Peter Betham

Peter Betham
Full name Peter Betham
Date of birth 6 January 1989
Place of birth Wellington, New Zealand
Height 192 cm (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight 98 kg (15 st 6 lb)
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position Full-Back / Wing
Professional / senior clubs
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2015- Leicester Tigers 0 (0)
Provincial/State sides
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2012
2014		 Tasman
Sydney Stars		 9
1		 (25)
(0)
correct as of 9 October 2012.
Super Rugby
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2008–09
2010
2011
2012–15		 Brumbies
Waratahs
Rebels
Waratahs		 0
0
8
27		 (0)
(0)
(5)
(55)
correct as of 18 April 2015.
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2013– Australia 2 (5)
correct as of 13 September 2014.

Peter Betham (born 6 January 1989) is a professional rugby union player. He currently plays for the NSW Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition but will move to Leicester Tigers once the 2015 Super Rugby Season finishes after signing in April 2015. He is also a representative player for Australia in international rugby matches. His usual position is wing or fullback.[1]

Family and early career

Betham was born in Wellington, New Zealand to parents of Samoan heritage. His family moved to Australia and he was brought up in Sydney where he started playing rugby with the Coogee Randwick Wombats club at the age of 10.[2] He played high school rugby for St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill located on Sydney's Lower North Shore.[3] He became friends with St. Joseph's team mate Kurtley Beale and for two years the pair backed up with Kensington in the South Sydney junior rugby league competition.[4] Having attended a public primary school, Peter represented Sydney East PSSA at the State Championships in 2001 at Kiama. His team mate Rob Horne and Peter went on to represent NSW PSSA that year.

Betham played for NSW Schools in the 2005 National U16 Championship. He subsequently played for the Australia A Schools team that went on to beat New Zealand. In 2006 Betham toured Fiji and New Zealand with the Australian Schoolboys team.[5]

In 2007 he played rugby while studying American history at Sydney University,[4] and was selected in the Australian U19 Rugby World Championship squad.[6] He also became a holder of an Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) scholarship, one of 26.[7][8]

Rugby union career

Betham played for the Brumbies in the Super 14 competition,[9][10] but injuries kept him off the field until mid 2009 when he rejoined Sydney University[11] where he helped the club win the Sydney competition that year.[12]

In 2010 he continued to play for Sydney Uni, and trained with the Waratahs' squad, as an "unsigned winger"[13] and played in several Tahs' pre-season games.[14][15]

In March 2010 Betham signed with the Melbourne Rebels for the 2011 Super Rugby season,[16] with Rebels assistant coach Damian Hill describing him as "one of the most dynamic and athletic young backs" in Australian rugby.[9]

He spent 2011 in Victoria before returning to NSW. In February 2012 Betham was named to play on the wing in the Tahs' pre-season match against Tonga.[17]

In April 2015 Betham signed for Leicester Tigers. He will join them after the 2015 Super Rugby season finishes mid-2015.[18]

References

[18]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Peter Betham". rugby.com.au. Australian Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "Peter Betham". Ultimate Rugby. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "National U16 Championship - Day 1 Results (Afternoon)". Australian Rugby Union. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Geddes, Jon (5 April 2007). "Betham poised to make his mark". Daily Telegraph. News Limited. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  5. ↑ "New Zealand Schools too strong for valiant Australians". 10 October 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "Peter Betham". ARU Player Profile. Australian Rugby Union. 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "AIS rugby union scholarship holders announced" (Press release). Australian Sports Commission. 7 March 2007. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  8. ↑ "Peter Betham profile". Australian Institute of Sport. Australian Sports Commission. 2010. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Melbourne Rebels land trio of signings". Herald Sun. News Limited. 3 April 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  10. ↑ "Rebels announce three new Super 15 signings". Super XV. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  11. ↑ "Peter Betham profile". Melbourne Rebels. 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  12. ↑ "Trio sign with Rebels". Sportal. Sportal Australia. 3 April 2010. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  13. ↑ Guinness, Rupert (5 February 2010). "Tahs take the spoils, but it wasn't pretty". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  14. ↑ "Halangahu to captain Waratahs in Lismore trial". Super 15. Sports Digital. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  15. ↑ Warren, Adrian (3 February 2010). "Star Waratahs and Brumbies recruits to miss final trials". Daily Telegraph. News Limited.
  16. ↑ Smith, Wayne (15 March 2010). "Adam Freier on brink of southern shift as Rebels set for signing spree". Australian. News Limited. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  17. ↑ "Ashley-Cooper named for Waratahs trial". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Tigers agree move for Australia wing Betham". Leicester Tigers. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.

External links