Matt Henjak
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| Full name | Matthew T. Henjak | ||||||||
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| Date of birth | 25 November 1981 | ||||||||
| Place of birth | Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||
| Weight | 88 kg (13 st 12 lb)[1] | ||||||||
| School | St Edmund's College | ||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Ivan Henjak | ||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||
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Matthew ("Matt") T. Henjak (born 25 November 1981 in Queanbeyan, New South Wales[2]) is an Australian rugby union player. His position of choice is scrum-half. Henjak, of Croatian ancestry, is the nephew of former rugby league half-back and Brisbane Broncos head coach Ivan Henjak. After being sacked by the Western Force in 2008 for an off field indiscretion, Henjak signed for Toulon in the Top 14 in France where he played until 2012. From here, he remained in France and is currently plying his trade with French Pro D2 Club, Dax, in the second tier professional competition.
Early career
Henjak was educated at St Edmund's College in Canberra, the same school as Matt Giteau, George Gregan and Ricky Stuart. He played for the Canberra Vikings while playing in the Canberra club competition. In 2001 and 2002 Henjak represented Australia in the under 21 side as well as later playing for Australia A.
Super Rugby
He made his Super 12 debut in 2003, playing for the ACT Brumbies in a match against the Chiefs.
Henjak was called up into the 27-man national squad as cover mid-year 2004 after Elton Flatley broke his arm.[2] Henjak made his international debut in 2004, on 26 June against England[2] where he came off the bench onto the wing with 10 minutes remaining in the game after Clyde Rathbone was injured.
He moved to the new Super 14 team, the Western Force, for the 2006 Super 14 season.
Harlequins
Henjak went over to England for the latter part of 2004, having a short term stint with Harlequins.
Controversies
During his playing career, he has been linked with a series of scandals. In 2004, he was involved in an altercation in South Africa, in which the complainant was secretly paid A$16,000 to drop assault charges.[2][3]
2008 and 2009
In 2008 he was involved in an altercation in which his team mate winger Haig Sare had his jaw broken, requiring surgery to insert a plate. Henjak has been dismissed by the Western Force after he was found guilty of involvement in a bar room brawl.[2][4][5]
Henjak was linked to a code-switch to rugby league and a move to the Canberra Raiders,[6][7][8] however Toulon have given him the chance to resurrect his rugby union career in the Top 14 competition.[2][9]
References
- ^ http://www.rctoulon.com/en/rct/joueur/henjak/ Toulon RC profile retrieved 7 May 2011
- ^ a b c d e f "Matt Henjak: Player profile". ESPN Scrum. ESPN EMEA Ltd. 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- ^ "Learning from the Henjak experience". Fox Sports. 23 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
- ^ "Henjak facing the sack". Western Force rugby club. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
- ^ "Door will reopen if Henjak reforms". Fox Sports. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
- ^ "NRL leaves door ajar for Henjak". NRL. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
- ^ "Raiders may come to Henjak's rescue". LeagueHQ. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "NRL likely for sacked Henjak". Fox Sports. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
- ^ "Henjak heads for Toulon". Planet Rugby. 6 July 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
External links
- Use dmy dates from December 2010
- 1981 births
- Australian rugby union players
- Brumbies players
- Western Force players
- Harlequin F.C. players
- Living people
- Australian people of Croatian descent
- RC Toulonnais players
- Expatriate rugby union players in France
- Australia international rugby union players
- Expatriate rugby union players in England
- Australian expatriates in France
- Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Australian expatriate rugby union players