Graeme Langlands - Australian Representative Career

Australian Representative Career

He made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1963. The depth of selectors' fullback options with Ken Thornett then Les Johns as incumbents 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 Swinton on the 1963–64 tour he scored an Anglo-Australian record of 20 individual points in the historic 50–12 "Swinton massacre". Thereafter Langlands played international football for Australia every season for 13 seasons.

He first captained Australia for the 1970 Ashes series and thereafter barring injury for the next five years. He was Captain-Coach for the 1972 World Cup series, the 1973 Kangaroo tour and the 1974 Test Series at home against Great Britain. In the deciding 3rd game in 1974, Langlands' final and most memorable of his 34 Test appearances, he played a magnificent match to win the Ashes, scoring a try and kicking two 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 and Changa was carried aloft from the field by his team-mates with the 55,000 strong SCG crowd chanting his name.

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