Clyde Rathbone

Clyde Rathbone (born 23 July 1981 in Durban, South Africa), nicknamed "Rattlebones", is an Australian rugby union player. He plays for the Brumbies in Super Rugby. He also played internationally for Australia. He began his Australia career as a centre, but now mainly plays wing.

Clyde Rathbone
Birth nameClyde Rathbone
Date of birth (1981-07-23) 23 July 1981
Place of birthDurban, South Africa
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
SchoolKingsway High School
UniversitySAIR Durban
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2002
2003–09
2013–14		 Sharks
Brumbies
Brumbies		 3
49
14		 (0)
(75)
(15)
Correct as of 27 July 2014
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
–2002
2004–06		 South Africa U21
Australia
26
(40)
Correct as of 15:28, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Career

He spent his entire childhood in Durban and played most of his rugby as a South African junior, representing South African Schools and even captaining the under-21 national team to victory in the 2002 U21 Rugby World Cup. In the same year, he made his debut in the then-Super 12 for the Sharks. However, at the end of 2002, he chose to move to Australia, for which he was qualified to play by virtue of having an Australia-born paternal grandmother.

Rathbone joined the Brumbies for the 2003 season. After considerable speculation in the rugby world over which country he would represent at Test level, he opted for the Wallabies, which resulted in Rathbone being heavily criticised in much of the South African press. Rathbone made his Test debut in June 2004 against Scotland, and went on to score a hat trick of tries against England the following week. His form in the June Tests earned him a starting wing position for that year's Tri Nations Series. During that competition, he rubbed salt into the South African wounds by scoring a match-winning try against his former countrymen in Perth. When the Wallabies went on tour that November, he scored a pair of tries against Scotland at Murrayfield, but suffered a groin injury that kept him out of the year's final Test against England.

In 2005, Rathbone was injured for most of the year, missing the Autumn series of Tests.

In 2006 Rathbone married to his longtime girlfriend in their hometown of Durban.

In 2008, after 15 months out of rugby due to knee surgery for a torn patellar tendon, Rathbone signed a Shute Shield contract with the east-Sydney based team, Easts.

In 2009, after many injuries that have seen him sidelined, he decided to retire.[1]

On 23 August 2012, Rathbone announced his intention to return to professional Rugby after three years out of the game. Rathbone signed a one-year contract with his old club, the Brumbies, with an option to extend.[2]

References
  1. "Rathbone decides to retire". SARugby. 12 August 2009. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  2. "Rathbone fairytale 'just the beginning'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
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