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Campese - Campo

Australia has produced many great rugby players. David Campese is one of the most entertaining and most elusive runners in rugby history....Campo.

Australia - rugby superstar

David Campese burst onto the Australia rugby Test scene as a fresh-faced 19 year-old and quickly made his mark.

He scored a try in his first Test...in 1982 against the All Blacks.

I loved watching him play...
Free spirited...daring...devil-may-care attitude.

Always prepared to back himself...

A very fast rugby winger or full-back...
...tremendous ability to kick the rugby ball

Incredibly elusive runner...
...great vision...great swerve...great dummy...
...great change of pace...exceptionally well balanced runner...
...sidestep...his famous goose-step...very deceptive body movement

So much ability combined with...
...daring and the willingness to have a go...

You will find huge amounts of information...
...and any number of clips featuring Campese...
...he has a whole dvd of his own...

"CAMPESE - Rugby`s My Life"

...which I have enjoyed watching

Campo the controversial

David has also made a name for himself...
...as being somewhat controversial in what he says.

It`s great when someone answers...
...a question...giving a real point of view...
...rather than what they believe they are expected to say!

One thing I have not heard him talk about...
...is an interesting incident featured on the "CAMPESE" dvd.

It`s a fascinating rugby incident...

The Campo and Ackerman incident

You will find the incident...
...on the dvd, included in scene 12..."Barbarian Glory"

The story is told by Australian rugby coach Alan Jones.
He tells how Australia thrashed Wales in a rugby Test Match.
At the after-test-function, according to Jones...
...Welsh team member Ackerman...
... maligns the Australian backs...
...by expressing his opinion that...
...they did not play well that day.

Jones believes this opinion was voiced within hearing...
...of the Australian Rugby Test players...
...Michael Lynagh and David Campese...
...and suggests they may have regarded it as a sleight.
Alan Jones indicates he, Jones, certainly did.

Anyway....
The next week...
Australia played the Barbarians...
...and who do you think was in the Barbarians team?

Yes...the very same player...Ackerman!

Now the incident...

A Barbarian attack breaks down...
...close to the Australian 22...
... Ella gets the ball...
...shapes to move it wide...
...but passes back inside to Campese...
...cleverly coming in from the wing and going through a gap.

Once through the gap, Campese has a straight run...
...of about 65 metres to go to the Barbarian line...
...with one man to beat...
...and that man...was Acker...MAN!

What does Campo do?

He puts in a couple of faint sidesteps...
...with Ackerman still 10 to 15 metres away in front of him...
...with little-to-no effect

Ackerman keeps his distance...
...falling back...
...not committing himself.

As Jones continues the story...
...Campese could have run past him or passed...
...but chose to swerve from side to side...
...turning Ackerman "inside-out" and...
...humiliating him....reporting that the crowd started to laugh.

Much as I love Campo...
...this is how I see it.

Ackerman did a really good job.
He was covering back for the full-back...
...who had been beaten at the initial break.

He slowed down Campo by not committing himself...
...which enabled another player to tackle him...
...and almost prevented a try from being scored.

Campese didn`t run past...
... because he couldn`t run past ...
...and he didn`t pass...
...because no other player was better placed.

On a hiding-to-nothing...
...Ackerman did well...a lot better than many other players...
...would have done in the same situation.

So...
...now you must think a little...
...do you agree with me...
...that I deserve to no longer be a rugby nobody...
...or do you want to be on the side of Alan Jones...
...who was the Australian Rugby Coach at the time.

You can have a look now...
...because someone has put it on YouTube...

Campese - Fantastic!

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