Graeme Langlands

Graeme Frank Langlands, MBE, (2 September 1941 – 20 January 2018), also known by the nickname of "Changa", was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played from the 1950s till the 1970s and coached in the 1970s.

Langlands was born on 2 September 1941 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia to Frank Horace Langlands and Hazel Miriam Ferguson.

He had an unhappy childhood brought up by his alcoholic father.

Langlands represented Combined NSW High Schools from 1955 to 1957 and was playing 1st grade with the Wollongong Club in the Illawarra competition at age 18.

Langlands was the and goal-kicker for the St. George Dragons in the latter half of their 11-year consecutive premiership-winning run from 1956 to 1966.

Later in the 1960s, and early 1970s St George got their best value out of Smith and Langlands when all of the stars of the long reign had gone.

The got his first big break with selection for Country Firsts in 1962 following the withdrawal of Newcastle's Les Johns due to injury.

That same year he made the first of a record 33 interstate matches for New South Wales over 14 seasons.

He retired as the most-capped player for the Australian national team with 45 international appearances from 1963 to 1975, and captained his country in 15 Test matches and World Cup games.

With Billy Smith who also joined St George in 1963, Langlands added new firepower to the ageing Dragons champion line up, initially as Reg Gasnier's centre partner, but later moving to fullback.

On field Langlands and Smith demonstrated a magical telepathy and an intuitive understanding of each other's kicking and positional game.

He made his Test debut as a centre against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1963.

The depth of the selectors' fullback options, including incumbents Ken Thornett then Les Johns, meant that Langlands spent the first four years of his Test career at centre.

He excelled there and in the Ashes deciding 2nd Test at Station Road in Swinton against Great Britain on the 1963–64 Kangaroo Tour he scored an Anglo-Australian record of 20 individual points in the historic 50–12 "Swinton massacre".

1963 also saw the Kangaroos win The Ashes in England for the first time as solely an Australian team (the 1911–12 Kangaroo Tour had included New Zealand players), starting a run from 1963 until the present where Australia hasn't lost a series on a Kangaroo Tour.

Thereafter Langlands played international football for Australia every season for 13 seasons.

He was the Dragon's top point scorer in first grade in 10 seasons between 1963 and 1975.

Langlands played in four St George Grand final winning sides, including 1966 where he kicked seven goals to beat Balmain.

He first captained Australia for the 1970 Ashes series and thereafter barring injury for the next five years.

He was the competition's leading point scorer in season 1971 and season 1973.

He was Captain-Coach for the 1972 World Cup series, the 1973 Kangaroo tour and the 1974 Test Series at home against Great Britain.

During the final of the 1972 World Cup played between Australia and Great Britain at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France, Langlands was involved in what many believe to be the "greatest try never scored".

During the first half of the game (which ended in a 10-all draw and gave the Lions the World Cup based on previous results of the tournament), Australian halfback Dennis Ward put up a bomb about 45 metres from the Lions try line.

Langlands gave chase and as the ball came down over the try line, he leaped into the air and caught it on the full and had seemingly scored a spectacular try.

The French referee Georges Jameau disallowed it though, believing Langlands to be offside.

Television replays however showed the Australian Captain-coach was approximately half a metre onside and that he had scored a fair try.

In the deciding 3rd game in 1974, Langlands's final and most memorable of his 34 Test appearances, he played a magnificent match to win the Ashes, scoring a try and kicking five goals to take his career tally against Great Britain over the 100-point mark.

The Kangaroos thus came from 16–10 behind at half-time to win the match 22–18, with Langlands kicking the goal which gave his side their winning lead.

After the game he was carried aloft from the field by his team-mates with the 55,505 strong SCG crowd chanting "Changa, Changa".

Since the 1974 series, Australia has not yet lost The Ashes to either Great Britain or England.

It was largely due to their combined class that the club remained competitive up until 1975.

Langlands last captained Australia in their undefeated four match campaign of the 1975 World Cup.

He was the last Kangaroo selected in the dual Captain-Coach role.

An incident renowned in Australian rugby league concerns Langlands playing for the Dragons in the 1975 NSWRL Grand Final against Jack Gibson's Eastern Suburbs.

He also retired with the record of Australia's top point-scorer against Great Britain until surpassed by Mal Meninga in 1992.

On-field he could be hot-headed and petulant in his early career, though he matured into a fine leader.

Fundamentally taciturn and introspective he was not given to pre- or post-match speeches as captain but demonstrated an uncompromising leadership style via his will-to-win and a preparedness to be ruthless when required.

He was a graceful, balanced runner of the ball, long-striding and fast.

His trademark sidestep off either foot has become legendary in the Australian game.

He would almost undetectably feint one way then make a 2m leap the other way at full speed taking him diagonally through a gap and into the clear.