Geoff Chapman (rugby union)

Last updated

Geoff Chapman
Full nameGeoffrey Alexander Chapman
Date of birth (1939-12-02) 2 December 1939 (age 84)
Place of birth Dubbo, NSW, Australia
University University of Sydney
Occupation(s)Doctor
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1962 Australia 3 (14)

Geoffrey Alexander Chapman (born 2 December 1939) is an Australian former rugby union international.

Contents

Born in Dubbo, Chapman attended Tamworth's Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School. While playing as a back-rower for Sydney University, he taught himself the art of goal-kicking, a skill that the team was lacking at the time. [1]

Chapman made the Wallabies squad for the 1962 tour of New Zealand after performing well in the Wallaby trials, without having played representative rugby for New South Wales. He featured in all three Tests on tour. On his debut, a draw in Wellington, Chapman kicked all of Australia's nine points, with a last minute All Blacks penalty costing them the win. [2] He was captain-coach of New South Wales country for the fixture against the 1966 British Lions at Manuka Oval. [3]

A medical practitioner by profession, Chapman used to be a prominent horse trainer. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia national rugby union team</span> Australia national rugby union team

The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyril Towers</span> Rugby player

Cyril Towers was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative centre who made 57 appearances for the Wallabies, played in 19 Test matches and captained the national side on three occasions in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Burke (rugby union, born 1973)</span> Rugby player

Matthew Coleman Burke is an Australian former international rugby union player and sport presenter on Sydney's 10 News First.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Campese</span> Australian rugby union player

David Ian Campese, AM, also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player (1982-1996), who was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and played 85 Tests at wing and 16 at fullback.

Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE DL is a Welsh former rugby union wing who played international rugby for Wales between 1966 and 1978. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams including Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams, Ryan Jones, Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Poidevin</span> Rugby player

Simon Paul Poidevin is a former Australian rugby union player. Poidevin made his Test debut for Australia against Fiji during the 1980 tour of Fiji. He was a member of the Wallabies side that defeated New Zealand 2–1 in the 1980 Bledisloe Cup series. He toured with the Eighth Wallabies for the 1984 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland that won rugby union's "grand slam", the first Australian side to defeat all four home nations, England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland, on a tour. He debuted as captain of the Wallabies in a two-Test series against Argentina in 1986, substituting for the absent Andrew Slack. He was a member of the Wallabies on the 1986 Australia rugby union tour of New Zealand that beat the All Blacks, one of six international teams and second Australian team to win a Test series in New Zealand. During the 1987 Rugby World Cup, he overtook Peter Johnson as Australia's most capped Test player against Japan, captaining the Wallabies for the third time in his 43rd cap. He captained the Wallabies on a fourth and final occasion on the 1987 Australia rugby union tour of Argentina before injury ended his tour prematurely. In 1988, he briefly retired from international rugby, reversing his decision 42 days later ahead of the 1988 Bledisloe Cup series. Following this series, Poidevin returned to the Australian side for the single 1989 Bledisloe Cup Test. He returned full-time to the Australian national squad for the 1991 season. Poidevin was a member of the Wallabies that won the 1991 Rugby World Cup, after which he retired from international rugby union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cleary (rugby)</span> Australian sportsman and politician

Michael Arthur Cleary AO is an Australian former rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and a politician. He represented Australia in both rugby codes as well as in athletics making him one of only four Australians who have represented their country at full international level in three different sports. He represented as a Wallaby in 6 Tests in 1961 and as a Kangaroo in 8 Tests from 1962.

John Edward Thornett, MBE was an Australian rugby union player, who played 37 Tests for Australia between 1955 and 1967 and made an additional 77 representative match appearances. He captained Australia in 16 Test matches and on an additional 47 tour matches on the eight international rugby tours he made with Wallaby squads.

John Brass is an Australian former rugby union and rugby league footballer – a dual-code international. He made twelve international representative rugby union appearances with the Wallabies from 1966 to 1968 and six representative rugby league appearances for the Kangaroos in 1970 and 1975, as national captain on one occasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Lawton Snr</span> Rugby player

Tom Lawton Snr was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative five-eighth who made 44 appearances for the Wallabies, played in 14 Test matches and captained the national side on ten occasions.

Herbert John Solomon was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative versatile back who captained the Wallabies in eight Tests in the 1950s and led the touring squads to New Zealand and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Victoria</span>

Rugby union in Victoria describes the sport of rugby union being played and watched in the state of Victoria in Australia. The code was first introduced some time between the 1850s and 1880s but remained a minor sport played primarily in the private schools and amongst interstate expats. This has changed, particularly since the professionalisation of the game in the mid 1990s.

Between October 1966 and March 1967 the Australia national rugby union team – the Wallabies – conducted a world tour on which they played five Tests and thirty-one minor tour matches. Under the captaincy of John Thornett they toured UK, Ireland, France and Canada winning nineteen matches, losing fourteen and drawing three. At one stage they failed to win in four successive matches although in the Test match against England they gave the home side its heaviest defeat in 16 years. The tour marked the climax of the successful "Thornett Era" of Australian Rugby, buoyed by the leadership skills of skipper John Thornett and the outstanding abilities of greats of the game like Ken Catchpole, Peter Johnson and Rob Heming. Dick Marks and Peter Crittle also toured and would later become among the most influential administrators of Australian rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Row</span> Rugby player

Frank Leonard Row was a pioneer Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative centre who was his country's first Test captain in 1899, leading the national side on three occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Lenehan</span> Australian rugby union player (1938–2022)

James Kenneth Michael Lenehan was an Australian rugby union footballer. A state and national representative versatile back, he played twenty-four Test matches for Australia, once as captain. His national representative career spanned a ten-year period during which time he made two grand Wallaby tours to the northern hemisphere and Home Nations and numerous appearances against New Zealand and South Africa.

Peter Thomas Fenwicke was an Australian national representative rugby union flanker and national captain. He toured with the Wallabies on the 1957–58 Australia rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France.

Gregory Victor Davis was a New Zealand born, national representative rugby union player for Australia. He played at flanker and made seven international tours with Wallaby squads. He was the Australian national captain in 47 matches from 1969 to 1972 and led the Wallaby side on three overseas tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Johnson (rugby union)</span> Rugby player

Peter George Johnson was an Australian international rugby union player. He enjoyed a long state and international career throughout the 1960s and made 92 national appearances for his country. He captained the Australian side in five Test matches.

Geoffrey Arnold Shaw is an Australian former national representative rugby union player who played for and captained the Wallabies. He made state representative appearances for both New South Wales and Queensland over an eleven-year period from 1969.

Robin John Heming was an Australian Lock/ No.8 rugby union player who played 21 tests for Australia between 1961 and 1967. Born in Namatanai in New Ireland off the then Australian Territory of New Guinea. He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School and qualified as an optometrist at what is now The University of New South Wales. He practised for many years on The Corso at Manly.

References

  1. "Geoffrey Alexander Chapman". classicwallabies.com.au.
  2. "Bad luck for Wallabies". The Sydney Morning Herald . 26 August 1962.
  3. "Lions name team to meet Country". The Canberra Times . 16 May 1966. p. 20 via National Library of Australia.
  4. "The bottom line: how much?". The Age . 19 June 2004.