Rob Horne
Outside Centre
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Profile
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Height:
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186cm
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Weight:
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92kg
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Date Of Birth:
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15/08/1989
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Place of Birth:
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Greenacre, NSW
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Rugby Career
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Senior Club:
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Southern Districts
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Stats
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Provincial Rugby Caps:
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56
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Provincial Rugby Points:
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55 (11t)
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Provincial Rugby Debut:
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2008 v ACT Brumbies
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Super Rugby Caps:
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56
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Super Rugby Points:
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55 (11t)
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Super Rugby Debut:
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2008 v ACT Brumbies
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Test Rugby Caps:
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14
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Test Rugby Points:
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15 (3t)
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Test Rugby Debut:
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2010 v Fiji
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Rob Horne will be back in action in 2013 after being forced to miss the Wallabies' Spring Tour after sustaining a hamstring injury whilst helping his club Southern Districts to a semi final victory in the Shute Shield.
Known as a hard-running, pacy outside-centre with an aggressive attitude to defence, Rob made his HSBC Waratahs debut against the Brumbies in his first year out of school at just 18 years of age and went on to score a try in his run on debut against the Western Force in Perth later that season.
His first year with the HSBC Waratahs saw the side reach the 2008 Super Rugby final and provided a spring board for the newcomer to go on to represent Australia in both Sevens and at the Under-20 World Cup later that same year. A second Under-20 World Cup appearance followed in 2009, with the international experience helping to lay the foundation for his introduction to full Test ranks. Had it not been for injury, that honour may have come sooner.
Plagued by a horror run of injuries since his Super 14 debut, in 2009 Horne was forced home from his first Wallaby Tour to Japan and Europe, sustaining a hamstring injury whilst training in Tokyo. He made it back the following season, making his Test debut against Fiji in Canberra.
After starting in all of the Wallabies June Test matches, Horne looked to have his spot sewn up, starting the opening two Tests of the 2010 Tri Nations before an elbow injury forced him to withdraw from the rest of the series. The injury cruelly re-surfaced playing against the Crusaders during the 2011 Super Rugby season, restricting him to just three NSW appearances. Back to fitness, his enormous talent was evident in his selection for Australia’s Rugby World Cup squad. Despite sustaining a facial fracture in the first collision of his tournament debut against the United States, he played on courageously for the first 47 minutes of the game, scoring the opening try of the Test. Fortunately he recovered in time for the tournament playoffs where he underlined his value with 18 minutes off the bench in the semi-final against New Zealand and then 71 minutes of the Bronze Medal final against Wales.
Sound defensively, Horne brings great pace and attacking thrust to the NSW and Wallabies midfield. He also has exhibited good awareness of his surrounds, invariably linking up with supporting runners to ensure that breaks are capitalized on.
Before forging his name for himself and a regular position in both the NSW and Australian midfield, it was as a schoolboy at George’s River College in Oatley that his talent was first recognised with selection to the Australian Schoolboys side.
Following a consistent season for the HSBC Waratahs in 2012, Horne became the Wallabies first-choice outside centre by being selected to start in all three of the Wallabies Test matches against Wales, scoring two tries.
A chance to return to club rugby and help his Southern Districts team mates reach the club’s first ever Premiership Grand Final ended in mixed emotions, when a torn hamstring sustained in the qualifying final win over Manly prevented him from taking part in the Grand Final and ruled him out of action for the remainder for the rest of the Wallabies’ season.
Born in the Bankstown suburb of Greenacre, Horne joined Southern Districts straight out of school and has represented the club at every level since. Although still a regular in The Shire where he brought up, he now lives a little closer to the team’s Moore Park base, in Kensington.
Outside rugby, Rob is currently studying his Graduate Certificate in Commerce at Sydney University. He has completed both his Cert III in Fitness at the Australian Institute of Fitness and a Diploma of Business from the Australian Vocational Training Academy.
Updated May 21, 2013