Scott Higginbotham

A versatile back-rower who was comfortable at either No.8 or on the blind-side flank, Scott Higginbotham could well have forged a Test rugby career with Fiji had he not done so with the Wallabies.

Higginbotham’s mother Jocelyn was born in Fiji and migrated to Australia when she was 10. It was from her side of the family that Higginbotham inherited his 195 cm, 110 kg frame.

Athletic, skilful and with a great nose for a try he was named the Reds Academy Player of the Year in 2007 however it was not until 2010 before he established himself as a regular in the Queensland side. A high ankle sprain delayed his arrival on the Test scene however he did eventually win a call-up to the Wallaby squads for the Tri-Nations campaign and the subsequent Spring Tour. In the final international of the year Higginbotham made his Test debut against France in Paris.

He was a member of the Wallabies' 2011 Rugby World Cup squad but received only a handful of opportunities due to the presence of both Rocky Elsom and Ben McCalman.

In 2012, Higginbotham firmly established himself in the Wallabies’ match day squad before a shoulder reconstruction saw him ruled out for the entire 2013 Test season. Early in 2015, after two years with the Melbourne Rebels, Higginbotham announced he would leave Australian rugby when he signed a two-year contract with NEC Green Rockets.

In his final Super Rugby campaign Higginbotham surpassed Owen Finegan as the top try-scoring forward in the tournament’s history. He returned to the Reds in 2017 and added to his Test cap tally when selected against Fiji and Scotland. 

Highlights

2007/08

Represented Australia in the IRB Sevens World Series.

2010

Higginbotham enjoyed an unforgettable Test debut when he came off the bench in the Wallabies’ record-breaking 59-16 thumping of reigning Six Nations champions France in Paris. 

2011

He won ten Test caps over the course of the season and earned a spot in his first Rugby World Cup squad. 

2012

Higginbotham played in 12 of the year’s 15 internationals and scored his first Test try in the 27-19 win over Wales in Brisbane 

2014

He earned a further eight caps, six of which came off the bench, through to the end of the Rugby Championship before suspension scuppered his inclusion in the Spring Tour squad.

2015

Higginbotham picked up a single Test cap when selected at No. 8 for the Wallabies’ season opener against South Africa in Brisbane. 

2017

Higginbotham won selection at No.8 for the opening two Tests of the season but was then omitted from the 38-man Wallabies squad for The Rugby Championship.