legendary half-back partnership, Ken Catchpole is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest scrum-halves to hail from Australia.

Catchpole’s combination with fly-half Phil Hawthorne spearheaded a revival in Australia’s fortunes in the 1960s, with the pair at the heart of some notable performances, including the shared test series in South Africa in 1963 and a win in the third test against New Zealand the following year.

Unusually he was named captain on debut against Fiji in Brisbane in 1961, a role he performed in 13 of his 27 tests. Under his captaincy Australia recorded their first win over Wales in the opening test of the 1966-67 tour of the British Isles. On the same tour, his lightning-quick service helped Australia to a then record 23-11 win over England at Twickenham. 

His standing in Australia is such that the Sydney Shute Shield Player of the Season medal is named after him.