Justin Harrison (born 20 April 1974) is a former Australian international rugby union player, who played lock forward and is currently the head of the Australian Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA).
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| Date of birth | 20 April 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 113 kg (17 st 11 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Southern Cross University, Lismore 1997–2001 University of Canberra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
editDiscovered in 1993 by GoldRats Rugby Union Club of Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales while studying coastal and fisheries management,[citation needed] 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 debut 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[1] from which he graduated in 2001.[2]
A veteran of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Harrison joined the New South Wales Waratahs at the beginning of 2004 for two seasons 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.[3] until his retirement after involvement with the cocaine scandal and a bar fight with Harlequins players at Bath at the end of the 2008/09 season.
On Monday 30 November 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.[4] However, the ARU has not endorsed this contract.[5]
In July 2010 it was announced that Harrison would become forwards coach at Brumbies, agreeing a two-year deal with the club.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Minutes of Council Meeting No. 77" (PDF). University of Canberra. 1 August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ "Agenda B ... The RUPA Rag Issue Fourteen" (PDF). The Official Newsletter of the Rugby Union Players' Association. January 2002. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ "Northampton confirm Best signing". BBC News. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ "Brumbies Rugby | Justin Harrison returns to the CA Brumbies". Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
- ^ Harrison's Brumbies contract not endorsed by ARU
- ^ "Larkham, Harrison and Caputo return to CA Technologies Brumbies". Brumbies Official Website. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2011.