Wallabies great Phil Kearns has been inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions.
Sport NSW confirmed the honour on Thursday, set to induct Kearns alongside Brad Dalton (Basketball), Craig Johnston (Football), Joanne ‘Joey’ Peters (Football), Prashanth Sellathurai (Gymnastics) and Liesl Tesch AM (Wheelchair Basketball & Para Sailing) on November 28.
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Kearns represented the Wallabies 67 times, one of five Australians to have won the Rugby World Cup twice in 1991 and 1999.
He also played 73 games for the NSW Waratahs between 1989 and 1999, 28 as captain.
Off the field, Kearns was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2017 for significant service to the community.
He also played an integral role in the bidding process for Australia to host Rugby World Cup 2027 and 2029, serving as executive director.
“The six inductees are recognised for their outstanding sports careers which saw them reach the pinnacle of their chosen sport," NSW Sport Hall of Champions Committee Chair, Alan Whelpton, said in a statement.
"They represented their country, state, sport, and themselves with distinction and inspired a new generation of athletes to follow in their footsteps."
“Sport has the great ability to bring together male and female players of all abilities, shapes, sizes and ethnic backgrounds and provide the opportunity to enjoy organised competitions and the ability to excel and reach the highest levels,” added Sport NSW Chairperson, Carolyn Campbell.
“These six new inductees to the NSW Hall of Champions have shown the way and we honour their selection."
Kearns is the 21st Rugby Union player to achieve the honour, the first since Nick Farr-Jones in the 1990s.
It comes after Mark Ella become the first Wallaby to be elevated to 'legend' status by the organisation in 2020.
