Chris Latham (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Chris Latham is an Australian rugby union
player, who played fullback for the Worcester Warriors, following a long career with the Queensland Reds
and Australia
.
He currently stands as the second highest try scorer (behind David Campese
) in Wallaby history with 40 international tries.
, but moved to Queensland
in 1998, beginning a highly successful career with the Reds
where he received the Australian Super 12 Player of the Year award three times (2000, 2003 and 2004). In 2005 he became the 21st player to win 100 caps for Queensland.
Latham made his international debut for Australia
against France
in 1998 and represented Australia in the 1999, 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups.
He was a star of the Northern Hemisphere v. Southern Hemisphere Tsunami Relief match
held at Twickenham
in March 2005, scoring three tries.
In February 2006, he was named in the Australian Rugby Sevens
team to compete at the 2006 Commonwealth games
, to be held in Melbourne
. Latham suffered a rib injury in the tournament.
On 12 September 2006 he was awarded the 2006 John Eales Medal
. He is the first back to be awarded the medal.
Latham is widely regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the world, and in 2006 was nominated by the International Rugby Board
for player of the year. Latham suffered misfortune in early 2007 when he ripped his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season training with the Queensland Reds
.
His return to the Wallabies team was seen as essential to their chances of success in the tournament. and he did not disappoint in their ultimately unsuccessful campaign.
Latham's final season with the Reds was again disrupted by injury. His round 13 return against the Crusaders should have been his penultimate appearance for the Reds, but he ruptured his pectoral muscle 13 minutes into the match, ending his Queensland and Australian career. This denied him a final round, home game farewell against the Waratahs, in what would have been his 100th Super Rugby appearance for the Reds.
Latham moved to the Worcester Rugby Club in 2008 on a two year contract. The contract is estimated to be worth £325,000 a year, which would make him the second highest wage earner in the English Premiership (Newcastle Falcons
prop Carl Hayman
tops the list) He made his Worcester debut in a pre-season friendly against Ulster
on 27 August 2008.
Stephen Jones
, chief rugby correspondent for The Times
and The Sunday Times
, rated Latham as the finest fullback he has ever seen.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player, who played fullback for the Worcester Warriors, following a long career with the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
.
He currently stands as the second highest try scorer (behind David Campese
David Campese
David Ian Campese , also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player. Campese was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and held the world record for the most tries in test matches until Daisuke Ohata scored his 65th try playing for Japan on 14 May 2006...
) in Wallaby history with 40 international tries.
Career
He started his career with the New South Wales WaratahsNew South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
, but moved to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in 1998, beginning a highly successful career with the Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
where he received the Australian Super 12 Player of the Year award three times (2000, 2003 and 2004). In 2005 he became the 21st player to win 100 caps for Queensland.
Latham made his international debut for Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in 1998 and represented Australia in the 1999, 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups.
He was a star of the Northern Hemisphere v. Southern Hemisphere Tsunami Relief match
IRB Rugby Aid Match
The IRB Rugby Aid Match was a rugby union football match played on 5 March 2005 under the auspices of the International Rugby Board to raise money for the United Nations World Food Programme to support its work aiding victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami....
held at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
in March 2005, scoring three tries.
In February 2006, he was named in the Australian Rugby Sevens
Australian national rugby union team (sevens)
The Australian national rugby union sevens team competes in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Honours:* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 1979* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 1982* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 1983...
team to compete at the 2006 Commonwealth games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
, to be held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Latham suffered a rib injury in the tournament.
On 12 September 2006 he was awarded the 2006 John Eales Medal
John Eales Medal
The John Eales Medal is awarded to honour the best Australian rugby union player each year. The medal, which was launched in 2002, is jointly awarded each year by the Australian Rugby Union and the Rugby Union Players Association....
. He is the first back to be awarded the medal.
Latham is widely regarded as one of the best fullbacks in the world, and in 2006 was nominated by the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
for player of the year. Latham suffered misfortune in early 2007 when he ripped his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season training with the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
.
His return to the Wallabies team was seen as essential to their chances of success in the tournament. and he did not disappoint in their ultimately unsuccessful campaign.
Latham's final season with the Reds was again disrupted by injury. His round 13 return against the Crusaders should have been his penultimate appearance for the Reds, but he ruptured his pectoral muscle 13 minutes into the match, ending his Queensland and Australian career. This denied him a final round, home game farewell against the Waratahs, in what would have been his 100th Super Rugby appearance for the Reds.
Latham moved to the Worcester Rugby Club in 2008 on a two year contract. The contract is estimated to be worth £325,000 a year, which would make him the second highest wage earner in the English Premiership (Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
prop Carl Hayman
Carl Hayman
Carl Hayman is an international rugby union footballer who has played at tighthead prop for Otago at provincial level, the Highlanders in the Super 14 and the All Blacks at international level...
tops the list) He made his Worcester debut in a pre-season friendly against Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
on 27 August 2008.
Stephen Jones
Stephen Jones (journalist)
Stephen Jones is a Welsh journalist and the rugby union correspondent for The Times and The Sunday Times, and has been for over 20 years and has been twice-named Sports Correspondent of the Year by the Sports Journalists' Association.-References:...
, chief rugby correspondent for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, rated Latham as the finest fullback he has ever seen.
External links
- Chris Latham Wallabies profile
- Chris Latham Reds profile
- Chris Latham Worcester Warriors profile
- Chris Latham 2006 Commonwealth Games Athlete