WORLD RUGBY HALL OF FAME – INDUCTEE NO.138 – STEPHEN LARKHAM

Born: 29 May, 1974 in Canberra, Australia

Stephen Larkham started his international career at full-back but soon developed into one of the most creative fly-halves in world rugby.

Seventy-three of his 102 tests saw him playing alongside George Gregan, a half-back partnership that came to embody the success of Australia and the Brumbies during their hey-day. Such is their legacy, the east stand at the Canberra Stadium is named after them.

Possessing a ghosting break and superb distribution skills, Larkham was the conduit that made the Wallabies’ backline so effective, creating time and space for those around him to exploit. That said, he was still a threat in his own right, scoring 25 tries in a tally of 135 test points.

Larkham appeared at three Rugby World Cups and was an integral part of the champion team of 1999. His monster, 48-metre drop goal to defeat defending champions South Africa in the semi-final was one of the defining moments of the tournament. Larkham also helped Australia into the 2003 final before retiring from international rugby after RWC 2007 in France.

He went on to coach the Brumbies for three years, with whom he’d won two Super Rugby titles as a player in 2001 and 2004, before taking on the attack and backs coach role with the Wallabies under Michael Cheika.