Peter Junior Joshua Betham

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Peter Betham grew up playing rugby league for the Coogee Wombats and then earned selection for the South Sydney Rabbitohs junior teams.

A powerful fullback / three-quarter, he played his rugby at St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill alongside fellow future Wallaby Kurtley Beale and went on to represent Australian Schools for two years.

Betham earned an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship but his ambitions were thwarted by a stint at the ACT Brumbies in which he was unable to win selection in a match day squad. Strong performances for his University of Sydney club side, under the tutelage of new Melbourne Rebels coach Damien Hill, saw Betham both gain a spot in the franchise’s inaugural 2011 squad and make his Super Rugby debut.

Let go by the Rebels and unable to secure a full-time contract with New South Wales, Betham headed to New Zealand where he played for the Tasman Makos in the ITM Cup. A strong, six-try season rekindled interest from the Waratahs and ultimately saw him win a spot in the Wallaby squad for The Rugby Championship. Betham made his debut for Australia later that year in the final Bledisloe Cup Test in Dunedin.

He left Australia to join the Leicester Tigers for the 2015/16 season. 

Highlights

2005

Selected in the Australian Schools squad to tour the United Kingdom and Ireland. 

2006

Represented Australian Schools and won selection in the squad to tour Tonga and New Zealand. 

2007

Selected in the Australian squad for the fourth-annual IRB U19s World Championships in Ireland.  

2008

Selected in the Australian squad for the inaugural IRB U20s Junior World Championships in Wales. 

2008/09

Represented Australia in the IRB Sevens Series.

2009

Selected in the Australian squad U20s for the second-annual IRB Junior World Championships in Japan.

2013

Betham won his first Test cap as a starting left winger in the third and final Bledisloe Cup Test against New Zealand at Dunedin. Betham impressed on debut as he displayed his qualities as a natural attacker and strong ball-carrier. 

2014

He won a second Test cap when selected on the right wing in the 32-25 victory over Argentina on the Gold Coast.