| Name |
Nathan Sharpe |
| Position |
Lock |
| Height |
200cm |
| Weight |
115kg |
| Date of Birth |
26/2/1978 |
| Super 14 Team |
Reds 1998-05, Western Force 2006- |
| Super 12/14 Points |
35 (7t) |
| Super 12/14 Caps |
106 |
| Test Points |
30 (6t) |
| Test Caps |
74 |
| Test Debut |
2002 v France, Melbourne |
| Honours |
Australian U19s 1996, Australian U21s 1997-99, Australian Wallabies 2002- |
| Senior Tours |
2003 RWC (Aus), 2005 UK & France, 2006 UK, Ireland & Italy, 2007 RWC (France), 2008 Hong Kong & Europe |
The 2007 John Eales Medal winner, NATHAN SHARPE added 10 further caps to his career tally through the 2008 domestic programme, after featuring in all but one of the Western Force’s matches earlier in the year. That has left the Force skipper just 10 appearances behind the 84 gathered by Eales, who remains Australia’s most capped second row forward. An Australian representative in some form for each of the last 13 seasons, Sharpe played a remarkable three seasons for the Australian Under-21 side, while he has been almost a permanent fixture in the Test starting XV since his debut for the Wallabies in 2002. Although his work load reduced slightly this year, Sharpe had other highlights, becoming a father for a second time when his son Franklin was born eight days before the Tri-Nations decider at Brisbane.
1996-1997 Represented Australia at Under 19 and Under 21 level. He went on to make the Australian Under 21 team for two more years, captaining the side in 1999.
1998- 2001 Made his Super 12 debut with the Reds against the Hurricanes in 1998 playing alongside John Eales. Sharpe earned 57 state caps, including 41 in Super 12 rugby, before making his Test debut against France in 2002.
2002 Sharpe made his Test debut against France, starting at lock, and went on to be named the 2002 Rookie of the Year, as well as win the Australian Rugby Medal for Excellence as voted by his peers.
2003 Played in all 14 Tests, including the World Cup Final against England.
2004 Started in all eight of the winter Tests, captaining the Wallabies for the first time against the All Blacks in Wellington. Sharpe was rested from the Spring Tour to improve on his strength and conditioning.
2005 Was the only Australian player to start in every Test match that season, and captained the Wallabies for the second time in a Test against Samoa: he celebrated by scoring two tries.
2006 Started all 13 Tests and played every minute surpassing 50 Tests along the way. Sharpe captained the Western Force in its inaugural Super 14 season after eight years with the Reds.
2007 Played all but one of the Force’s 13 Super 14 matches and led the team to a much improved seventh on the competition table.
2008 Again misses just one match for the Force before earning selection for his seventh consecutive Wallaby season, where he appears 10 times.
