Australia
'Crowd favourite' Campese inducted into IRB Hall of Fame
ESPN Staff
September 26, 2014
David Campese poses after his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame, September 26, 2014
David Campese poses after his induction into the IRB Hall of Fame © Twitter
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Australia's David Campese has been officially inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame at a special ceremony ahead of this weekend's South Africa- Australia Test in Cape Town.

Capese won 101 caps for his country between 1982 and 1996 scoring 64 tries, a world record at the time. He was a member of the World Cup-winning side in 1991.

"From a freckle-faced little boy, living in a tiny town in Australia, I was catapulted into the international rugby spotlight and from that day onwards I never looked back," Campese said. "Rugby has provided me so much more than just the opportunity to play it.

"I travelled the world to places I never dreamed of, I experienced and began to understand the most diverse cultures and I met the most amazing people, all of which have influenced the person I am today.

"I learned early on that you should always take opportunities when they come your way and the harder you work, the luckier you become. Awards like this come across once in a lifetime and acknowledge all the hard work on and off the field. Rugby is like theatre. It's a performance but the preparation and dedication that goes on behind the scenes is where the magic happens."

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said that Capese's "pace, complete footballing skills, unpredictability and vision made him a crowd favourite all over the world … as a finisher, there were few better in the history of our great sport, and he was rightly a mainstay of the Wallabies team for a decade and a half, which is remarkable in any era."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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