15 Facts About Nathan Sharpe

Nathan Sharpe was born on 26 February 1978 and is a retired professional Australian rugby union player.

Nathan Sharpe began his rugby career at the Queensland Reds in 1999 before joining the newly created Western Force in 2006, where he captained the club until his retirement in 2012.

Nathan Sharpe played 116 test matches for Australia, including 20 as captain.

Nathan Sharpe started playing rugby union upon moving to the Gold Coast, Queensland at age 11.

Nathan Sharpe was selected for the Australian under-21s national side for three years in a row from 1997 to 1999, captaining the team in 1999.

At the age of 18, Nathan Sharpe was chosen in the Queensland Reds senior squad for the 1996 Super 12 competition.

Nathan Sharpe had to wait until 1998 to make his Queensland debut.

Nathan Sharpe gained his first cap for Australia against France in Melbourne in 2002.

Nathan Sharpe passed the 50-cap mark during 2006 with a remarkable sequence of Test appearances: when he was rested for the Test against Fiji in Perth in June 2007 it ended a run of 28 consecutive matches for the Wallabies since 2005.

Nathan Sharpe was recruited by the Force, and became their inaugural team captain.

Nathan Sharpe earned his 100th Test cap against Wales at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where Australia finished in third place.

Nathan Sharpe was persuaded to stay on for the Wallabies matches in the 2012 Rugby Championship and the 2012 end-of-year tour.

Nathan Sharpe won the John Eales Medal for a second time in 2012.

Nathan Sharpe's final match playing for Australia was a win against Wales at Millennium Stadium on 1 December 2012.

Nathan Sharpe is currently a commentator for Network Ten for international games involving Australia.