Angus Blyth has stamped his name on the Bond University alumni honour board by becoming the latest Bull Shark to represent the Wallabies.
The towering Bull Shark came off the bench for the second half of the Wallabies’ 25-16 victory over Wales in Sydney.
It was a whirlwind elevation to Test rugby caps for the John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholarship recipient.
Injury restricted him to four games of Super Rugby for the Reds in 2024 and admits he was focussing on finishing the season for the Bull Sharks when he received the surprise call from the national selectors.
“After a tough year this year, it wasn’t really on my radar,” he said.
“I was just trying to get my body right for the weekend’s game and I guess the selectors liked what they saw and obviously I’m quite a big lad, so there’s the size factor.
“So, it was quite a surprise.’’
Bond University President and Vice Chancellor Tim Brailsford said Blyth’s achievement was just reward for his hard work and dedication and a testament to the elite pathway created by the Bond Rugby club.
“We are so proud of Angus and his achievement to earn the Wallaby cap,” he said.
“His journey, as both a high-performance athlete and student, demonstrates how commitment, hard-work and perseverance can ultimately be rewarded.
“Gus is a great club person, an individual with fantastic values, and a great credit to his parents whom are strong supporters of the Club.
“I hope that this is the first of many caps and Angus can fit in an occasional game to help out his beloved Bull Sharks.
The John Eales Scholarship came to life after a series of discussions between Professor Brailsford and Gold Coast rugby stalwart Terry Jackman.
Jackman agreed to be the scholarship’s patron and convinced his close friend John Eales to lend his name to the proposal.
“The VC suggested a scholarship if we could raise some money, so I agreed to put some money in and I got Eales involved,” he said.
“And typically of Eales, he got involved, he’s in touch with them all the time, if they want to talk to him they can ring him.
“That’s a really important part of it.’’
Since its inception in 2014, 19 athletes have been awarded the scholarship with more than half going on to earn Super Rugby or International representative.
Blyth was the seventh recipient when he accepted the scholarship in 2017, a year after Dylan Riley who became the first international when he represented Japan’s national team the Cherry Blossoms.
Professor Brailsford said the scholarship further reinforced Bond University’s strategy to tighten the ties between education and elite sports.
“We believe our sports program here at Bond is unique in Australia and will help forge the business, sporting and community leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
Blyth happily acknowledges the scholarship and the education it gave him has changed his life on the rugby pitch and off it.
“To have a post-playing career plan has been great for me and I am extremely grateful to John Eales and Terry Jackman for the scholarship,” he said.
“It put me onto such a great pathway into professional rugby.
“It is also a great asset to the rugby club to be able to offer that scholarship.”