Te Tera James Faulkner

Te Tera Faulkner was a powerful scrummaging front row forward with an excellent work ethic who patiently plied his trade before winning national honours.

Born in New Zealand, Faulkner initially followed a well-trodden path in domestic rugby before he was almost lost to the game. After he represented Australia at the 2008 U20 World Championships in Wales, Faulkner found he wasn’t enjoying his rugby. He returned home, worked as a labourer and played a bit of club football.

By the end of 2009 Faulkner was reinvigorated with the desire to again play professional rugby, trained hard and got himself back into shape. He joined Southern Districts in the Sydney Shute Shield competition and linked up with the Waratahs Academy. In 2011 the Western Force drafted him on a short-term deal during which he made his Super Rugby debut in their 27-24 away win over the Rebels, and then signed him to a full-time contract in 2012.

In 2014, Faulkner won a place on for his first Wallaby tour and was rewarded with a Test debut in Australia's 33-18 victory over Wales in Cardiff. Although Faulkner remained a mainstay of the Western Force squad he waited a further three years for a recall to the national side and earned two further Test caps on the 2017 Spring Tour.

Faulkner moved to the Rebels in 2018 and then to the Waratahs in 2020. He played his final professional game in 2023, against the Blues at Eden Park. Faulkner retired with 146 Super Rugby caps to his name across a 13-year career.

Highlights

2006 Selected for the Australian Schools tour of Fiji and New Zealand.

2007 Selected in the Australian squad for the IRB U19s World Championships in Ireland.

2008 Selected in the Australian squad for the inaugural IRB U20s Junior World Championships in Wales.

2014 Faulkner was selected in the squad for the end-of-season Spring Tour where he won his first Test caps off the bench against Wales and Ireland.

2017 Coach Michael Cheika recalled Faulkner for the Rugby Championship and Spring Tour where he doubled his cap tally with appearances as a replacement against both Argentina and Scotland.