Adam Terry Fergus Magro

Australia has a long history of dual rugby internationals led by Tom Richards, Danny Carroll, Des Connor and Enrique Rodriguez. Since 1910 Wallabies have played Tests for the British Lions, the USA, Scotland, New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji, Ireland, Japan, Italy, South Africa, Italy and Tonga however only one Wallaby has played international rugby for Malta. That man was Adam Magro. 

A tactically astute, unselfish, strong tackling outside centre, Magro made two overseas tours with the Wallabies yet remained uncapped at Test level due to the presence of two world class number 13s -- Jason Little and Daniel Herbert -- during his career. 

Born and raised in Sydney, Magro played his first rugby with the Coogee Seahorses U10s. He was educated at Sydney Boys High School, the alma mater of a raft of Wallaby centres down through the years -- Roy Cooney, Syd King, Saxon White, John Brass, Phil Smith, Jason Jones-Hughes and James Holbeck. Magro played two seasons in the 1st XV (1987-88) and from there he won selection in the GPS 2nd XV (1987) as a half-back and a year later in the GPS 1st XV at centre. He then represented NSW I and later Australian Schools, alongside fellow future Wallabies Matthew O’Connor, Michael Brial and Garrick Morgan. 

After graduation, Magro accepted a Ben Lexcen scholarship to study Law & Commerce at the University of NSW for whom he also played rugby in Sydney’s 2nd Division competition. After two seasons at Kensington, Magro moved east to Coogee and joined the powerful Randwick club. The move paid an almost immediate dividend when Magro was picked for NSW U21 however further representative opportunities proved elusive as the senior state side’s centre pairings were dominated at the time by Darren Junee, Richard Tombs, Lance Walker and, later, Matthew Burke. 

It was not until 1995 that Magro finally broke through with his Waratahs’ debut, against Otago at Carisbrook, however by the end of the season he had left Sydney for Canberra and a contract with the newly formed ACT Brumbies. Magro became Brumby #26 when he ran on against Canterbury and later that same season he was rewarded with a late call-up for the Wallaby end-of-season tour to Italy, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Unfortunately, Magro broke his left ankle in his first match in an Australian jersey, the 25-9 win over Scottish Districts at Perth, and was forced to return home. Magro’s good form continued in 1997 and for a second year running he won a tour spot with the Wallabies, to Argentina (where he played two non-Test matches) and then, as a ‘double dirty’ to England and Scotland. 

Magro played the last of his 23 matches for the Brumbies in 1999 before he moved to Japan with Toyota Shokki. Then, after a couple of seasons with Leinster in Ireland, Magro enrolled at Oxford to study a Masters of Science: ‘Nature, Society & Environmental Policy’. While there he won a Blue (2003) and that same year made his debut for the Maltese Men’s 7s team in the European Championships. The following year Magro won his first Test cap for the country of his father’s origin, in the European Nations Cup (3rd Division) 20-18 victory over Serbia-Montenegro at Marsa. 


Highlights 

1988
Represented Australian Schools against England Schools

1996
Magro made his debut for Australia in the uncapped fixture against Scottish Districts (W 25-9) 

1997
He played two uncapped matches on the Argentine leg of the Wallabies’ end-of-season tour, against Tucuman (W 76-15) and Buenos Aires (W 17-12) 

2004
Magro won six Test caps for Malta -- against Serbia-Montenegro (W 20-18); Latvia (W 10-8); Hungary (W 35-27); Moldova (L 8-22); Switzerland (W 17-8); and Poland (L 13-38)