Matt Henjak
Encyclopedia
Matt Henjak is an Australia
n rugby union
player. His position of choice is scrum-half. Henjak, of Croatian ancestry
, is the nephew of former rugby league half-back and Brisbane Broncos
head coach Ivan Henjak
. He is currently with RC Toulonnais
in the French Top 14, but was released from the club's domestic squad in November 2009 once Argentine
star Felipe Contepomi
recovered from a knee injury. However, he remains available for Toulon's European Challenge Cup
matches; on 20 December 2009, he captained the side in their Challenge Cup fixture against Rovigo
in the absence of regular captain Joe van Niekerk
.
in Canberra
, the same school as Matt Giteau
, George Gregan
and Ricky Stuart. He played for the Canberra Vikings club while playing in the Canberra club competition. In 2001 and 2002 Henjak represented Australia in the under 21 side as well as later playing for Australia A.
Henjak was called up into the 27-man national squad as cover mid-year 2004 after Elton Flatley
broke his arm. Henjak made his international debut in 2004, on 26 June against England
where he came off the bench onto the wing with 10 minutes remaining in the game after Clyde Rathbone
was injured.
He moved to the new Super 14 team, the Western Force
, for the 2006 season.
.
had his jaw broken, requiring surgery to insert a plate. Henjak has been dismissed by the Western Force after he was found guilty of involvement in a bar room brawl.
Henjak was linked to a code-switch to rugby league
and a move to the Canberra Raiders
., however Toulon
have given him the chance to resurrect his rugby union career in the Top 14 competition.
Henjak played his last domestic game for Toulon on Thursday 5 November 2009. French teams have a limit on the number of foreign players allowed, and Henjak was released from Toulon's domestic squad to let Felipe Contepomi, the Argentinian back, join the group. However, as noted earlier, he remains available to the club for European fixtures.
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 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. His position of choice is scrum-half. Henjak, of Croatian ancestry
Croatian Australian
Croatia has been a source of migrants to Australia, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2006, 128,051 persons resident in Australia identified themselves as having Croatian ancestry.- History :...
, is the nephew of former rugby league half-back and Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
head coach Ivan Henjak
Ivan Henjak
Ivan Henjak is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He was the former head coach for the Brisbane Broncos of the National Rugby League, having taken over from Wayne Bennett in 2009...
. He is currently with RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
in the French Top 14, but was released from the club's domestic squad in November 2009 once Argentine
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
star Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi is an Argentine rugby union footballer. A fly-half and centre, he currently plays for Stade Francais of the French Top 14; he made his debut for the club in November 2009 after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in a 2008–09 Heineken Cup match with his previous club, Magners...
recovered from a knee injury. However, he remains available for Toulon's European Challenge Cup
European Challenge Cup
The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...
matches; on 20 December 2009, he captained the side in their Challenge Cup fixture against Rovigo
Rugby Rovigo
Rugby Rovigo Delta are an Italian rugby union club currently competing in Super 10.They are based in Rovigo in Veneto....
in the absence of regular captain Joe van Niekerk
Joe van Niekerk
Johann "Joe" van Niekerk is a South African rugby union player, who generally plays either as a flanker or number 8...
.
Early career
Henjak was educated at St Edmund's CollegeSt Edmund's College, Canberra
St Edmund's College, is a private, Catholic, day school for boys, located in Griffith, a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.The college was established in 1954 by the Christian Brothers as St Edmund's War Memorial College...
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...
, the same school as Matt Giteau
Matt Giteau
Matthew Giteau is an Australian rugby union footballer, a former international who now plays for the French Top 14 side Toulon. He attended St Edmund's College, Canberra, which has produced other Wallabies including George Gregan, Matt Henjak and the former rugby league star and now coach Ricky...
, 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....
and Ricky Stuart. He played for the Canberra Vikings club while playing in the Canberra club competition. In 2001 and 2002 Henjak represented Australia in the under 21 side as well as later playing for Australia A.
Super Rugby
He made his Super 12 debut in 2003, playing for the ACT Brumbies in a match against the Chiefs.Henjak was called up into the 27-man national squad as cover mid-year 2004 after Elton Flatley
Elton Flatley
Elton Flatley is a former Australian international rugby union footballer. At his best position of fly-half, Flatley was often able to dictate the game by kicking tactically or throwing simple passes in order to retain possession.Flatley tended to play internationally at centre...
broke his arm. Henjak made his international debut in 2004, on 26 June against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
where he came off the bench onto the wing with 10 minutes remaining in the game after Clyde Rathbone
Clyde Rathbone
Clyde Rathbone , nicknamed "Rattlebones", is an Australian rugby union player. He previously played for the Brumbies in Super 14 and internationally for Australia...
was injured.
He moved to the new Super 14 team, the Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
, for the 2006 season.
Harlequins
Henjak went over to England for the latter part of 2004, having a short term stint with 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...
.
Controversies
During his playing career, he has been linked with a series of scandals. In 2004 he was involved in an altercation in South Africa, in which the complaintant was secretly paid $16,000 to drop assault charges.2008 and 2009
In 2008 he was involved in an altercation in which his team mate winger Haig SareHaig Sare
Haig Sare is an Australian rugby union player. He plays as centre or winger for the Western Force in the Super 14. He played schoolboy rugby for the Shore School in Sydney.-Career:...
had his jaw broken, requiring surgery to insert a plate. Henjak has been dismissed by the Western Force after he was found guilty of involvement in a bar room brawl.
Henjak was linked to a code-switch to rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
and a move to the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
., however Toulon
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
have given him the chance to resurrect his rugby union career in the Top 14 competition.
Henjak played his last domestic game for Toulon on Thursday 5 November 2009. French teams have a limit on the number of foreign players allowed, and Henjak was released from Toulon's domestic squad to let Felipe Contepomi, the Argentinian back, join the group. However, as noted earlier, he remains available to the club for European fixtures.