Elton Flatley (born 7 May 1977,

Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-western region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River (New South Wales), Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest ...

) is a former

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

international International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

footballer. He played for the

Queensland Reds The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team for the Australian state of Queensland that competes in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996, they were a representative team selected from the rugby union club competition ...

Career

Flatley was educated at St. Joseph's Nudgee College where he was signed into the professional ranks of

upon graduating. He made his debut for the

in 1996, the inaugural season of the

Super 12 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

, at the very young age of 18 against New Zealand side, Highlanders. In 1997, he made his international debut for

, playing against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

on 15 November, aged 20. The game was a 15–15 draw. Flatley was again in the team for the next game against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, which Australia won. In 2001, he was a member of the Wallabies team that won the test series against the

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

during the 2001 tour to Australia. Flatley figured prominently in Australia's

2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...

campaign, going right to the final against

and scoring the penalty that took the match to extra time, then another penalty which evened the scores at 17-17 before England ultimately prevailed. He finished the tournament as the third highest point score, scoring 100 points for Australia. In April 2004, Flatley reached another milestone, becoming the youngest player ever to reach 100 caps for the

when he led the side out against the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

. Flatley prematurely retired from all forms of rugby on 16 March 2006, on medical advice as he was suffering from continued blurred vision due to a number of concussions.

Personal life

Flatley has two children with his wife, whom he separated from in 2007. In 2006 he was a contestant on '' Australian Celebrity Survivor: Vanuatu''.

Post retirement

Flatley works as a promotional speaker, and works in the finance industry. He also worked for a period for the

Australian Rugby Union Rugby Australia Ltd, previously named the Australian Rugby Union Limited and Australian Rugby Football Union Limited, is an Australian company operating the premier rugby union competition in Australia and teams. It has its origins in 1949. It ...

(now known as

Rugby Australia Rugby Australia Ltd, previously named the Australian Rugby Union Limited and Australian Rugby Football Union Limited, is an Australian company operating the premier rugby union competition in Australia and teams. It has its origins in 1949. It ...

) as a consultant.

References

External links

Elton Flatley retirement announcement
smh.com.au; accessed 11 April 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Flatley, Elton 1977 births Australian rugby union players Australia international rugby union players Queensland Reds players Living people Rugby union centres Rugby union fly-halves Australian Survivor contestants Rugby union players from New South Wales