Trevor Robert Stegman

Trevor Stegman was a penetrating, versatile centre / fly half who waited until he was almost 27 before finally winning national honours. Born in Sydney, Stegman was a product of Fort Street High School who earned his first taste of representative rugby at the tender age of 19 in the cauldron of a British Lions tour. Selected from the Molong club at inside centre for New South Wales Country, Stegman played ‘soundly’ in his team’s narrow 3-6 defeat. Stegman then did not reappear at representative level for five years. In 1971 he was selected from Eastern Suburbs as fly half for his New South Wales debut, amazingly against John Dawes’ 1971 British Lions. 

Two career representative games and both were against the Lions. Few could make that claim. The Blues went down 12-14 and Stegman, who went head-to-head with the immortal Welshman Barry John, more than held his own. He was selected for the 1972 Wallaby tour of New Zealand but withdrew after he injured the ligaments in his right ankle. A year later, and with Geoff Shaw still in South Africa and David L’Estrange moved to No.13, Stegman made his Test debut against Tonga in Sydney. He retained his spot for the second Test in Brisbane however the match became memorable for all the wrong reasons as Australia were sensationally beaten 11-16 in one of the all-time upsets. Shaw then returned to play No.12 for the next nine consecutive Tests through to the end of the 1975 domestic season.

Highlights

1973

Stegman won his first Test cap at inside centre alongside David L’Estrange in the 1st Test, 30-12 victory over Tonga in Sydney. He and L’Estrange lined up a week later in the 11-16, 2nd Test loss at Ballymore.