| Name |
Drew Mitchell |
| Position |
Fullback/Wing |
| Height |
182cm |
| Weight |
95kg |
| Date of Birth |
26/3/1984 |
| Super 14 Team |
Reds 2003-06, Western Force 2007- |
| Super 12/14 Points |
75 (15t) |
| Super 12/14 Caps |
66 |
| Tests |
2005; SA1 [1t] (rep), SA2 (rep), SA3 (rep), NZ1 [1t], SA4, NZ2, F2 (rep) [1t], E [1t], Ire [2t], W; 2007; W1, W2 [1t], Fi1, SA1, SA2 (rep), NZ2, Jap* [2t] (rep), W3*, Fi2* [3t], C* [2t], E* (rep); 2008 - NZ1 (rep), NZ2 (rep), SA2, SA3 (rep, 1t), NZ4 (2t), E, F3, W 2009 - It1, Fr, NZ1, SA1, NZ2, SA2 (rep), SA3, NZ3, Eng, Ire (1t), Sco, Wal
|
| Test Points |
90 (18t) |
| Test Caps |
41 |
| Test Debut |
2005 v South Africa, Sydney |
| Honours |
Australian Under 16s 2000, Australian Schoolboys 2001, Australian Sevens 2002, Australian U21s 2003 - 2004, Australia A 2004 - 2006, Australian Wallabies 2005 - |
| Senior Tours |
2004 UK & France, 2006 UK, Ireland & Italy, 2007 RWC (France), 2008 Hong Kong & Europe, 2009 Japan & Europe |
Injury to last year’s Rookie of the Year, Peter Hynes, during the Investec Super 14 provided DREW MITCHELL with an opening, and he took it with both hands to start in all but one of the Qantas Wallabies’ domestic Test matches through the 2009 Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series, and all four Tests in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the Spring Tour. Mitchell opened the 2009 programme with two tries against the Barbarians in Sydney, but had to wait until Australia’s Test against Ireland at Croke Park in November before he added to his collection of Test tries. The only match played by the Wallabies that he missed during 2009 was the win over Italy in Melbourne. This followed a 2008 season where Mitchell was a later starter due to injury, but worked his way back into the frame via the Australia A programme, and wound up appearing eight times, with the addition of a Test try at Johannesburg and two against the All Blacks in Hong Kong. The former Queenslander made the most of his move to the Western Force in 2007, featuring in every match the side played to reclaim his Test spot, after he had been overlooked by the Wallabies in 2006. Mitchell’s maiden Wallaby season in 2005 saw him bag six tries from 10 appearances. In 2007, he scored seven tries from five matches at the Rugby World Cup to finish up as the tournament’s second highest try-scorer. 2008 saw Mitchell utilised at both wing and fullback by the Wallabies, but he specialized as a wing last year. Mitchell relocated to Sydney after the Investec Super 14 concluded, and helped his new club Randwick into its second consecutive Shute Shield Grand Final. After debuting for Queensland in 2004, and then joining the Western Force in 2007, Mitchell is this year appearing for his third Australian Super Rugby franchise, having linked up with the Waratahs.
Career Timeline
| 2001 | Captained the Australian Schoolboys on their UK Tour. |
| 2003 | Represented Australian Under 21s at the iRB World Championship in England. |
| 2004 | After a strong debut season of Super 12, playing all 11 matches for the Reds, he was named as a bolter for the Spring Tour where he played against the French Barbarians and was later named in the Wallaby match-day squad for the Test against England at Twickenham. He also captained the Australian Under 21s at the iRB World Championship in Scotland. |
| 2005 | After topping the try-scorers list for the Reds in Super 12, he was included in the Wallaby squad for the domestic season and earned his first chance to impress at Test level against South Africa in Sydney, scoring a try in the process. He was later named Wallaby Rookie of the Year after scoring six tries in 10 Test appearances. |
| 2006 | Started every Super 14 match for the Reds but was overlooked by Wallaby selectors for the domestic series and Tri Nations, returning for the Spring Tour where he played a role in the mid-week victories over Ireland A and Scotland A. |
| 2007 | After struggling to find his feet in the fullback jersey early in the season, his game-breaking qualities came to the fore in his debut season with the Western Force playing in every game of the Super 14 season. Returned to Wallabies for the domestic Test season then headed to France for Rugby World Cup, scoring seven tries in five appearances, which made him the second highest try-scorer at the tournament. |
| 2008 | Surpassed a half century of Super rugby caps, playing 12 matches for the Force to take his career tally to 60. Appeared for Australia A in the Pacific Six Nations Cup before returning to the Wallabies in time for the Tri-Nations, where he featured on four occasions. Added a further four caps on the Spring Tour, which included a try-scoring double against the All Blacks during the historic Test in Hong Kong. These were the only tries that New Zealand conceded across the five Tests it played on the successful Grand Slam tour. |
| 2009 | Completed his Western Force career by scoring five tries from 13 appearances; the majority of which came from fullback. Utilised as a specialist winger by the Qantas Wallabies through the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series, starting in all but the second Test against Italy in Melbourne. Then missed only the final Bledisloe Cup Test in Tokyo during the Spring Tour, scoring two tries against Gloucester and his 18th Test try during the draw in Ireland. |
Did you know? : While Drew Mitchell appeared for Randwick at club level once he relocated to Sydney following the Super 14, he is actually aligned with suburban club Balmain, which plays in a lower grade, and only featured in the Shute Shield for Randwick on loan.
