Richard Lewis Lloyd Harry

Richard Harry was a halfback, who became a flanker and finally a loosehead prop in order to realise his dream of representing Australia. Harry’s first taste of representative football came when he attended Scotch College in Melbourne and was selected at halfback for Victoria in the 1979 National Age Championships. In 1980 his family moved to Sydney and he attended Barker College. It was there that his size and speed prompted a shift to flanker. On leaving school he studied for an economics degree at Macquarie University and played for the Eastwood club.

He then spent a year in London where he played for Harlequins. On his return to Eastwood, he represented NSW `B’ as a flanker before former national coach Bob Dwyer suggested to his dad that Harry consider a switch to the front row. In 1994 he moved to the University of Sydney under the tutelage of Brian Burnett and within a year made his debut for New South Wales against Otago in Dunedin. A strong Super Rugby season in 1996 was rewarded with a Test debut against Wales in Brisbane. Harry went on to play a role in the 1998 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand, the Rugby World Cup victory in 1999 and Australia’s first Tri Nations title in 2000. Richard Harry played 37 Tests for Australia in his five-year international career.

Highlights

1996

Harry won his first Test cap as the starting loosehead prop alongside Marco Caputo and Ewen McKenzie in the 1st Test, 56-25 victory over Wales in Brisbane. He played six more Tests, five in the run-on side, across the rest of the year.

1997

Harry started at No.1 in 11 of the Wallabies’ 12 Tests. He scored his only test try in the 2nd Test, 26-19 win against France in Brisbane.

1998

He played in each of the opening thee Tests then dislocated his knee in the 24-16, 1st Test victory over New Zealand in Melbourne. Harry picked up a single cap, in the Rugby World Cup qualifier against Fiji, but then was unavailable for the end-of-season tour as he underwent knee surgery.

1999

Harry missed the three domestic Tests but returned to the team halfway through the Tri Nations. He the was selected to his first Rugby World Cup and started in five of Australia’s six matches. Harry accumulated a total of seven caps for the season.

2000

Harry earned his final seven Test caps in the home series against Argentina and during in the Tri Nations tournament.