James Horwill

James Horwill made his debut for the Queensland Reds in the first game of the 2006 Super 14 season against the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium. The match was notable for being Berrick Barnes's debut game for the Reds as well. The Waratahs ended up winning 16-12.

Horwill's run on debut came the following week as the Crusaders thrashed the Reds to the tune of 47-21, also at Suncorp Stadium. For the rest of the season, and two subsequent seasons, he was a mainstay of the Reds' pack. In 2008 Big Kev was a somewhat surprising choice by then Reds coach Phil Mooney to skipper the Reds in a disrupted year in which no less than four different players captained the side (Horwill, Chris Latham, Sam Cordingly and John Roe). The appointment was an immense success with Horwill seemingly curbing his previously ill-disciplined ways and playing at a level he hadn't consistently played previously.

Unfortunately he 2009 season would be delayed because of a foot injury [4] which resulted in him taking some time to reclaim the top form he showed the previous year. In 2010 Horwill was again captain, and again in brilliant form (even though he played v the Tahs at blind-side in the opening S14 game [5]) before a serious leg injury against the Crusaders rubbed him out for the season.

Horwill would prove a mighty and inspirational leader for the QLD Reds in 2011 and played his best rugby in the semi-final against the Blues and then the final v the Crusaders, to help his team to a well-deserved Championship Trophy.

Whilst Horwill toured with the Wallabies on their 2006 Spring Tour, and played three mid-week matches, he would not make his test debut until the 2007 season [6]. Horwill partnered the experienced Dan Vickerman in the lock position as the Wallabies down Fiji to the tune of 49-0 in Perth [7] but would not feature again that year and be a somewhat controversial omission from the 2007 Wallaby RWC squad.

Come the 2008 season and Horwill would start in every test until injury robbed him of his Spring Tour squad position [8]. He was back a year later, 2009, however and was the only Wallaby to start in every test.

Horwill was named captain of the 2011 RWC Wallaby team, displacing the incumbent skipper Rocky Elsom less than a month before the competition began. [9] His first duties as skipper saw him win the Tri-Nations trophy for the Wallabies, for the first time since 2001.