Justin Harrison
Encyclopedia
Justin Harrison, born 20 April 1974 in Sydney
, is a former Australia
n international rugby union
player, who played lock forward as is currently forwards coach for Brumbies.
, Lismore, New South Wales
whilst studying coastal and fisheries management, he then moved onto the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club in Canberra
, he made the 1994 Australian Capital Territory
(ACT) Under-21s and then the Australian Universities team. The following year, he played in the Australian U21s team and made his debut for the ACT against New South Wales
B. He made his Super 12 debut with the Brumbies in 1997.
He made his international début as Australia
took on the British and Irish Lions
in the third and final test of the 2001 series
; at the time Harrison was a student studying for a Bachelor of Applied Science
in Sports Administration at the University of Canberra
from which he graduated in 2001.
A veteran of the 2003 Rugby World Cup
, Harrison joined the New South Wales Waratahs
at the beginning of 2004 for one season before moving to the northern hemisphere to play for Ulster
.
As of 23 May 2006, Harrison had played 25 games for Ulster, 19 of those in the Celtic League
and 6 in the Heineken Cup
. Harrison proved an effective player in the Celtic League, a consistent winner of line-out possession and aggressive in rucks and mauls. Although regarded as inspiring by other Ulster players, his tendency to indulge in sledging
led to confrontation with a number of opposing players and a number of off the pitch incidents.
At the end of the 2008 season, Harrison moved to Bath Rugby
. until his retirement in controversial circumstances at the end of the 2008/09 season.
On Monday November 30, 2009, it was announced that Justin Harrison would return to play for the Brumbies in 2010 on a one year deal, as coverage for Peter Kimlin. However, the ARU has not endorsed this contract.
In July 2010 it was announced that Harrison would become forwards coach at Brumbies, agreeing a two-year deal with the club.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, is a former 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 international 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, who played lock forward as is currently forwards coach for Brumbies.
Career
Discovered in 1993 by GoldRats Rugby Union Club of Southern Cross UniversitySouthern Cross University
Southern Cross University is a university based on the North and Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is a regional University with more than 14,000 students. The University's primary campus is in Lismore, with other campuses located at Coffs Harbour and Tweed Heads.The University is...
, Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
whilst studying coastal and fisheries management, he then moved onto the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, he made the 1994 Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
(ACT) Under-21s and then the Australian Universities team. The following year, he played in the Australian U21s team and made his debut for the ACT against New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
B. He made his Super 12 debut with the Brumbies in 1997.
He made his international début as 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...
took on the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in the third and final test of the 2001 series
2001 British Lions tour to Australia
The 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia was a series of matches played by the British Lions rugby union team in Australia.This tour followed the Lions' 1997 tour to South Africa and preceded the 2005 tour to New Zealand....
; at the time Harrison was a student studying for a Bachelor of Applied Science
Bachelor of Applied Science
The Bachelor of Applied Science, often abbreviated as BAS, BSAS. BASc or BAppSc is an undergraduate degree awarded for a course of study that generally lasts three to four years in the United Kingdom and Australia, and four to six years in Canada, the Netherlands and the United States.-Usage:In...
in Sports Administration at the University of Canberra
University of Canberra
Over the years the Stone Day program has gradually become larger and larger, taking up a whole week and now Stonefest is one of Australia's most popular music festivals. The first foundation celebrations were held in 1971. In 1973 Stone Day celebrations were held over two days, which was expanded...
from which he graduated in 2001.
A veteran of the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, Harrison joined the New South Wales Waratahs
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
at the beginning of 2004 for one season before moving to the northern hemisphere to play for Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
.
As of 23 May 2006, Harrison had played 25 games for Ulster, 19 of those in the Celtic League
Celtic League (rugby union)
The Celtic League is an annual rugby union competition involving professional sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
and 6 in the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
. Harrison proved an effective player in the Celtic League, a consistent winner of line-out possession and aggressive in rucks and mauls. Although regarded as inspiring by other Ulster players, his tendency to indulge in sledging
Sledging (cricket)
Sledging is a term used in cricket to describe the practice whereby some players seek to gain an advantage by insulting or verbally intimidating the opposing player. The purpose is to try to weaken the opponent's concentration, thereby causing him to make mistakes or underperform...
led to confrontation with a number of opposing players and a number of off the pitch incidents.
At the end of the 2008 season, Harrison moved to Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
. until his retirement in controversial circumstances at the end of the 2008/09 season.
On Monday November 30, 2009, it was announced that Justin Harrison would return to play for the Brumbies in 2010 on a one year deal, as coverage for Peter Kimlin. However, the ARU has not endorsed this contract.
In July 2010 it was announced that Harrison would become forwards coach at Brumbies, agreeing a two-year deal with the club.
Controversies
- Harrison has been the cause of much controversy over his career. He used racial slurs towards South African winger Chumani Booi in 2005 while playing against the Cats of South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. - On May 20, 2009 Harrison left Bath after requesting an early release from his contract. The 35-year-old's exit came two days after the club launched an inquiry into an alleged incident involving Bath players at a LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
nightclubNightclubA nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. Later the same day he announced his immediate retirement. The RFU announced on 17 June that he and three other players would face an RFU disciplinary panel charged with "conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game". Harrison admitted to taking cocaine and fighting with a member of the HarlequinsHarlequin F.C.The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
playing staff. He was banned from playing and coaching rugby until January 13, 2010.