George Gregan
As of January 30, 2011 National October 6, 2007
George Gregan Musarurwa (born 19 April 1973 in Ndola, Zambia ) is an Australian rugby union player who has played the most matches of all players in the history of the sport. He plays the position of scrum half-sentence and was part of the Australian national team, which won the title at the 1999 World Cup. For more than ten years he played for the Brumbies, before moving to France to second division side RC Toulon joined us in 2007, who had previously committed, among others, Tana Umaga. After a season at Toulon he joined the Suntory Sungoliath to Japan, where he will play another two years.
Career
Gregan belongs to the generation of players that were active in both the amateur and in the Profiära of rugby. He was born in Zambia, the son of a Zimbabwean mother and an Australian father. His second name Musarurwa means as much as " who selected ". When he was one year old, his family moved to Canberra, where he first went to a Catholic school and later graduated in sports studies with a Bachelor of Education at the University.
1994-1999
1994 Gregan ran for the first time for the Wallabies to when they met in Brisbane to Italy. In the same year he was part of a historic moment in Australian rugby. In the match for the Bledisloe Cup to the played since 1931 every year against New Zealand, he managed the All Black Jeff Wilson just before the goal line by a tackle ( "that tackle " ) to stop and thus for winning the Cup to provide. After two more games against Argentina Australia went to defend his title in the World Cup 1995. Pending the quarter-final defeat against England at Newlands Stadium Gregan had lost a match as a national player.
After the World Cup in South Africa rugby union became a professional sport. This was accompanied by the creation of the Super 12, a league with Australian, New Zealand and South African teams. Gregan was one of the key players in the Brumbies from Canberra. Another consequence of the professionalization was the emergence of the Tri-Nations tournament, which is played between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In the first edition of the Tri Nations Gregan played in three of four games and scoring a try.
In 1997 he was appointed vice- captain of the national team and was again part of the squad for Tri Nations, in which the Wallabies won only one game, however, and last were. Despite mediocre performance in the coming months but Australia was one of the contenders for the title at the World Championships in 1999. During the preliminary round all three games against Romania, Ireland and the United States were obtained. In the quarterfinals, they defeated host Wales at the Millennium Stadium. In this game Gregan scoring a try. Due to the success against the Welsh, the Wallabies met in the semifinals to defending champion South Africa, she could strike with 27:21. In the final, we won confidently with 35:12 against France and was thus able to post the second world title for himself.
2001-2006
Following the resignation of John Eales 2001 Gregan was appointed captain of the Wallabies. Due to its ability to lead a team, he turned out to be an ideal choice. At the 2003 World Championships in Australia, he played in all six games of the national team. In the preliminary round, he succeeded in the narrow victory against Ireland a drop goal in the quarter-final against Scotland he scored a try. In the semifinals, the Australians defeated their arch-rivals New Zealand, failed in the final but in the last minute of extra time to England. Following this defeat, the Wallabies started a victory Esse anti-cross and were able to return the favor, among others, for their final defeat when they beat the English in Brisbane with 51:15. By the end of 2004 under the leadership of Gregan went just three games lost. In June of that year he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for its activities for the rugby.
On July 31, 2005 Gregan played in the Tri-Nations game in Australia Subiaco Oval against South Africa his 100th game. In October 2004, he announced that his four year old son has been diagnosed with epilepsy. He then launched a campaign called " Get on the team," which deals among other things with first-aid measures in epilepsy seizures.
Gregan missed a large part of the Super 12 season in 2005, as he had broken his leg in a game against the Waratahs. He returned to the international match against Italy, which Australia won with 61:29. The Tri Nations 2005, but at a low point in his career, as the Wallabies lost all games. With its use in the last match against the All Blacks at Eden Park Gregan came to 114 international matches and drew with it the same with record holder Jason Leonard. Before the two teams aufliefen, he could only enter the field and was duly received. On 5 November 2005 the defeat of Australia against France in Marseille, he overtook Leonard.
In the match for the Bledisloe Cup in 2006 Gregan ran for the 55th time in as captain of the Australian national team and reached the record of John Eales. In the following game against South Africa, he also took on this record and has since become the player of Australia, who played most games as captain. For the rest of the season he was given a rest period, Matt Giteau replaced him.
Since 2007
In March 2007, the French second division side RC Toulon announced the commitment Gregans for the 2007 /08 season. Following the 2007 World Cup he should take up his 400,000 € doped contract. On 28 April 2007 he played his last home game for the Brumbies. Next to him also Stephen Larkham left the Super -14 team. Both players were honored and approved with the promise that a grandstand is named after them. At the World Cup in France Gregan was not appointed captain after six years, but remained vice-captain. The role of the team captain Stirling Mortlock took over, who led the team to the quarter-finals, where they failed again to England.
In Toulon Gregan played alongside other high-profile players like Anton Oliver, Victor Matfield or Andrew Mehrtens. Coach of the team is Tana Umaga. Following the successful ascent with Toulon Gregan joined the Japanese JLeague to the Suntory Sungoliath. He succeeded his former teammates Larkham, who now also plays in Japan, but at the Ricoh Black Rams, a team from the second division.