Final Curtain: David Campese's last international: Barbarians v Australia, December 1996

Published on Friday 20 November 2009 22:53

WHEN rugby union was still strictly an amateur sport, at least in the northern hemisphere, the sublimely gifted Australian wing three quarter David Campese was bound to cause a stir when he declared himself the game's first millionaire.

But, if ever a rugby player deserved to be paid for what he could do on the field, never mind his ability to draw attention to his sport with a provocative wit off it (oh how he loved to bash the Poms!), that player was surely the archetypal Aussie larrikin known as Campo. You can be quite sure that thrilled rugby enthusiasts around the world were happier to pay their money to see this player than any other of his generation.

Could a Campese emerge in the professional era? Playing at the crossroads as he did allowed him to give full expression to his exceptional skills, to use his speed, inventiveness and audacity to experiment and take risks that would be seen, in this day of tight game plans laid down by coaching teams constrained to value winning above the game itself, as frankly amateurish. Of course Campese's risks did occasionally fail spectacularly, and if, over 101 Tests in which he scored 64 tries, he mostly looked like a genius, he could certainly also sometimes appear the fool. But nobody, least of all his team-mates, ever truly begrudged him his insistence on being himself, for the spectacle was sporting excitement of a rare order.

Campese began his international career at 19, against the All Blacks in 1981. In the 1984 autumn tour of the UK, Australia completed their Grand Slam of the home nations at Murrayfield, where Campese touched down twice.

In his final tour with Australia, in 1996, Campese was left on the bench for Australia's 29-19 win at Murrayfield. So his final minutes in the green and gold were played out in the festival atmosphere of a match with the Barbarians at Twickenham. Campese rewarded his adoring British fans with a sharply taken try in the 49th minute, as Australia ran out 39-12 winners.

Still acting as a rugby consultant, Campo can also be found behind the counter at his two Sydney shops.