Pat McCabe (born 21 March 1988) is a former professional

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

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 it ...

player, now Lawyer. He played for the

Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses whi ...

in the

Super Rugby 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 ...

, and Warringah in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, and represented

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

at various age grade levels before a senior debut in 2010. He was a utility player, able to cover inside centre, outside centre, winger or fullback.

Professional rugby career /Lawyer

Early years

McCabe first started out professionally with the

New South Wales Waratahs The New South Wales Waratahs ( or ;), referred to as the Waratahs, are an Australian professional rugby union team representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super Rugby competition. The Riverina and other southern parts of the stat ...

academy in 2006, where he participated on a development tour of

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and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. In 2007, he was selected for the Australian U19's team for the

2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship The International Rugby Board (IRB) awarded the 2007 Under 19 Rugby World Championship to the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Ulster branch hosted it. The Tournament, which took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 4–21 April, ...

. He helped the team's 3rd place in the Championship, after beating Wales 36–14 on 21 April 2007. His eye-catching displays for Australia in the Under-19's, earned himself selection for the

Central Coast Rays Sydney is an Australian rugby union team that competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). Formerly known as Sydney Rays, the team is one of two sides from New South Wales in the competition; the other being the NSW Country Eagles. T ...

in the inaugural and final season of the

Australian Rugby Championship The Australian Rugby Championship, often abbreviated to the ARC and also known as the Mazda Australian Rugby Championship for sponsorship purposes, is a now-defunct domestic professional men's rugby union football competition in Australia, which ...

. He helped the team to a Grand Final victory, beating

Melbourne Rebels The Melbourne Rebels is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Melbourne. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They were the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia, until 20 ...

20–12. McCabe helped the Warringah Rats to the semi-finals of the 2008 (NSW) Shute Shield competition, before signing for the Brumbies in 2009.

2009–10

In 2009 he was selected for the

academy squad, and after impressing on a development tour to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in mid 2009, where he was the Brumbies 'Player of the Tour', he signed a full contract with the franchise for the

2010 Super 14 season The 2010 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2010 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 29 May. The 2010 season was the fifth and last season of the expanded Super 14 format. The schedule, which covers 3½ months, feat ...

. In his debut season, he played every minute of every game that season, the only Brumby to do this, making his Super 14 debut against the Western Force on 12 February during Round 1, where he established himself on the right wing (#14). After just 4 rounds he got a talk up from his coach Andy Friend basically just saying that he was carving it and had the ability to play for the Wallabies. Having been selected for the Australian Sevens team for the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...

, McCabe was forced to put on hold his Wallabies dream. However, he withdrew from the Sevens team due to injury. McCabe was first selected for the

Australia national team Sport is an important part of Australia that dates back to the early colonial period. Australian rules football, rugby league, rugby union, association football, cricket and tennis are among the earliest organised sports in Australia. Sp ...

for the

2010 Tri Nations Series The 2010 Tri Nations Series was the 15th annual Tri Nations (rugby union), Tri Nations series between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand national rugby union team, New Zealand, Australia national rugby union team, Australia and South A ...

– though he did not have any game time during the tournament. He was re-selected for the Wallabies for the 2010 tour of Europe; including test matches against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

, plus additional uncapped matches against

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

and

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following t ...

. He made his first appearance for the Wallabies against the Leicester Tigers, playing at Outside Centre, reappearing in the same position against Munster. However, his first test cap came against Italy, as a late substitute for

Adam Ashley-Cooper Adam Ashley-Cooper (born 27 March 1984) is a former Australian rugby union player who last played for the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR). He has won 121 caps for Australia, the third most of any Australia player at the time of his ret ...

at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence.

2011–12

In 2011, the new 15-team format began, and McCabe continued his great form into the 2011 season. He started in 13 matches in that season, scoring just 3 tries. His impressive form for the Brumbies earned McCabe a call-up to the Wallabies squad for the match against

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. This was McCabe's first start in the Wallabies jersey, however the match is heavily remembered as Samoa's first ever victory over the Wallabies, winning 32–23 at the

ANZ Stadium ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand * ...

. Despite this, he went on to play every match of the

2011 Tri Nations Series The 2011 Tri Nations Series was the sixteenth annual Tri Nations rugby union series between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, respectively nicknamed the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks. It was also ...

, helping the Wallabies secure just their third Tri-nations title. McCabe was part of the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South ...

squad in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

, where he made his World Cup debut against Italy playing at Inside Centre, in a 32–5 victory at

North Harbour Stadium North Harbour Stadium is a stadium situated in Albany, in North Shore City, New Zealand. It was opened in 1997, after nearly a decade of discussion, planning and construction. Rugby union, association football, rugby league, and baseball are ...

. He became a consistent starter under Head-Coach

Robbie Deans Robert Maxwell Deans (born 4 September 1959) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player, currently the head coach of Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights. He was head coach of the Australian national team between 2008 and 2013. Deans ha ...

and featured in the same position in his second and third games versus

and the

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respectively. But an injury sustained the USA match, force McCabe to withdraw from the squad and was not expected to take any further part in the World Cup. But despite damaging his shoulder, McCabe returned just two weeks later as one of the key figures of Australia’s epic 11–9 shut-out of the defending champions South Africa in the tournament quarter-final. Incredibly, he then topped the team tackle count again a week later against New Zealand in the semi-final, despite being on the field for just the opening 47 minutes of the game, before his shoulder finally gave way and off-season surgery was required. Under the new leadership of

Jake White Jake White (born 13 December 1963 as ''Jacob Westerduin'') is a professional rugby union coach and former coach of the South African national team – the ''Springboks'' – whom he coached to victory in 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Tri ...

, McCabe started every match of the

2012 Super Rugby season The 2012 Super Rugby season was the second season of the current 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involves teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as FxPro Super R ...

. He helped the team secure seventh in the Overall Standings with 58 points, narrowly behind the sixth

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 ...

with 59 points. His skills on field and leadership off the field, saw McCabe became a new member of the Wallabies Test-team leadership group, along with another new member, Rebels centre

James O'Connor James O'Connor may refer to: Politics and law * James O'Connor (Louisiana politician) (1870–1941), U.S Representative from Louisiana * James F. O'Connor (1878–1945), U.S Representative from Montana * James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor (1886–1 ...

. The groups' other three members are:

Will Genia Sanchez William Genia (born 17 January 1988) is a professional rugby union player, currently playing scrum-half for the Kintetsu Liners in Japan. He had previously played Super Rugby for the Queensland Reds (2007–2015) and Melbourne Rebels ( ...

James Horwill James Horwill (born 29 May 1985) is an Australian former rugby union player, who has played for the Australian national side, with 61 caps to his name. He captained the Wallabies a number of times, including during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Hor ...

, and

David Pocock David Willmer Pocock (born 23 April 1988) is an Australian politician and former professional rugby union player. Raised in Gweru, Zimbabwe, Pocock moved to Australia as a teenager and played for the Australia national rugby team. He played p ...

. The group meets with Wallabies coaching and managerial staff to discuss team strategy, planning and off-field logistics. He began this role during the

2012 Rugby Championship The 2012 Rugby Championship was the inaugural annual rugby union series between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina. For sponsorship reasons, the competition was known as ''The Castle Rugby Cham ...

, where he played in just 3 matches out of the possible 6. He continued on with this role during the

2012 European tour The 2012 European Tour was the fourth edition of the Race to Dubai and the 41st season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The season comprised 45 tournaments counting for the Race to Dubai, including the four ...

, where he suffered a premature end to the year, due to a cervical fracture in his neck, sustained during the opening Test of the Spring Tour against France in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

2013–14

Despite his neck injury in late 2012, and numerous suggestions of retirement, McCabe was determined to recover and continue on with Rugby. He returned to professional rugby on 5 April, during Round 8 of the

2013 Super Rugby season The 2013 Super Rugby season was the third season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The tournament was won by the Chiefs, who defeated the Canberra-based Brum ...

. He then played the next six matches in hope of being selected for the Wallabies squad that would face the

British and 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 ...

. On 10 June, McCabe was named in the 31-man squad, and on 20 June he was named on the bench for the first test at

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

. He made his appearance just 1 minute into the game, when starting Inside Centre

Christian Lealiifano Christian Leali'ifano (born 24 September 1987), is an Australian professional rugby player. He is of Samoan heritage, and his surname is spelled Leali'ifano when using Samoan diacritics. He currently plays for Moana Pasifika in the Super Rug ...

was replaced due to a heavy collision with Lions center Jonathan Davies. Though, McCabe was only on the pitch for 45 minutes, when he reinjured the same part of his neck that he did in 2012, a end of year injury. Through the injury, McCabe was unable to take part in the

2013 Super Rugby Final The 2013 Super Rugby final was contested on 3 August 2013 by the Canberra-based Brumbies and Hamilton-based Chiefs. The Chiefs won 27–22 to give them their second consecutive Super Rugby title. The match was the last of the 2013 Super Rugby ...

between the Brumbies and Chiefs - that match was won by the Chiefs 27–22. McCabe returned to Rugby on 22 February 2014, round 2 of the

2014 Super Rugby season The 2014 Super Rugby season is the fourth season of the 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in ...

. He played in 17 out of 18 matches that season, helping the team to an Australian derby semi-final against the eventual champions

. His form throughout the 2014 Super Rugby Season, saw McCabe selected for the first time by Ewen McKenzie, where he played twice of the bench during the French Test Series. He was then reselected for the 2014 Rugby Championship, playing on the wing (#14) in the opening two rounds against the All Blacks. However, during the second round, he was replaced at the 62-minute, following a third neck injury that he picked up in 2012 and 2013. Then on 28 August, Pat McCabe confirmed his retirement saying "it wasn't a particularly hard decision" after breaking his neck for the third time in less than two years.Pat McCabe confirms his retirement
/ref>

2016–current

In December 2016 Pat "Patty" McCabe was admitted as a Lawyer in the ACT. That same year he joined MinterEllison as a Lawyer in the Commercial and Regulatory team. In 2018 Pat made the second biggest decision of his career, and moved into the Capital Markets and Corporate team.

Honours

Representative Honours * Australian Schoolboys – 2005 * Australia Under-19's – 2007 * Australian Sevens team – 2010 Trophies/Honors *

Mandela Challenge Plate The Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate is a rugby union trophy contested between Australia and South Africa. It is named after South Africa's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela. History Initially designed to be held every two ...

** Winners: 2010, 2011, 2012 *

Puma Trophy The Puma Trophy () is an international rugby union competition between Argentina and Australia. The trophy is a bronzed statue of a puma. Argentina and Australia first played against each other in 1979 and the trophy itself was established in 2 ...

** Winners: 2012 *

James Bevan Trophy The James Bevan Trophy is a rugby union trophy which was created in 2007, and named after James Bevan, the Welsh Australian who was the first ever captain of the Wales rugby union team in 1881. The trophy was established after a decision on 10 May ...

** Winners: 2012 * Trophée des Bicentenaires ** Winners: 2014 ** 2017–2018: Committee member of the Junior Professional Committee (JPC), MinterEllison Canberra. 2018 Highlights * Presented alongside Michael Brennan on the topic "A Government Lawyer's Guide to Contract Boilerplate." * Special mention in FNU (Friday News Update), MinterEllison publication. * Guest Speaker on LawyersWeekly Podcast. Please enjoy here: https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/podcast/24331-podcast-pat-mccabe-s-journey-from-the-rugby-field-to-a-law-firm

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCabe, Pat 1988 births Australia international rugby union players Australian people of Irish descent Australian rugby union players ACT Brumbies players Living people People educated at St Aloysius' College (Sydney) Rugby union centres Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union players from Sydney Australia international rugby sevens players Male rugby sevens players Commonwealth Games medallists in rugby sevens Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players of Australia Rugby sevens players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia