Blogs

David Campese became one of Australia’s greatest rugby union players from an unlikely background. He was born in Queanbeyan in the Australian Capital Territories from an Italian father and an Australian mother. Universally known as Campo he is considered one of the greatest wing in the game, the pinnacle of his career being the 1991 World Cup tournament in England when he was the player of the tournament in helping the Wallabies to win the Webb Ellis Cup.

Adventurous and imaginative he brought off outrageous plays, scored great tries and became famous for his goose step which fooled opponents into thinking he was slowing down when in fact he was picking up pace. Outspoken and forthright he is one of the great characters of the game; the first Australian to earn a hundred caps (ending his career on 101) and for a long time held the world record for the most test tries with 64 – a mark subsequently superseded by Japan’s Daisuke Ohata.

Ben is a former Australian Wallaby prop whose neck injury during the semifinal against the New Zealand All Blacks at the 2003 World Cup forced him to retire at the age of 27. During his time as a player he was part of the 2001 Brumbies Super 12 title-winning team and Wallaby side that beat the British and Irish Lions in 2001. He also won the Bledisloe Cups of 2001 and 2002.

Since his retirement, Ben has been involved with the Western Force out of Perth, Australia, as a forwards coach and currently resides in Tokyo, Japan coaching at the NTT Shining Arcs. He has worked with Fox Sports as a commentator and panelist as well as featuring in the same role with Australia's Channel 10 for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He has also spent the last four years as a corporate speaker.

Off-field Ben has a morbid fascination with completing iron man triathlons in the slowest possible time as a way of staving off the impending reality of being a retired prop.

Ben lists his greatest moment as having his life saved by All Black front rower Kees Mueews in the scrum. He notes with irony that his lowest ebb was the very same moment - having his life saved by a Kiwi.

Tank is currently the editor and publisher of the recently launched www.sport24.co.za.

Those with the best memories on earth might remember him as a 1989 SA schools tighthead prop who got a few games for Western Province when Keith Andrews was on Bok duty, while others might have come across him as the author of the Front Row Grunt blog on Sport24.

It was in 1995, at the ripe old age of 24, that a particularly serious neck injury forced him to give up playing rugby, but thanks to a solid piece of titanium and some fused cow bone holding his neck together, he is now able to partake in pretty much any activity he chooses, except rugby!

After a sensational few years at UCT, where rugby might have got more of his attention than the prescribed text books, he took an interest in the media world, especially the digital side of things. And for their sins, Sport24, have been lumped with him as their editor and publisher.

Born and educated in Durban (studied at Rhodes University, Grahamstown), Gavin started his journalism career covering rugby for the Natal Mercury in 1991. He covered the first post-isolation Springbok tour of France and England in 1992 for the SA Morning Group, and moved to the Cape Argus in 1994 and established himself as the chief rugby writer of the Independent Group.

He covered every Springbok tour and match (home and away) from end of 1993 through to 2000, including two World Cups (1995 and 1999) as chief rugby writer of the Independent Group. Although he has travelled many thousands of kilometres following the oval ball, he still shares James Small's fear of aeroplanes and flying.