David Campese - The Wizard of Oz

Like Danie Gerber, Jonah Lomu, Brian O' Driscoll and Jonny Wilkinson, David Campese is a once in a lifetime player. Some fans will say his form over the years has been erratic, but I don't agree. He was a genius who pushed the boundaries and always tried something new on attack. Sometimes it worked (the goose step) and sometimes it didn't work (that fatal pass against the Lions in '89), but the fact remains he was one of a kind.
I rate him together with Danie Gerber as the two greatest attacking players ever.
Campo could cut up defenses like few before or after him.
We pay homage to the great man, Campo.
Enjoy the video and thanks for watching!

[@BarkerT]

The hands, the step, the pace, the positional play, the party tricks and the derring do. A player who looked like he enjoyed the game and the possibilities it presented. One of a kind.

[@richardb6844]

well said and it seems like all that flair has been coached out of them these days

[@tiekumark]

Before Jonah Lomu came onto the scene. This guy was my Idol as a 12 year old. The Zinadine Zidane of rugby. Just beautifully balanced runner and imaginative player

[@aaronbarlow4376]

I'm a Kiwi and I love Campo. Such a fluid runner and a great sidestep.

[@chrishooper8260]

David Campese. My goodness with time how they are forgotten. Better than anything around today. As with the league players of yesteryear the Rugby Union players also much better than today. They were Dead set skillfully footballers. Not just athletes. Much better sport back then.

[@Broonzied]

What a great set of backs Oz had back then. Campo the icing, but Horan and Little outstanding also.

[@walt3299]

What a great combination that was.

[@ayamnaubaudi6936]

I was a French kid in the 80's and had only eyes for Blanco, Sella, Charvet and Lagisquet (the best backs France ever had) but I can remember how amazing Campese was. He had it all and was my one and only foreign hero.

[@RhythmicEye]

Dead Man Walking ahh yes the great names of French rugby. I loved watching Australia v France in the 80s, tough hard men in the forwards and the most extraordinary skills in the backs. Both teams were exciting to watch. Golden days of rugby I think

[@Fuzcapp]

@@RhythmicEye Especially golden when Sella flattened Fitzsimons.

[@RhythmicEye]

Just reading the name of the great Phillipe Sella makes want to binge watch 80's rugby clips on YT

[@groberts2618]

@@Fuzcapp Aah, anyone that flattens FitzSimmons is a friend of mine!

[@stanfamily4938]

My god you named some French champions there from the eighties, I grew up in Tasmania and only played fullback because of Blanco. I loved him they thought I was crazy when I started to wear bisekel shorts, just loved his carefree attitude

[@paulc9516]

That back line for Oz. Has there ever been better?

[@anthonyhoey6394]

I went to see leinster play Australia when the Aussies toured ireland and Wales in 1992,the leinster game was their first match of the tour and they played 13 of their world cup winning team from the year before,I remember sitting in the old West stand in Landowne Rd and I remember a high ball been kicked towards campos wing,he backed peddled and caught the ball over his head and I thought wow and it had rained earlier so it was a greasy ball,and then he side stepped the oncoming defender and threw a twenty five metre pass straight into the bread basket of Jason Little,I was witnessing a truely talented guy,he possessed everything you'd want in a rugby player,a once in a generation player,it was a privilege to see him play,greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪.

[@EnricoduPlessis]

My favourite rugby player of all times, despite the fact that he is not a Springbok. Had the honour of meeting him on a domestic flight while he was part of the coaching staff for the Sharks. I actually mentioned the fact that as a youngster I used to idolise him. Pleasantly surprised by the great man's humility, honesty and humble demeanor, not to mention his frank opinions and deep knowledge of the game without ever coming across as arrogant. Respect!

[@RealRugby]

Looooved Campo. One of my all time favourite players as well

[@Fuzcapp]

I met him once and he actually seemed quite shy.

[@matthewmahony9165]

He came from my home town. Queanbeyan NSW. One of the greatest rugby players of all time.

[@EnricoduPlessis]

@@Fuzcapp He is a very humble man and a great ambassador for Australia.

[@Ulbre]

Yeah, he was Sharks coach for the Currie Cup side (as opposed to the Super Rugby side), they hadn't won the comp since 96 and were cellars dwellers when he came in, 3 years later 2008 they were champs once more :)

[@tonyantmann5635]

What a privilege watching him play club rugby at Randwick oval. He would serve his hips, the defence would edge the wrong way ever so slightly and suddenly a gap appeared and he would turn on the afterburners. Whoosh! The entire grandstand would rise. He seemed to skim over the ground. Opposing fullbacks were like traffic cones at training. And people forget how far he could kick a ball. Dare not kick to his wing because he would swoop it up and kick it back 20 metres over your head and then be racing after it like a thoroughbred. Just an amazing athlete.

[@TGHTLAB]

He is my hero. I used to watch his play of VHS video tape hundred times with my teammates in Janaese university.

[@thomasoloughlin9075]

What a talent one of the greats of rugby

[@joelmaateka2977]

He broke my heart when they demolished the All Blacks but his brilliance was undeniable and along with their backline they brought something beautiful to the game.

[@Fuzcapp]

The 1991 RWC Semi final?

[@RatelHBadger]

​@@Fuzcappjust the early 90's in general. You knew if you gave them space out wide with Campo around, you're in trouble.

[@theephraimite]

Kirwan and Campese, two of my favorite non-Polynesian wings.

[@matthewobrien2066]

The best Wallaby winger I have ever seen. Been here 50 years.

[@andrewwatts8485]

Loved watching this guy.. freakishly good

[@ksriddell1512]

Very special player! Loved watching him play when i was a kid.

[@gordonkemp1620]

Easily, by a long chalk & a side-step, my favourite player of all-time. Campo = Magician.

[@taraishot100]

David campese was a good player man he pretty much made the goose step popular as a kiwi kid he reeked havoc against the All Blacks

[@nathanmaier5814]

The other day this guy came and coached my footy team and it was the best time ever

[@jasonwaara3395]

What a rugby legend.

[@iamawareiam]

pai ra tena e hoa, a legend

[@stevethea5250]

@@iamawareiam is he dead?

[@apolloton1]

@@stevethea5250 No

[@igolfjtweetler4097]

Best rugby back I saw as a youngster along with Danie Gerber.

[@stevenhardy2008]

Simply can't beat class. Arrogant cocky but was able to back it up always a sign of quality 👏

[@petefrench4198]

...no not always. Unpredictable, and phuqued up a lot of situations. Lost some tests all on his own. LOL!!!!!!

[@chrisbuesnell3428]

I never saw arrogance in him

[@davidmcnulty8181]

@@chrisbuesnell3428 🤣

[@rangidalglish4743]

Campo, the Ella brothers, Moon and Papworth. Backline play sublime. Our schoolboy First IX strategy was modelled on the Aussies. From an All Black fan.

[@brendanpage3369]

Moon and Papworth? Did you mean Horan and Little?

[@johncolwell2188]

mean First XV? IX is 9.

[@dukatikiddukatikid7358]

Love or hate the guy when he burst onto the scene in the early 80s he revolutionised the wingers role,genuine pace,slight of hand with the ball,great sidestep and of course the “goose step” Only problem was he could be a turnstile in defence a little too much.

[@AlbionTarkhan]

Imagine celebrating a try by just shaking hands these days.

[@gordonmonaghan133]

One of my all time heroes (Englishman)

[@sematagi9291]

One of the best Wallaby teams of all time, if I may say so as a Kiwi...

[@keza41]

Love the way he just jogs on back to halfway after scoring, none of this carrying on like a pork chop business. He is right up there with the greatest wingers the game has seen… Imho.

[@petefrench4198]

....and a totally useless piece of baggage in defence!!!!!!

[@stelley08]

I met him in the 80s, a nice guy

[@Septimanien]

Super Campese and super Wallabies of this years ! Greatings from France !

[@visyglass]

A Ferrari of a man....great memories of when rugby was a must watch,to help get us through this lockdown.

[@RDASoccer]

Australia could use a player like Campese now.....

[@jameswestover8403]

Campese is Italian for 'shut the gate'. He was the first Australian sportsman to become a millionaire

[@selafinaleniu8118]

It doesn't surprise me as he deserves it👍

[@brendanpage3369]

No, it isn't. It means "fields".

[@Rumpole1000]

Back when the Wallabies played for the jumper and not lucrative contracts.

[@stevethea5250]

@CNend use to wear baggy shirts

[@avebac1]

Pretty much every sport today

[@horsemen6769]

Aye fame and fortune cross each other out pretty hard here.

[@KiwiPokerPlayer]

One of the all time great out side backs, we loved to hate him in NZ.

[@retimanahaerewa3028]

Favourite player

[@branniganfarnsworth3342]

It’s nice to see some footage of him not looking like a mid 30s man

[@rubennasser6907]

Real Rugby, great tributes and compiations, pleeeeze keep them coming!

[@RealRugby]

Ruben Nasser Will do! Thanks for the support Ruben!

[@craigobikes123]

Saw him absolutely destroy a club level grand final once. Never seen anything like it since.

[@petefrench4198]

.....yes he was a good club level player!

[@elipticushominis339]

Tim Horan deserves a video too!

[@tr1p1ea]

100%

[@stevenhardy2008]

Incredibly under rated player. The cog for 2 winning world cup sides. Tremendous player 👏

[@riberadelplata3159]

and lynagh

[@woosherdooser357]

This is what real quality basic rugby is all about, Campese the man.🏉🏉🏉🏉🏉👍... NZ fan

[@vanS808]

I choke up when I see these vidoes, REAL RUGBY and Wallabies glory days Not like now, its a pity such a great Rugby culture has almost been destroyed in Australia

[@Fuzcapp]

Yes - thank you Raelene.

[@Fuzcapp]

@Dan C Very good point. What the hell were they thinking?

[@because_the_internet]

@Dan C Counterpoint: One need not be a great sportsperson to be a great sports administrator. Ref: David Stern (NBA), Pete Rozelle (NFL), Richard Scudamore (English Premier League). Counter-counterpoint: Did a shocking job at the Bulldogs and has turned RA into even more of a shambles. The original counterpoint stands though.

[@shanewilson398]

Fuz Capp it’s wasn’t her. Where are the players? Listen to these guys players; lynagh, nick far jones, eales, Horan, campo, Ella little. ... Folau was the marquee player, yet he was just a cog, and not the most important one, in the qld state of origin team. He was with Lockyer, Inglis, slater, tait, Hodges, Cronk, Boyd. And that was just the qld team. You’ve got to have the players, and the wallabies don’t.

[@Nvlarr]

That Australian commentator has been in the job a Loooonnnnggg time. Legend

[@because_the_internet]

I'm not sure his physicality would hold up today but his innovation, intensity and influence are mighty.

[@anthonyhoey6394]

6'0 and 14 stone,he was no push over.

[@tankc6474]

Pure class he was 👍👍👍

[@locominyana8916]

Great seeing footage when touring international teams would play what we would now call provincial teams. Timeless to say

[@richposports7030]

One of the greats 👍 and entertaining with it!!

[@glennbotes8937]

Campo was on a different level altogether. If he played today, Australia would have had to break the bank for him.

[@davidmcnulty8181]

As an Englishman, it hurts me to say, absolute legend

[@stockey50bro59]

Abesolute legend . if he was a kiwi ..we would have made him, Sir David Campese...

[@johncourtneidge]

What a great Team Player!

[@user-qx8iz6sp1v]

David Campese is impact!!

[@gorviv529]

man was that guy fast...

[@adambamf9365]

So fast it looks like he is just jogging

[@brendanpage3369]

4:12 "The green of New South Wales" LOL!!! That's the green of Randwick!

[@santiago85]

Shiiiit that dude was fast

[@mitcholeary1526]

One of the greatest ever people these days don't realise how good he was, top 3 winger ever some may argue the greatest.Wasn't renounced for his defence but made up for every miss tackle with a try or an assist.

[@tomstuppence605]

You can't be the greatest winger without being able to defend

[@mitcholeary1526]

​@@tomstuppence605 you can't be the greatest prop if you didn't score many tries

[@chrisbuesnell3428]

I thought he was very good in defence. Why do you think otherwise?

[@MrT67]

​@@chrisbuesnell3428No, he was a very weak tackler.

[@elipticushominis339]

9:05 Dani Gerber and Tim Horan!!!!

[@kenlloyd1268]

A legend of the game.

[@FortniteSkitz]

NUUHHHHHHH JONAH LOMU IS

[@kenlloyd1268]

@@FortniteSkitz there can b more than one legend mind u.

[@FortniteSkitz]

True but i aim to be just like jonah lomu:( i cried the day he died

[@kenlloyd1268]

@@FortniteSkitz yea, a sad day big loss t family friends & rugby.

[@JoTheSnoop]

The 'running rugby' style has its origins with the club that included the Ella Brothers and Campese - Randwick, whose nickname is the Galloping Greens as well as the Wicks.

[@ldfreitas9437]

Hard to say who was the best winger of all time, but Campo is right up there with the top.

[@paulcarney8659]

Awesome Campo 😀

[@mr.f.j.vandervyver7090]

Brilliant and sheer genius.

[@Rugby-yp2kp]

The man who had it all, except tackling ability

[@timbuktoo2]

Brilliant to watch..nothing like today....glory days. The game destroyed at the grass roots. Never to win another world cup in my life time!

[@russe19642]

Being a rugby fan growing up in western australia being an afl heartland he gained huge recognition and heard capmpsie talked about,which was unbelievable if youve been to afl dominated states in australia. Also johan got the same as,aussies just love champions of any game

[@vetaiapettitt9749]

Legend 💪🏽

[@brucewilliams4152]

One of the best of the best

[@matcole9896]

Bring back the glory days.

[@potterj09]

A true dangerman. What an athlete.

[@guesswho6925]

Aussies u need to bring back that classic strip!

[@himalayan8315]

Far out bro what a name😂😎

[@keiththomas7371]

present kit looks awful

[@byronbarker6860]

Held the international try scoring record for a very long time - a wopping 64 tries! Only because of the frequency of test matches did another play just pass his record. Remarkable record, remarkable player.

[@joshkarena3058]

Campo, my favourite Australian Rugby Union player, apparently Australian Coach Bob Dwyer did not like David Campese play wearing his wrist bands. I don't know why, he still got the job done.

[@KernowekTim]

Fantastic Wallaby. Superb try-scoring attacking genius of his generation. True great of World Rugby.

[@maxhalley]

3:52 is where you can really see that electric turn of pace.

[@royameperosa9798]

Great player of all time

[@MrX-wd8cm]

Forget how great this guy was.

[@michelletans687]

I'm a kiwi and I enjoyed watching campo play! Glad he retired back then lol

[@Ulbre]

I worked with one of Campo's Randwick & Tah team mates and he would describe Campo as being quite aloof, not one of the boy's when it came to celebrating and partying.......he stressed that this wasn't a bad thing, this was just how Campo was and part of what made him great

[@jacquelinefox2632]

I miss the rugby, too. X

[@user-bp8dk7yn8y]

David is my hero🎉

[@direct9945]

that was Australia at is best back then a very top team exellent

[@SPOOKSTR]

1:13 What a magnificent try.

[@richardredmond1463]

When Australia produced genius rugby players....

[@user-dw4qc1xv3q]

ライナー、ニックファージョーンズ、ティムホラン、そしてキャンピージーがいたワラビーズが自分のワラビーズの好きな理由であり、今尚ラグビーの全てです。

[@danibass1085]

Honestly: watching this video my first thought coming to mind is "what an incredible player Michael Lynagh was"

[@drfelixcjchivandire9550]

The Myth, The Legend!

[@waynegordon4975]

Im surprised that the league code did not lure him in the 80 s when union was an amateur sport. He would of been a big hit in Rugby league with his speed.

[@MrT67]

Couldn't tackle. He wouldn't have been a good fit for league.

[@heinrichfourie6454]

i miss the way the backlines where passing the ball

[@samanthacuckow51]

He was good enough to play for the All Blacks. He was that good.

[@rbrooke2379]

5:39 I'm speechless. My God!

[@user-uw2xl9lv2v]

この頃のワラビーズはファンタスティックだった。キャンピージに代表されるバックスのセンス抜群のアタック。絶妙の間合いでスペースにボールが投げだされ、そこにどこからでもプレーヤーが顔を出してくる。美しいトライがたくさんあった。

[@jacodejager7912]

Please make a tribute of Tim Horan he was the best 12 the game has ever seen

[@RealRugby]

The greatest inside centre ever in our humble opinion! It's in the works, we'll see what we can put together for you. Stay subscribed!

[@villageboy1304]

Jaco De Jager I disagree Walter Little was

[@neilcarpenter2669]

How would you know, he can only be the best you've ever seen.

[@MarsFKA]

02:16 1986 Rugby World Cup game. Referee Keith Lawrence got *that* call badly wrong!

[@kevb6597]

MarsFKA you mean 87 Right?

[@stevethea5250]

@@kevb6597 can't they replay

[@missasinenomine]

It's all so easy, when your name's Campeasy!

[@cedrikberlioz2968]

Un grand joueur de rugby.

[@Adam-oy4ix]

Campo was a genius - far more than just winger for many years. Saw the writing was on the wall when he faced Lomu though......

[@MrPiccolop]

Manlot of them did 😂

[@clundgeweep]

Lol at the amount of forward final passes to Campo

[@gunneronfire]

No such thing as forward passes in the 80's!! Still though a great player

[@rbrooke2379]

Fantastic player, but also what team play from his back line!

[@grandslam1998]

Bella Bravo!