The original amateurs still playing rugby
Roar Guru By Atawhai Drive, 7 Apr 2010 Atawhai Drive is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- andrew mehrtens, Carlos Spencer, George Gregan, Rugby Union, Top 14, wallabies
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We’re into the fifteenth season of professional rugby, and remarkably, the professional ranks still include players who made their debut at representative and international level when the game was nominally amateur.
George Gregan, 37 on April 19, made his debut for the Wallabies in 1994. In 2010, he’s still going round as a professional player in Japan.
Andrew Mehrtens, 37 on April 28, came into the Canterbury NPC team in 1993 and the All Blacks in 1995. In 2010, he’s turning out for Racing Metro in the French Top 14.
He’s playing pretty well too, although somehow he never quite seems to be around when tackling is required.
Last but not least, Carlos Spencer, still relatively youthful at 34. He was only 16 when he first played NPC rugby for Horowhenua in 1992 and was blooded by the All Blacks in 1995.
In 2010, he is really up against it in the Super 14, trying to breathe some life into the toothless Lions.
Any others?
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The Crowd Says (7) | Page 1 of Comments
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- Explore:
- andrew mehrtens, Carlos Spencer, George Gregan, Rugby Union, Top 14, wallabies
April 7th 2010 @ 2:23am
rugbyfuture said | April 7th 2010 @ 2:23am | Report comment
I think rather than listing the players still around from that era, we should highlight a point made by it. It demonstrates that Rugby as a proffesional code is still relatively young with a lot ahead of it. people keep arguing that rugby has nothing and its destroying itself etc, but they fail to highlight that 15 years in a developmental industry, which relies on growing with history is a relatively small time period. hopefully in the next 5-10 years it will start to grow rapidly as predicted but until then, there are still remainders from the past, which highlight how close we are still to the amateur, non commercial era of rugby.
April 7th 2010 @ 2:59am
Viscount Crouchback said | April 7th 2010 @ 2:59am | Report comment
Simon Shaw. John Hayes? Mike Catt. Mefin Davies. Must be a few others…
April 7th 2010 @ 3:23am
Wavell Wakefield said | April 7th 2010 @ 3:23am | Report comment
Alan Quinlan & Julian White. I can’t think of any more. Simon Easterby, Malcolm O’Kelly, Martyn Williams or Danny Grewcock perhaps?
April 7th 2010 @ 10:00am
terrykidd said | April 7th 2010 @ 10:00am | Report comment
What about Sean Hardman and Justin Harrison …. they must both be close … is Toutai Kefu another?
April 8th 2010 @ 1:58am
chris said | April 8th 2010 @ 1:58am | Report comment
Gregan and Carlos Spencer still at the top for the past 15-17 years thats amazing.
April 8th 2010 @ 12:43pm
mattamkII said | April 8th 2010 @ 12:43pm | Report comment
Tony Brown – still playing in Japan. Saw him in a Tokyo pub a few weeks ago.
April 11th 2010 @ 1:07pm
hughesy said | April 11th 2010 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
The good old days – just thinking of all those great 1st 5s playing overseas no wonder nz has no depth in that position anymore – imagine how good it would be for the current young fellas cutting their teeth against or alongside brown, spencer or mehrtens in the npc.