Paul
An athletic and powerful player, Jeremy Paul is considered to have been one of the best hookers in the game.
Jeremy Paul
With his impressive mobility, his natural abilities and his revered support play, Jeremy Paul is considered by many to have been one of the best hookers in rugby union. He played at both club and country level, primarily within his chosen home nation of Australia.
Born in Hamilton, New Zealand in March 1977, Jeremy Paul moved to Australia as a teenager with his family and began playing rugby during his schooling at Capalaba High School, just south of Brisbane. He signed his first official contract in 1998, joining ACT Brumbies and he would go on to remain with the side throughout the majority of his domestic career.
Jeremy Paul became a firm fan favourite at Brumbies and in total made over 100 appearances, earning numerous accolades. These included double-figure numbers of ‘Man of the Match’ performances, as well as titles in 2001 and 2004. He now features in the all-time Brumbies XV and is a part of the exclusive ‘100 Club’. In May 2007 he signed with Gloucester, but only made a handful of appearances before retiring from the game the following year.
On the international stage, Jeremy Paul made his substitute debut for the Wallabies in 1998, getting his first test cap against Scotland. The same year he competed in the 3-0 series victory against New Zealand and became a firm fixture on the Australia team sheet. He was also part of the World Cup winning squad of 1999.
At one stage Jeremy Paul was the most-capped Wallaby hooker of all time and by the time he gained his 72nd and final cap for Australia he had an overall win rate of 71%. He also played against the British & Irish Lions in the series win in 2000 and in 2005 was awarded the coveted John Eales Medal.
Following his retirement, Jeremy Paul is still involved in the game and is a regular speaker and pundit for a number of Australian sports channels.
