John Eales
Encyclopedia
John Eales AM
(born 27 June 1970) is an Australia
n former rugby union
player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.
all-rounder, and played first grade cricket for Queensland University in the Brisbane QCA cricket competition. Eales completed a Bachelor of Arts
degree with a double major in psychology
from the University of Queensland
in 1991 prior to taking to the international rugby stage.
and Australia
. He was given the nickname "Nobody" because "nobody's perfect".
Eales' 55-cap reign as captain marked an era of Australian success in world rugby. Eales played a major part in Australia’s victories at the Rugby World Cup twice in his illustrious career, first in 1991, and later skippering his country to victory in 1999.
- 2 tries (one valued at 4, one at 5), 34 penalties & 31 conversions - a total which places him 8th on the all-time scoring list for Australia
. He is the highest scoring forward in test rugby history and only one of four forwards to have surpassed 100 points in test rugby (the others being Carlo Checchinato
, Colin Charvis
and Richie McCaw). This is largely because of his goal kicking, which is unusual for a forward; his two tries are unremarkable (in comparison, all of Checcinato's, Charvis's and McCaw's points have come from tries). His memorable kicks include a sideline penalty goal in the final minutes of a 2000 test to win the Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand.
Eales captained Australia
a record 55 times. Only John Smit
, Will Carling
and George Gregan have been an international captain in more games than Eales. Eales' 86 caps make him the third most capped forward in Australia’s
test rugby history, being recently surpassed by George Smith
and Nathan Sharpe, and joint 7th on the overall list (level with Joe Roff
, with George Smith, David Campese
, Stephen Larkham
, Nathan Sharpe, Matt Giteau and George Gregan
ahead of him).
Eales is one of only 21 players to have represented the Queensland Reds
in 100 or more state games. He represented his state in 112 games.
Eales scored a total of 402 points in the Super 12 competition with 6 tries, 66 conversions and 80 penalties for the Queensland Reds
. No forward has scored more points than him in the competition's history.
He is one of a select group to have won the Rugby World Cup
twice. The others are fellow Wallabies Dan Crowley
, Jason Little
, Phil Kearns
and Tim Horan
, plus South Africa
's Os du Randt
.
He retired as the most-capped lock of all time, with 84 test appearances in that position (his other two tests were as a number eight). Eales has since been surpassed in caps as a lock by several players.
and Qantas
.
John is also an Ambassador of Bonville Golf Resort and a guest lecturer at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a director on the board of the Australian Rugby Union.
John has fulfilled the role as an a Athlete Liaison Office for the Australian Olympic Committee in the Athens and Beijing Olympics, and will also be involved in the upcoming London Olympics.
John Eales is also an Ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.
in France, which involved a number of media duties.
and talks about different legends of Australian Sport including Peter Brock
and Grant Hackett
. LFL Business talks about different legends within the business world and the lessons that can be learned from them.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 27 June 1970) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n former rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby.
Early life
He attended Marist College, Ashgrove. In his youth, Eales was also a very talented cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
all-rounder, and played first grade cricket for Queensland University in the Brisbane QCA cricket competition. Eales completed a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree with a double major in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
in 1991 prior to taking to the international rugby stage.
Rugby career
Eales played lock for Queensland RedsQueensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. He was given the nickname "Nobody" because "nobody's perfect".
Eales' 55-cap reign as captain marked an era of Australian success in world rugby. Eales played a major part in Australia’s victories at the Rugby World Cup twice in his illustrious career, first in 1991, and later skippering his country to victory in 1999.
Statistics
John Eales scored 173 points for AustraliaAustralia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
- 2 tries (one valued at 4, one at 5), 34 penalties & 31 conversions - a total which places him 8th on the all-time scoring list for Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. He is the highest scoring forward in test rugby history and only one of four forwards to have surpassed 100 points in test rugby (the others being Carlo Checchinato
Carlo Checchinato
Carlo Checchinato was an Italian rugby union player and is the current team manager for the Italian national team....
, Colin Charvis
Colin Charvis
Colin Charvis is a former captain of the Welsh national rugby union team and also played for the British and Irish lions. A back row forward, Charvis was equally adept as a flanker or as the no...
and Richie McCaw). This is largely because of his goal kicking, which is unusual for a forward; his two tries are unremarkable (in comparison, all of Checcinato's, Charvis's and McCaw's points have come from tries). His memorable kicks include a sideline penalty goal in the final minutes of a 2000 test to win the Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand.
Eales captained Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
a record 55 times. Only John Smit
John Smit
John William Smit is the 50th and current captain of the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks. He has played most of his career as a hooker, but played twice for the Springboks off the bench as a prop prior to the South Africa coaching staff's decision to use him as a tighthead...
, Will Carling
Will Carling
William David Charles Carling, OBE is a former Rugby union player for Harlequins, and a former captain of England from 1988 to 1996, winning 72 caps.-Early life:...
and George Gregan have been an international captain in more games than Eales. Eales' 86 caps make him the third most capped forward in Australia’s
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
test rugby history, being recently surpassed by George Smith
George Smith (rugby player)
George Smith is an Australian rugby union player. He is a flanker for Toulon. He won 110 caps for Australia before retiring from international rugby on 5 February 2010. He made his Test debut in 2000 against France in Paris and he is the most capped Wallaby forward, and the most capped flanker in...
and Nathan Sharpe, and joint 7th on the overall list (level with Joe Roff
Joe Roff
Joe Roff is a retired Australian rugby union footballer and a product of the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club in Canberra, who played on the wing or at fullback for Brumbies and Australia and played 5 tests as a centre in the early part of his test career...
, with George Smith, David Campese
David Campese
David Ian Campese , also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player. Campese was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and held the world record for the most tries in test matches until Daisuke Ohata scored his 65th try playing for Japan on 14 May 2006...
, Stephen Larkham
Stephen Larkham
Stephen Larkham is an Australian rugby union footballer currently playing for the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan. He is best known for his career with the Brumbies in Super Rugby, for whom he played from the inception of the professional Super 12 in 1996 through 2007, and his long tenure with the...
, Nathan Sharpe, Matt Giteau and George Gregan
George Gregan
George Musarurwa Gregan AM is an Australian rugby union halfback who has made more appearances for his national team than any other player in the sport's history....
ahead of him).
Eales is one of only 21 players to have represented the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
in 100 or more state games. He represented his state in 112 games.
Eales scored a total of 402 points in the Super 12 competition with 6 tries, 66 conversions and 80 penalties for the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
. No forward has scored more points than him in the competition's history.
He is one of a select group to have won the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
twice. The others are fellow Wallabies Dan Crowley
Dan Crowley
Dan Crowley is an Australian rugby union footballer who played for the Wallabies 38 times and earned over 100 caps for the Queensland Reds during his rugby career...
, Jason Little
Jason Little (rugby player)
Jason Little was born 26 August 1970 in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. He won 75 caps with one as captain playing at centre for the Australian rugby union side between 1989 and 2000. He also won caps on the wing later in his career...
, Phil Kearns
Phil Kearns
Philip Nicholas Kearns is a former Australian rugby union player. He represented Australia 67 times and was captain of on 10 occasions....
and Tim Horan
Tim Horan
Tim Horan AM is a former Australian rugby union footballer. He played for the Queensland Reds in the Super 12, and represented Australia, he was one of the best centres in the world throughout the 1990s due to his attacking prowess, formidable defence and playmaking ability.As well as inside...
, plus South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
's Os du Randt
Os du Randt
Jacobus Petrus du Randt, better known as Os du Randt , is a former South African rugby union loosehead prop who retired as the most-capped forward in the history of the Springboks...
.
He retired as the most-capped lock of all time, with 84 test appearances in that position (his other two tests were as a number eight). Eales has since been surpassed in caps as a lock by several players.
Business
Eales was a founder of the Mettle Group (a culture and leadership consultancy, which is now part of Chandler Macleod), and his personal company the JohnEales5 (now part of International Quarterback, a sports marketing and events company). He is also a director of GRM International, a director of SAHOF (The Sport Australia Hall of Fame) and an Australian Financial Review columnist. He is also engaged as a consultant for BT Financial GroupBT Financial Group
BT Financial Group is a financial services company based in Australia, with operations there and in New Zealand. Its product range includes managed investments, life insurance, superannuation and discount brokering products...
and Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
.
John is also an Ambassador of Bonville Golf Resort and a guest lecturer at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a director on the board of the Australian Rugby Union.
John has fulfilled the role as an a Athlete Liaison Office for the Australian Olympic Committee in the Athens and Beijing Olympics, and will also be involved in the upcoming London Olympics.
John Eales is also an Ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.
Media
Eales acted as a "rugby ambassador" at the 2007 Rugby World Cup2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France, which involved a number of media duties.
Author
Eales has written 2 books, 'Learning From Legends', a Sport and a Business version. LFL Sports has a foreword by former Australian Prime Minister John HowardJohn Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
and talks about different legends of Australian Sport including Peter Brock
Peter Brock
Peter Geoffrey Brock, AM otherwise known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain" or simply as "Brocky" was one of Australia's best-known and most successful motor racing drivers. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, although he raced vehicles of other...
and Grant Hackett
Grant Hackett
Grant Hackett OAM is an Australian former swimmer most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This achievement has led him to be regarded as one of the greatest distance swimmers in history...
. LFL Business talks about different legends within the business world and the lessons that can be learned from them.
Honours
- Eales was named the 2002 Queenslander of the Year.
- Eales has given his name to the John Eales MedalJohn Eales MedalThe John Eales Medal is awarded to honour the best Australian rugby union player each year. The medal, which was launched in 2002, is jointly awarded each year by the Australian Rugby Union and the Rugby Union Players Association....
, annually awarded to the best Australian rugby union player. - In 1999 he was made a Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AM) for services to the community and rugby. - 30 August 2000 Australian Sports Medal awarded for his contribution to Australian Rugby