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The day George Gregan finally broke Justin Marshall
It’s a long-standing tradition in rugby union – the gobby scrumhalf. Yet even in the hallowed pantheon of mouthy international halfbacks, former Wallabies nine George Gregan may just occupy a seat all of his own.
A pest to beat all pests, his back and forth relationship with fellow voluble halfback Justin Marshall, over the course of their overlapping careers, would eventually bloom into a lasting friendship.
But there were times when Gregan pushed his New Zealander counterpart to the very limits.
Writing in his column for TheXV.rugby, Marshall has shed light on the day Gregan’s non-stop verbal barrage finally broke him during a match in Wellington.
“I remember well the time George Gregan finally broke me.
“It had been about seven years in the making and it happened during a horrible, wet and cold test in Wellington.
“We were good mates then of course, and are still, despite being typically competitive halfbacks at constant loggerheads at the highest level.
“The thing is, George liked to talk his way around a rugby field. He would narrate every breakdown and call out every opposition player’s transgression – real or imagined.
“It’s funny when you think about it because I was the one who would later get the job as a television commentator but with George it was a way of telling the referee exactly what the issues were and exactly why the Wallabies were being wronged; which was most of the time if not all of it.
“When there is a constant stream of commentary along the lines of: “they’re offside, he’s off his feet, he’s not releasing”, it has the dual effect of reminding players they may be in the wrong and reminding referees they are under intense scrutiny.
“It also gets under opposing players’ skins. It certainly did mine. George knew all of this of course and had honed his strategy to increasingly annoying perfection.
“Anyway, during this test in Wellington, George shouted something about an All Black forward at a breakdown and, what do you know, the Wallabies were awarded a penalty. “Yes, yes, yes!” he said to the ref, along with the classic “he’s been doing it all day!”.
“That was it for me. I broke, and said “George, would you shut the f*** up”. It was the worst thing I could do. “Oh Marshy”, he said. “What’s wrong mate? Are you upset mate? Look boys, Marshy’s upset!” Suitably encouraged, the commentary then resumed louder and longer than ever.
“People have often asked how we became such good mates and it’s no secret – we had a lot in common and we saw a lot of each other.”
Aswell as a friendship, Gregan had Marshall’s unfaltering respect.
“On the pitch he was very driven – whether it was for the Brumbies, Toulon or Australia. That, combined with his excellent core skillset, was why he played 139 tests and had such longevity in the game – 14 years at the top level.
“I remember the day in 2007 when he announced his retirement. I thought it would never come.
“We played a different style, he and I. George was a great manipulator of defences and was superb at putting players into space – his synergy with Owen Finegan was excellent.
“He was a very good support runner too, and a good lateral defender. He got to an endless number of breakdowns and was faultless – he hardly made an error.
“When I think about our great mate Joost van der Westhuizen, the Springboks halfback sadly no longer with us, Joost could have an off day but within the space of a few seconds he could break you apart and score a try from nowhere.
“He could step out of a ruck and put up a chip kick and score from it. With George you got the same every time.
“If I was asked to describe my own style, I’d say I was somewhere in the middle of those two. I was a bit more combative and was happy to carry the ball – I liked to challenge defenders myself.
“I could also have quieter games – something a very vocal George Gregan could never be accused of having.
“He was an annoying pest as an opponent while simultaneously being one of my best mates, and, at the highest level of sport, that’s a pretty unique and special thing, I reckon.”
To read the full article, get over to TheXV.rugby for this and many more premium articles from some of the game’s biggest names and thinkers.
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
65 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments