Graham Croker
Phil Waugh
set a new milestone for NSW Rugby Union when he played his 119th
match for the Waratahs in their record-breaking 73-12 Super 14 win over the
Lions at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night.
The Sydney University flanker passed the previous
record of 118 matches set by his predecessor as captain, Chris Whitaker. He
also passed Whitaker for the most appearances as NSW captain with his tally now
standing at 41.
NSW prop Al Baxter also reached a
milestone with his 107th NSW cap, taking him past Sydney University’s David
Lyons into fourth on the all-time list. Only Waugh, Whitaker and Matt Burke
(115) have more appearances for the state.
Waugh’s climb to the top
began as a four-year-old with the Narrabeen Tigers junior rugby union club and
progressed in normal fashion until he attended Shore in Year 7. An exceptional
all-round athlete, he excelled at athletics, rugby union and cricket. During
his last two years at the school he played for the First XV and the First XI
and helped Shore take out the GPS 4x100m relay in 1997.
He also gained selection
in the GPS First XV in 1997 and went on to be chosen for the Australian
Schoolboys.
A dedicated trainer with a
focused outlook, Waugh went on to represent Australian Under 19s and Australian
Under 21s in 1998 and Australian Under 21s in 1999. He also made his NSW debut
in 1999 and, not surprisingly, was named man of the match in his first tilt in
the senior sky blue jumper.
Waugh made his Wallaby
debut against England in 2000 and has since chalked up 79 Test caps.
Meanwhile, Sydney
University’s Will
Caldwell recently stamped his place in NSW Rugby history when he surpassed Tom
Bowman and John Welborn as the Waratahs most capped second-rower in 127 years.
A quiet achiever of the team, Caldwell
played every Super 14 match in 2009, starting in 11. He is now in his seventh
season with NSW after making his debut in a tour match against Scotland in
2004.
