It’s 20 years since Stirling Mortlock’s treasured World Cup moment yet it still hits the senses like fresh-cut grass to many of us.
For The Roar followers of a certain age, it was the gold pass to party time with the euphoric semi-final upset for the ages over the All Blacks in 2003.
The Roar is counting down the Wallabies’ Greatest World Cup XV of all time from No. 15-1 with thanks to thousands of votes from our readers
For younger fans who weren’t even born on November 15, 2003, it’s that oft-replayed vision of a Wallaby dude in curious black gloves haring away to score an intercept try.
He is still known as the “Interceptor” when random types want to shake his hand in rugby settings.
Whichever way you remember it, it was the clutch event in an almost perfect 22-10 victory over the Kiwis at Stadium Australia in front of more than 82,000 screaming fans.
Mortlock’s moment is what his selection in The Roar’s Greatest Wallabies RWC XV has been all about.
Selections and votes have been made specific to “World Cup impact”. There have been few greater single moments in the Wallabies’ history at the tournament.
Flip it the other way. Would Mortlock have won this No.13 spot over World Cup-winners Jason Little (1991) and Daniel Herbert (1999) without it?
It is an interesting question because Herbert played like the best outside centre in the world in 1999 and the youthful Tim Horan-Little centre pairing was a trump for the 1991 Wallabies.
The Mortlock try inside the opening 10 minutes was the only try scored by the Wallabies that night in 2003 to go with Elton Flatley’s superb goalkicking.
Stirling Mortlock runs to score Australia’s first try in the 2003 semi (Photo by Manuel Blondeau/Photo & Co./Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
The try was the emblem of a smart, perfectly executed game plan by the players and one of the coaching peaks for Eddie Jones.
Anyone in the stands sensed something big in the opening minutes. The Wallabies’ defence was fierce and suffocating.
The Wallabies actually won the toss and elected to receive the kick-off. There was no lame kick to touch as a settler. The Wallabies held the ball, ran and recycled it with composure from their own 22 to ultimately earn a penalty.
The Wallabies targeted key All Blacks which meant pressuring the lineout throws of hooker Keven Mealamu, going hard at halfback Justin Marshall (who exited early with a rib knock from a George Smith tackle) and putting into action what they had learnt about flyhalf Carlos Spencer.
Under Eddie Jones, the Wallabies had studied Spencer’s pet plays. They knew he liked a cutout pass.
He didn’t adapt to the heat being applied by the Wallabies defence and Mortlock seized on a floating, spiraling double-cut out pass with the All Blacks trying to go on attack 20m out.
It was a 14-point moment. Mortlock swooped on the pass perfectly and dashed 80m to score to set up a 13-0 lead.
Mortlock’s own memories of the moment are still vivid. “It was so noisy inside the stadium. For the only time in my whole career, I just screamed before I got to the tryline. I looked around on about the 22 as I was running and there was no Doug Howlett or Joe Rokocoko close behind,” Mortlock recalled.
“I just screamed this ‘woo-hah’ but the place was so loud no one would have been the wiser.”
Mortlock gave rich credit to Jones because the coach and players had bounced back from a disastrous 50-21 crash to the same All Blacks outfit just months before.
“We worked really hard on a game plan for months and implemented it almost perfectly. We felt in control pretty much the entire time in that semi-final,” Mortlock said.
It was a credit to Mortlock’s own powers of recovery that he was there at all after being forced into a shoulder reconstruction during the Super Rugby season just months earlier.
Fewer people remember that Mortlock also scored the game-turning try in the 33-16 quarter-final win over Scotland in Brisbane in 2003.
The scores were locked 9-all just after half-time when Mortlock scooted clear from halfway after flanker Phil Waugh had thieved a turnover standing in the middle of a ruck. Mortlock played at a second World Cup in France in 2007 when he led the squad as captain.
Stirling Mortlock is your choice of No.13 for The Roar’s Greatest Wallabies Rugby World Cup XV, powered by ASICS, the Official Performance Apparel and Footwear supplier for the Wallabies. Mortlock won with 54.1% of the vote, followed by Jason Little and Daniel Herbert. Check back tomorrow to find out who was selected at No.12.
The Roar’s Greatest Wallabies Rugby World Cup XV
- Fullback: Matthew Burke
- Right Winger: Ben Tune
- Outside Centre: Stirling Mortlock
Brett305
Roar Rookie
Little for me, followed by slack.
Phil
Roar Rookie
Think voters got this one wrong. Mostly because World Cup winners Little and Herbert deserve it more than him. Should be Jason Little for me. Outstanding and more skilful.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Herbie was huge in the Lions series of 2001. Mortlock’s big WC moment gets the vote
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
I took my schoolboy rugby class to watch the Wallabies train. At one stage, Little took his shirt off and all the boys drew a deep breath. There was nothing little about him. Perhaps some people have simply thought that what Little was able to do was down to the way Horan set everything up. Daniel Herbert I watched from schoolboy, through Colts and Grade in Brisbane. Was always going to be something special. Don’t forget, he was guided to some extent by older brother Anthony, himself a 13, Wallaby reserve and Q’ld reserve and World Cup winner who was kept out of both starting line-ups by, you guessed it, Jason Little.
sheek
Roar Guru
Often the skills of the cleverest players are ignored because they did everything so, so, so, so well that it was often missed by the regular fan. Stirling Motlock & Dan Herbert were both power centres & truly outstanding. But the very best IMHO was Jason Little, whose ability to set-up his wingers with a perfectly timed pass was second to none. The outside centre is probably the most difficult position to play technically, in both attack & defence, because it requires precision skills, which Little possessed in abundance. So supreme were Little's precision skills that the guy who was manager of the Wallabies 1996-2002, an old school buddy, thought that possibly Little should have been at #12 & ran at #13. Little misses out because most folk missed the subtle little (no pun intended) things that he did so well.
Good Game
Roar Rookie
Would have thought Little or Herbert - both won WRs. I think Mortlock would be the right choice had the final gone the Wallabies way in 03 or landed the potentially match winning penalty in the 07 QF. All three are worthy candidates but my favourite was Herbert due to the way he broke the ABs line seemingly at will (actually, Mortlock did that too)... Ok, now that I've typed this out, Mortlock was the right choice. The guys defence had better impact and there aren't many that put Nonu on his backside (08 - Brisbane).
Rugbynutter
Roar Rookie
Ok Horan 12 Mortlock 13 maybe but gees best past wallabies centre pairing without a doubt was Horan and Little…oh the memories…
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Morty! You bloody legend!
Passit2me
Roar Rookie
Besides that intercept try, I remember Mortlock’s leg drive through tackles was incredible. At least twice, he just kept pumping his legs through tackles until he made the break, as if King King wasn’t going to stop him.
Rugbynutter
Roar Rookie
Yeh little would be mine but always harder to compare as when Mortlock played bigger bodied 13s the thing so from a modern game perspective is Mortlock
Leroy14
Roar Rookie
Mortlock sure knew how to fold guys like origami too.
Mike88
Roar Rookie
What a job trying to pick between Little, Herbert and Mortlock! I think Herbert was part of the greatest ever wallaby side. Little was just incredible pre injury. Mortlock, yes, that try but also his absolute physicality. I think Mike Tindall talked about how intimidating Mortlock was going into the final in 03. Would love another of their ilk to show up.
Mike88
Roar Rookie
That's incredible! The king did really march to the beat of his own drum. Brilliant.
Olly
Roar Rookie
Jason Little would be my go to but still happy with Mortlock. Little combo with the one and only 12 Horan was incredible but again, more then happy with Mortlock. He is also a good backup kicker option as well.
The Crow Flies Backwards
Roar Rookie
Had a conversation a few years back with Daryl Halligan who was the ABs kicking coach at the time. John Mitchell was sending messages down to tell Carlos Spencer that Mortlock was rushing up in defence and to put the ball behind him. Carlos throws the cut out pass and Mortlock swoops. Daryl said that the support staff had to remove their head phones so blue was the language coming over the airwaves from Mitchell.
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
That one would have had quite a few fingers hovering over Little and Herbert. All three great picks. But Mortlock’s intercept is a world cup defining moment and that’s what we’re here for. Tim Horan obvious choice for 12.
Martin
Roar Rookie
And that game also had the greatest on-field sledge of all time from Gregan towards the end; “Four more years boys, four more years”.
jeznez
Roar Guru
100% Jim, the call was World Cup impact and Mortlock had the biggest moment among some superb outside centres.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
Mortlock will do me . Herbert and Slack were not in his class . John Brass and Phil Smith were as good as any we had in the centres .