Frozen in Time
Three times a charm for Brumbies
Scrum.com
March 5, 2010

The 2001 Super 12 Final offered the Brumbies the chance to erase the memory of their blow-out loss to the Blues in 1997 and the more recent, and painful, defeat to the Crusaders the year before. They finished the regular season on top of the table having only lost three games but one of those defeats had come against the Sharks - their opponents in the final.

The Brumbies, coached by Eddie Jones and captained by George Gregan, powered into the final at the expense of the Reds while their South African rivals had accounted for the Cats on their way to the Canberra finale where the hosts finally got their hands on the Super 12 silverware thanks to a commanding 36-6 victory.

They would tastes defeat again the following year against their arch enemies the Crusaders before exacting revenge two years later and to date they remain the only Australian side to have won a Super 12 or Super 14 title.

Justin Harrison (front row, far left)

A formidable lock with a reputation as one of the finest exponents of lineout play, Harrison made 34 Test appearances for Australia between 2001 and 2004 including a notable debut against the British & Irish Lions in 2001. He made his Super Rugby debut with the Brumbies in 1997 and featured in their highs and lows before joining the Waratahs in 2004 with whom he also lost the 2005 final. He later headed north where he first played for Ulster, leading them to the Magners league title in 2005-06, before switching to Guinness Premiership side Bath. He left the West Country giants under a cloud admitting to taking cocaine and fighting with a member of Harlequins' playing staff during the club's end of season party in 2009. He was subsequently banned for eight months but was handed a lifeline by the Brumbies, re-joining them in 2010.

George Gregan (front row, far right)

Skipper Gregan was the driving force behind the Brumbies throughout his 11-year career with the side during which he won 136 Super Rugby caps - a record that remains to this day. The tenacious scrum-half formed a legendary partnership with fly-half Stephen Larkham and together they lit up the domestic and international stage. Gregan played in a total of four Rugby World Cups - notably winning the sport's biggest prize in 1999 and sharing in the Wallabies' loss to England in the 2003 finale. After parting company with the Brumbies he opted for a brief stint with Toulon in France before moving joining Suntory Sungoliath in Japan's Top League where he is currently based. Off the field he formed the George Gregan Foundation with his wife in 2005 with the aim of creating outdoor specialised playgrounds in children's hospitals while his name also adorns a chain of coffee shops.

Andrew Walker (back row, fourth from right)

Walker, who kicked 21 of the Brumbies' points in the victory over the Sharks, made his name in the 13-man code where he earned international honours with the Kangaroos. He opted for a high profile code switch to union with the Brumbies in 2000 and made an immediate impact with 13 tries in his debut season. His outstanding form was rewarded with a call up to the Wallabies and he made his debut in the epic 39-35 Bledisloe Cup loss to New Zealand in Sydney. His international career was however limited to just seven caps as his off-field woes took their toll. The Aboriginal icon was repeatedly disciplined for leaving training camps, testing positive for cocaine and other alcohol-related incidents. He returned to rugby league in 2004 where he was dogged by more drugs scandals and after a spell with French club Gaillac he was given another chance to shine with the Reds in 2007. The troubled star retired from all rugby in 2008.

George Smith (back row, middle)

Smith made his breakthrough with the Brumbies in 2000, scoring in the final defeat to the Crusaders, and he went on to make his Wallabies debut later the same year. He would make a total of 110 appearances for his country before calling time on his international career in 2010 to spend more time with his family. He retired as the Wallabies' most capped forward, eclipsing the mark of the legendary John Eales, and he is second only to Gregan in the all-time ranks. In 2002, the industrious flanker was named as the first recipient of the John Eales Medal, awarded by the Australian Rugby Union and the Rugby Union Players' Association to their Player of the Year. He captained the Brumbies during the 2007 campaign and became Australia's 75th Test captain when he led the side against Canada at RWC'07.

Joe Roff (front row, second from right)

Roff, who crossed for two tries in Canberra, was a pillar of one of the most successful Australia sides of all time, playing at three Rugby World Cups and helping the Wallabies to the Webb Ellis Trophy in 1999. He also underpinned Tri-Nations titles in 2000 and 2001. The prolific winger notched 30 tries in an international career spanning 1995-2004 including a decisive score in the second Test against the British & Irish Lions in 2001. He was equally impressive in a Brumbies shirt and he shares the record for the most tries in a Super Rugby season - crossing the whitewash 15 times in 1997 - a feat matched by the Crusaders' Rico Gear during the extended 2005 Super 14 season. He spent a season with French side Biarritz in 2001-02, helping them to the Top 14 crown, before returning to the Brumbies and eventually bowing out of the Super Rugby stage for good at the end of their victorious 2004 campaign. His rugby travels then took him to the Kubota Spears in Japan before he embarked on a degree at Oxford University. He was unable to inspire the Dark Blues to success in consecutive Varsity Matches and opted to hang his boots up after his final Twickenham appearance.

Jim Williams (middle row, middle)

Williams began his career as a winger and had an early spell with English side West Hartlepool before embarking on a Super Rugby career with New South Wales and the Waratahs in the more familiar surrounds of the back-row. He was part of Australia's squad for the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens and helped the Wallabies to bronze at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. His full international debut came against Ireland in 1999 and he would go on to claim 14 caps over the following two years before joining the Brumbies later the same year. In 2001, having been over looked by the Wallabies ahead of their showdown with the British & Irish Lions, he made the move north to Irish province Munster where he stayed for six years - first as player, captain and then coach. He returned to Australia in 2008 when Wallabies coach Robbie Deans appointed him as his assistant.

Stephen Larkham (front row, third from right)

One of the greatest players of his or any generation, Larkham was another key figure for the Brumbies and Australia throughout the late 1990s right up to his international retirement following the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He began his Super Rugby and Wallabies career at fullback but it was not until a switch to fly-half that his career came alight. His ability to ghost through defences and his deceptive darting pace proved invaluable throughout his career that included 102 international caps and a Rugby World Cup triumph in 1999. Larkham delivered arguably the defining moment of that tournament with a long range drop goal to beat defending champions South Africa in their semi-final clash. Following their retirement from international and Super Rugby in 2007, Larkham and his long term half-back partner Gregan were honoured for their contribution to the Brumbies with the opening of the Gregan-Larkham Stand at the side's Canberra Stadium home. Larkham continued his playing career with Japan's Ricoh Black Rams where he currently plays.

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