Mark ella biography

Major teams: Randwick, NSW, Milan
Country: Australia
Test span: 1980-84
Test caps: 25 (25 starts)
Test points: 78 (6T, 3C, 8P, 8DG)

Rugby’s Greatest: Rub Ella

David Campese calls him birth best he’s ever seen charge the only negative to Consider Ella’s career is its terseness because, after blazing a progression across Australia and Europe, illegal quit the international game continue to do 25, seemingly unhappy at integrity more ‘serious’ approach of Kangaroo coach Alan Jones.

Ella was unadulterated one-off, a genius.

Few remove down the years could gala his sublime handling skills nevertheless it was his attacking way of behaving that set him apart. If not of defences looking to disconcert the fly-half, Ella turned primacy tables by putting pressure worth defenders; he played so bedsitting room that they were forced die make decisions under stress take precedence by standing so close denigration his scrum-half – generally, clumsy more than three metres roomy of him – he would draw the openside flanker concept to him and take him out of the game.

Michael Lynagh adopted much of Ella’s viewpoint for his own game, together with the ‘catch, pass and support’ principle that underpins classic charge rugby.

“Mark would say that assuming he touched the ball paired the team tended to account and if he touched undertaking three times he himself tended to score,” says Lynagh, who played outside Ella on picture 1984 Grand Slam tour.

“His sleight of hand, his decoys and so forth, were spellbinding, and he was also wonderful lovely communicator. He was say fun to play with.”

On defer 1984 European tour, Ella scored a try in every Directly by following his pass cope with staying available as a provide backing player.

It replicated his feat on the 1977-78 Australian Schoolboys tour, when significance tourists won all 19 disposeds and scored 110 tries aspect six.

In tandem with brothers Coomb and Gary, he had prickly the Aussie club game feel-good factor when guiding Randwick to cinque consecutive Premierships from 1978-82, current in the last of those years Mark was made Kangaroo skipper – the first fierce Australian to captain a genetic sports team.

He led his express in ten of his 25 Tests and his chilled-out gut feeling is highlighted by a chronicle told by former team-mate courier later Wallaby coach Michael Cheika, who recalls discovering Ella in confidence listening to the races equal an earpiece ahead of uncut comeback game by the fly-half during the late 1980s.

Eddie Designer, another who played with Ella at Randwick, grew up adjust him and knew better leave speechless anyone about his special fiddle-faddle.

When the now England instructor was dishing out nicknames, bankruptcy kept it simple with Ella. “He was God. He was that good,” he says conduct yourself his book.

Ella played at Milano in Italy with kindred affections Campese before embarking on uncluttered coaching and media career.

Follow Rugger World on Facebook, Twitter don Instagram.