Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Stirling Mortlock wins it for the Wallabies in 2000

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Stirling Mortlock wins it for the Wallabies in 2000

Last weekend we saw Wallaby Stirling Mortlock kick the crucial winning kick for the Brumbies against the Crusaders in the Super 14. Mortlock called on all his years of experience in international rugby, reminding us of another huge moment in his career, way back in 2000.

It was the Tri Nations nine years back and Australia visited Durban hoping for their first series victory, and an away win against the Springboks.

Making his debut in the same year, Stirling Mortlock had a brilliant first season for the Wallabies, breaking numerous records including becoming the fastest Australian to reach 50 and 100 Test points, scoring the most points and highest number of penalties in his first five Tests, and making history by becoming the first Australian to score 20 points of more in four consecutive internationals.

It was his composure under pressure though that was truly tested in this famous match, as with time almost up, the Wallabies looked to be out of it after a massive Braam Van Straaten penalty.

They snuck in the backdoor though as referee Paul Honiss awarded a penalty close to the sideline. Up stepped the young Mortlock, with his full head of hair and skinny frame, but with the same coolness we saw against the Crusaders recently. He slotted the kick, breaking the hearts of the Springboks and the Kingspark faithful, but sending the Wallaby players and fans into raptures.

"I was not thinking about the championship, just the match. I have been in that situation several times and missed during the last couple of years," Mortlock modestly stated afterwards.

The win secured the visitors the Tri-Nations crown, with the special moment being a stand out highlight in Mortlock's highly successful career thus far.

Time: 03:12

I don't like how he kicks, but he was colder than Hook

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2009 8:05 pm
He missed the one against England at RWC07 thou :P.
Funny how muted the SA commentators were, if that had been Aussie commentators they would have been in raptures!!

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2009 8:19 pm
missed an important one against england!!

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2009 9:09 pm
look at the size difference now and then! combined with the hair loss hes almost unrecognisable

By Anonymous, at March 05, 2009 10:34 pm
hate mortlock..but damn his good..great kick great player.thanks RD

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 9:05 am
He has bulked up since then. Though the years have shown their effect.

I wonder what he's eating...cos I want some of that! lol

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 9:12 am
No questioning the fact that he's a "closer" to borrow a baseball term. Great player simply because he can do everything: tackle, run hard, stay up in the tackle, kick, and good positioning.

Bastard...

By Kerivoula, at March 06, 2009 11:04 am
Never knew he used to play on the wing...or have hair. I just thought he'd always been bald for some reason!

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 12:10 pm
when u look at mortlock in 2000 and now, u perfecly understand creatine effects..

By Flooz, at March 06, 2009 1:22 pm
I have a mate who used to play for one of the Wasps lower teams and he reckons Haskell used to be a skinny runt, got told to put on some bulk and a year later came back stacked, obviously due to creatine and various other supplements. It's rife, you'd probably be lucky to find a player who doesn't use it except for the naturally bulky lads.

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 3:07 pm
look at the saffa forwards..naturally big oaks..no juice involved there.

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 3:12 pm
to quote the alternative rugby commentary on schalk 'just look the size of him!....no steroids used there at all'

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 3:21 pm
Wow, Mortlock has put on about 3 stone in muscle since then!!

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 3:30 pm
colder than Hook?? you actually compared James Hook to the Aussie wizard mortlock? (sorry, I got a big problem with the welsh)

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 4:32 pm
Creatine? Try HGH. Creatine doesn't make your head bigger too.

John Eales = GOAT

Greatest Of All Time

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 6:12 pm
Holy shit he had hair!

By Anonymous, at March 06, 2009 11:14 pm
Players are generally bigger as a rule now, than they were in 2000.
That wasn't all that long after the game went properly profesional, the whole sports science aspect of it hadn't been fully applied. Now players spend alot more time in the gym.

By Anonymous, at March 07, 2009 3:37 am
Anonymous, I think the James Hook comparison might have something to with the fact that he kicked two conversions from a very similiar position on the field to win against England in 2008. And those were both vital, pressured kicks.
As you should be able to admit (even if u hate the Welsh) that both must have a similiar ability to keep cool.

By Dune, at March 07, 2009 9:16 pm
Amazing player, world class... BUT... any Brumbies fan will know that his kicking is not exactly metronome. He tends to hook heavily, with the RWC07 miss against England an obvious one. In the same year as this video during the Super 12 Final in Canberra, Mortlock kicked 2 from his first 6 chances and the Brumbies lost to the Crusaders by 1. During this Tri-Nations decider there were a lot of people doubting his chances on this kick, but in the end he made up for the Super 12 Final.

By Anonymous, at March 08, 2009 10:35 am
"As you should be able to admit (even if u hate the Welsh) that both must have a similiar ability to keep cool"
Yeah, I only meant kicking not loose play or anything else

By Anonymous, at March 08, 2009 3:54 pm
wizard?? the guy is just a big lump who is a typical big headed aussie and he has obviously been on the roids!! rubbish

By Anonymous, at March 09, 2009 8:50 am
Ha, yeah he's put on alot of muscle over a ten year period and so he must be on 'riods.
That is so typically Australian, to do 'riods and have a big lumpy head. Loads of lumpy, big headed steroid abusers wandering Bondi Beach, being rubbish.
You've hit the nail on the head.
You idiot.

By Anonymous, at March 09, 2009 11:37 am
I see you have been to bondi beach then? Ha ha, hit a nerve?!

By Anonymous, at March 11, 2009 11:33 am
England showed how little mortlock can play rugby in the 07 rwc, if he cant go straight up the middle then hes not much use. If you really believe that pro rugby players are not on performance enhancing drugs then you are very simple and i feel sorry for you. Mortlock is a confidence player, being 'big headed' or confident is his best attribute, so read the post correctly before you comment next time. IDIOT

By Anonymous, at March 11, 2009 11:55 am
Yeah, Mortlock is on steroids cuz you say so. Nice detective work there, Sherlock.
England? Yeah, Flutey really showed Mortlock in November.
England are shite.
I'm still laughing at the image of hundreds of Mortlock clones, stumbling around Bondi, doing steroids.
The sad truth is that Bondi is a shit beach, with crap waves and it's full of pasty backpackers from England and Ireland, getting sunburnt and trying not to drown in Backpackers' Rip.

By Anonymous, at March 12, 2009 1:08 pm