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As I am not a world authority on the intricate arts of being a great hooker, I will need your help in deciding who was the best Wallaby hooker between Phil “opinionated” Kearns and Tom “I couldn’t find anything controversial” Lawton.
These are the two hookers who stand out for me from my distant memories of All Black and Wallaby clashes from the ’80s and ’90s.
Phil Kearns
My most distinct memory of Phil Kearns was when he clashed with his great rival Sean Fitzpatrick after scoring a try in a Bledisloe Cup match and giving Fitzy the two-fingered salute!
Kearns downplayed the incident by saying he was ordering “two sausages at tonight’s barbecue, please!” For a player to treat Fitzy like that was a prescription to become a hated Wallaby and over the years he has kept that kettle boiling. To view the try and some of Phil Kearns’ controversial moments watch this video.
He established a reputation as a one-eyed commentator and triggered New Zealanders with his barbed comments.
In 2016 he labelled New Zealanders as “poor winners”, after the Hurricanes’ Super Rugby Final win over the Lions. “Talk about gracious speeches – I’d love New Zealanders when they win something just to acknowledge the opposition,” he retorted.
In 2018 he also claimed the All Blacks get a free ride from refs. Following the Wallabies loss to Wales in 2019 Kearns placed the blame on the match officials, including referee Romain Poite. In the same year he called for the Jaguares to be dumped from Super Rugby as they were too similar to the Argentina team.
Anyway, you get the picture – Phil was never slow in voicing his opinion. But what about Phil Kearns the rugby player, you might ask?
Phil Nicholas Kearns was born 1967 in Sydney and attended Newington College and the University of New South Wales. As with many sportspeople, location plays a part in future careers and Phil was no exception. He was brought up neighbouring a park where rugby was played and his future was sealed. A place in the school First XV was not guaranteed as Phil found out, as did Nick Farr-Jones five years earlier when nether ever made the elite team.
His confidence was boosted, however, when he was selected for the Randwick First Grade Colts team. Kearns played for the Australian under 21s and then was surprisingly selected for the Wallabies straight from the Randwick second grade where he was blocked by future coach, Eddie Jones.
After the Wallabies were beaten by the British and Irish Lions in 1989 changes were made to the team with Tom Lawton dropped to make way for the 22-year-old Kearns.
Australia’s players celebrate their victory. (Photo by Barry Batchelor – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
Phil Kearns went on to make 67 appearances for the Wallabies and captained the team on 10 occasions. He played in three Rugby World Cups, winning in 1991 and 1999. Won the Bledisloe Cup in 1992, retained it in 1999 and captained the Wallabies to a series victory over South Africa in 1993.
Kearns was forced by injury to retire at the age of 32 following the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
“While Tom Lawton had transformed the role of hooker to a virtual third, more mobile prop with speed, Kearns took it to another level as he incorporated size and mobility with the skills of a backrower, particularly in the loose. He was the complete package,” a summary by Classic Wallabies.
Kearns also launched a driveway safety campaign, after he accidentally ran over his 19-month-old daughter Andie in 2005. She thankfully made a full recovery after a long hospital stay.
What made him a forthright commentator is possibly what drove him to also be a good community member through raising funds for charities.
He created the Balmoral Burn in Sydney which had raised $8 million for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and served on the board of the Children’s Cancer Institute. Kearns received the Order of Australia in 2017 for services to the community, charitable organisations, business and rugby. He was inducted into the Australian Rugby Hall of Fame in 2018.
When Wallaby Bob Dwyer made Kearns captain in 1992, the coach said, “I’ve picked you for how you are on and off the field — so keep doing that”.
Tom Lawton
Thomas Anthony Lawton was born in Darwin 1962 and his grandfather; Tom Lawton Senior was captain of the Wallabies in the 1920s. He played for the Southport School First XV and represented Australia at both school and age group levels. His route to state representation was hindered by the presence of Mark McBain.
Remarkably he had played three Test matches before his Queensland Reds debut. He was the prototype of the big mobile hooker, combining aspects of a prop and a loose forward. Lawton played for his club Souths for his entire career and represented Queensland from 1984 to 1992. An influence on his career was Souths coach, Roy Elmer who taught him the basics of the game, including an accurate lineout throw.
Lawton was selected for the Wallaby tour of France and Italy in 1983 and made his Test debut versus France when McBain was injured. He established a formidable front row with Topo Rodriguez and Andy McIntyre from 1984 for the next three years. Lawton also represented Australia on the Grand Slam tour of 1984 and played in the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
A memorable moment in his career came when the Australian forward pack shoved the Welsh over their try line for Steve Tuynman to score an unforgettable pushover try in ‘84.
He represented the Wallabies on the tour to South Africa in 1992. In 1990 he moved to South Africa to play for Natal who won the Currie Cup. It gave Lawton a chance to view Apartheid up close and form his own opinions.
“The people I became mates with were extremely solid and caring people who cared about the relationships between black and white,” he told insidesport.com.au.
Lawton added, “I just found it a little hypocritical that governments had so much to do with sport. I am not saying I agreed with Apartheid by any stretch of the imagination. I think non-political association through sport is something that can be a help rather than hindrance.”
I too visited South Africa in 1994 and it was interesting to see firsthand what is portrayed in the media. I only have good memories of South Africa, had good relationships with both blacks and whites and never felt threatened in any way.
After playing 41 Tests for Australia Tom Lawton was dropped for Phil Kearns, which must have felt devastating at the time.
“Even though it was tough at the time, you tend to rationalise that time marches on and careers finish and start. The way it was done might’ve been conducted better … Bob Dwyer was a good coach, but he wasn’t a flash communicator,” Lawton told insidesport.
So, there you have it, a brief summary of both players, with your chance to choose who was the better hooker and was he the best hooker to play for the Wallabies? I will leave it in your hands.
Tom Lawton or Phil Kearns?
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.