Jeffrey Scott Miller

Legendary Queensland and Australian coach Bob Templeton described Jeff Miller as one of the truly outstanding open side flankers. Dynamic, fearless and as fair as the day was long, Miller epitomised everything that was good about the game. Miller was born in the United States on the Fourth of July, 1962. His parents brought him to Brisbane in 1969 and sent him to De La Salle College, Scarborough. Miller played rugby on Saturday and league on Sunday until aged 15 when he decided to focus on study and give league away. After school he joined the Teachers / Norths club and modelled his play on Wallaby flanker Chris Roche.

In 1982, and aged just 19, Miller made his Queensland debut against the World XV at Ballymore. At the end of the following year Miller was selected, at the expense of the taller New South Wales loose forward, Peter Lucas, on his first Wallaby tour - to Italy and France - but did not play in the Tests. For the next few seasons Miller had to contend with Roche, David Codey and then Julian Gardner just to play for his state let alone Australia.

Miller’s big break came in 1986 when selected as one of four flankers for the Wallaby tour to New Zealand and he made his Test debut in the second Test at Carisbrook. Thereafter, Miller was a near-permanent fixture in the Australian side over the next five years. He started all three Tests against the British Lions in 1989 and two years later returned home from his second Rugby World Cup as a World Champion. Jeff Miller played 26 Tests for Australia in a six-year international career.

Highlights

1982

Represented Australian U21s against Fiji U21 (47-4) at Ballymore and New Zealand U21 (36-12) at the S.C.G.

1983

Represented Australian U21s when they defeated New Zealand U21s 26-18 at Pukekohe.

1986

Miller won his first Test cap in the run-on XV at flanker in the 2nd Test, 12-13 loss to New Zealand in Dunedin. Two weeks later he held his spot for the 3rd Test, 22-9 Bledisloe Cup-winning Test against New Zealand in Auckland.

1987

Miller started seven Tests and was selected to his first Rugby World Cup where he played three matches, against the U.S.A., Ireland and France. He scored his first Test try in the 65-18 defeat of South Korea in Brisbane. Represented Australia at the Hong Kong 7s.

1988

He played seven of the season’s eight internationals. Miller missed the 1st Test against New Zealand in Sydney when the selectors opted for Julian Gardner and Simon Poidevin on the flanks. Represented Australia at the Hong Kong 7s.

1989

Miller was capped in each of the three Tests against the British Lions and in the one-off Bledisloe Cup Test but was unavailable for the end-of-season tour to Canada and France. Represented Australia at the Hong Kong 7s.

1990

He picked up two caps in the 1st and 3rd Tests of the home series against France but was unavailable for the subsequent Wallaby tour of New Zealand.

1991

Miller earned a single cap against Wales during the domestic season however he was then selected to a second Rugby World Cup. He started three matches, the pool games against Western Samoa and Wales, and the quarter-final win over Ireland however he was controversially omitted for the semi-final and the final when coach Bob Dwyer opted for more height in the lineout. As a consequence Dwyer brought in Troy Coker to No.8 and switched Willie Ofahengaue to the open side flank.