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Angus Blyth
Date of birth (1998-03-04) 4 March 1998 (age 27)
Place of birthWahroonga, New South Wales, Australia
Height204 cm (6 ft 8 in)[1][2]
Weight115 kg (254 lb)[1][2]
SchoolThe Southport School
UniversityBond University[3]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Current team Reds
Youth career
–2014 Casuarina Beach Rugby Club
2014–2016 The Southport School
–2017 Reds Academy
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017– Bond University ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017–2019 Queensland Country 23 (15)
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017– Queensland Reds 67 (20)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017–2018 Australia U20 7 (0)
2024 Australia A 1 (0)
2024– Australia 4 (0)
Correct as of 17 November 2024

Angus Blyth (born 4 March 1998), nicknamed Gus,[4] is an Australian rugby union player who currently plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby. Blyth's playing position is lock.

Early life and career

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Junior career

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Blyth was born in Wahroonga in Northern Sydney, New South Wales in 1998.[1][2] He played his junior rugby for the Casuarina Beach Rugby Club in Casuarina in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales,[1][2] which is situated 25km from the New South Wales–Queensland border. Blyth was educated at the The Southport School (TSS) in Gold Coast, Queensland,[5] and was in the school rugby team's 1st XV for 2015 and 2016,[6] alongside Noah Lolesio and Dylan Riley.[6] Blyth earned a "John Eales Scholarship" to Bond University, and began his schooling there in 2017.[5] During his youth career, Blyth was approached by the Australian rules football team the Gold Coast Suns. He admitted he had never played a game of Australian Football League (AFL) in his life, and that the money they were offering was a lot more than what rugby could, but ultimately rejected the offer.[7][8]

Senior career

[edit]

Blyth made his senior professional debut in the first round of Queensland Country's title-winning 2017 season in the National Rugby Championship (NRC) against the Canberra Vikings.[9] He played seven out of ten games for the Queensland Country overall,[10] and started in the teams Grand Final victory.[11] The following year (2018), Blyth made his Super Rugby debut for the Queensland Reds against the Sunwolves in the final round of the regular season. Coming on as a substitute, the Queensland Reds won 48–27 at Lang Park, Brisbane.[12][13] Despite finishing thirteenth on the overall ladder, and missing finals, the 2018 Queensland Reds season was labelled the most successful in five years.[12] In 2019, Blyth played seven games for the Reds for the Super Rugby.[14] Blyth's most consistent stretch was between rounds thirteen to round seventeen where he started every match.[14] The Reds' 2019 season was poor, however: the team finished second last, only winning six out of sixteen matches.[15] Following the 2019 Super Rugby season Blyth re-joined the Queensland Country on their 2019 National Rugby Championship campaign. He was an integral part of the teams forward-line, starting every match for the Country and scoring a try in the first round.[10] The Country failed to make the finals,[16] and it was subsequently the teams final season before the National Rugby Championship disbanded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

In 2020, Blyth had played a total of fifteen games for the Reds in a year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] Initially playing in the first seven games of the 2020 Super Rugby season (which was subsequently disbanded), Blyth played a further seven games in the newly-created Super Rugby AU season, and a further two games in the finals series.[14] The Reds finished runners-up to the Brumbies, losing 28–23 at Canberra Stadium.[18] During 2020, Blyth earned up to twenty-three caps for the Reds and became their starting lock.[14] With the Australia national team losing eligible players to overseas clubs, he was touted for a potential Wallabies call-up.[19]

Blyth became a mainstay for the Reds throughout the 2021 (AU, TT) to 2023 Super Rugby seasons.[14] Going into the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, Blyth had over 50 caps for the Queensland Reds.[14][20] Although he only played five Super Rugby matches in 2024,[14] he earned a call-up for the Wallabies.[21]

International career

[edit]

Having been in The Southport School's 1st XV in his youth, Blyth was selected for the Australia U20 (Junior Wallabies) team for the 2017 Oceania Rugby U20 Championship. Playing at least one match for the Junior Wallabies, Blyth was again selected for the team ahead of the 2017 World Rugby U20 Championship that took place in Georgia. The following year Blyth was again selected in the Junior Wallabies' international campaigns, and featured in all five of their 2018 World Rugby U20 Championship fixtures.[10]

In 2024, Blyth was selected for Australia for Wales' 2024 tour of Australia. Blyth made his international debut for Australia against Wales on 6 July 2024, coming on as a substitute in the 41st minute for Jeremy Williams. Upon reflection of his selection, Blyth admitted he was surprised he got the call-up.[22] Blyth had been the longest-serving lock in any Australian Super Rugby team without a Australia cap, having played over sixty games for the Reds.[20] He played another three games for Australia in 2024, and made an appearances for Australia A on their Spring tour. Australia A lost 17–38 against the England Saxons in Twickenham Stoop, London.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Tucker, Jim (4 July 2017). "St. George Queensland Reds add depth to forward stocks". qld.rugby. Queensland Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Tucker, Jim (5 April 2023). "Angus Blyth and Seru Uru re-sign with Queensland Rugby". reds.rugby. Queensland Reds. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Angus Blyth – LinkedIn". au.linkedin.com. LinkedIn.
  4. ^ "Green and Gold for Gus". bond.edu.au. Bond University. 26 June 2024. Archived from the original on 21 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Student's rugby dreams realised through John Eales Scholarship". bond.edu.au. Bond University. 2 December 2016. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b Grey, Lachie (25 June 2024). ""Big dog" and "skinny-fat": school mates reunited at Camp Wallaby". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025.
  7. ^ O'Brien, Connor (22 July 2017). "Bond University young gun Angus Blyth on why he chose rugby over AFL when Gold Coast Suns came calling". Gold Coast Bulletin. News Corp Australia.
  8. ^ Linden, Julian (30 July 2020). "Giant Queensland Reds star Angus Blyth reveals real reason he turned back on AFL to stick with rugby". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia.
  9. ^ Newman, Beth (2 September 2017). "Vikings come from behind in Canberra". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017.
  10. ^ a b c "Angus Blyth, Lock – It's Rugby". itsrugby.co.uk. It's Rugby. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024.
  11. ^ "National Rugby Championship – Canberra Vikings v Queensland Country, Final". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia.
  12. ^ a b "Reds Down Sunwolves to Finish on a High". SANZAAR. 13 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018.
  13. ^ Rugari, Vince (13 July 2018). "Super Rugby: Reds beat Sunwolves 48–27 at Suncorp Stadium". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp Australia.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h "Angus Blyth – All Rugby". all.rugby. All Rugby. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Super Rugby Standings – 2019". espn.com. ESPN. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019.
  16. ^ "NRC – Rugby.com.au". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Sport: NRC cancellation a blow for Fijian Drua rugby team". Radio New Zealand. 4 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Brumbies beat Queensland Reds in Super Rugby AU final in Canberra". ABC News. 19 September 2020. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020.
  19. ^ Monteverde, Marco (2 September 2020). "Super Rugby AU: Reds lock Angus Blyth pushing for Wallabies selection". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020.
  20. ^ a b Tucker, Jim (8 August 2024). "Angus Blyth: Taking the High Road". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. He'd racked up more than 60 games of Super Rugby since his debut in 2018 to be the longest-serving lock in Aussie sides without Wallabies recognition.
  21. ^ Wright, Nick (3 February 2025). "Challenge issued to 206cm star as Wallabies great declares new era nears". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. Archived from the original on 4 February 2025.
  22. ^ Grey, Lachie (26 June 2024). "Blyth out to take "surprise" Wallabies call-up with both hands". rugby.com.au. Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024.
  23. ^ Telfer, Alastair (17 November 2024). "Murley scores twice as England A beat Australia A". BBC Sport. BBC. Archived from the original on 6 February 2025.
  24. ^ "'Confrontational' Henry Pollock makes case to be fast-tracked by Steve Borthwick after England A win". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 17 November 2024. Archived from the original on 19 November 2024.
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