Scott Michael Fardy

Scott Fardy, much like his Brumbies team mate Josh Mann-Rea, was a late bloomer of Australian rugby.

A powerful blindside flanker who also spent time at lock, Fardy came through the public school system on Sydney’s Northern beaches without great fanfare. He played 300 games for the Newport Dolphins as a junior before he went on to ply his trade in the Shute Shield with the Warringah Rats.

He debuted for the Waratahs in 2006 but only managed to win three caps on the team’s European tour. In mid-2007 he signed a contract with the Western Force but by the end of the 2008 Super Rugby season he was released without winning a single cap.

A year later Fardy, by his own admission, left Australia for Japan somewhat bitter and twisted over his inability to crack provincial rugby. Interestingly Japan provided more than rugby redemption. It exposed Fardy to the devastation caused by the 2011 tsunami after an earthquake which registered 8.9 rattled his seaside town in the Iwate prefecture. Without power and in frigid cold for a week with nothing more than a few “handfuls of rice” to eat, Fardy and his Kamaishi Seawaves’ teammates spent seven days assisting with the recovery effort. When Australian Embassy officials arrived in the town and offered Fardy a way out he declined.

At the age of 28 Fardy was granted a last gasp chance at Super Rugby when the doors opened at the ACT Brumbies for an Extended Playing Squad spot under Jake White in 2012 and a strong 2013 season was rewarded with a Test debut against New Zealand in Sydney.

When Fardy finally arrived he well and truly made his mark. He went on to start 19 of the next 21 Tests and was a crucial part of Australia's star-studded back-row at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

In 2017, Fardy signed with Irish giants Leinster to effectively bring the curtain down on his Wallaby career however he did depart with the Australian flanking pair record of 30 Tests alongside Michael Hooper.  

Highlights

2013

Fardy won his first Test cap off the bench when he came on as a substitute for Michael Hooper and then replaced Ben Mowen at No.8 in the 1st Test, 29-47 loss to New Zealand in Sydney. A week later he made his run-on XV debut at blindside flanker in the 2nd Test, 16-27 loss to New Zealand in Wellington. Fardy won eight more caps, all as the starting No.6.

2014

He started the opening 10 Tests before knee surgery saw him ruled out of the end-of-season Spring Tour. 

2015

Fardy earned a further 10 Test caps as part of the Rugby Championship winning side and was selected to his first Rugby World Cup where he played blindside flanker in the tournament final against New Zealand. 

2016

He won nine test caps during the season’s 15 internationals with his final start coming in the 25-23 victory over France in Paris.