Adam Ashley-Cooper enjoyed an illustrious 15-year Wallaby career in which his versatility proved to be crucial to his success. He was just the sixth Wallaby to play 100 Tests and secondly, he scored more Test tries (9) against New Zealand than any other player in the history of the game. 

AAC was born in Sydney but raised on the New South Wales central coast. He attended the Berkeley Vale High School but did not play his first game of rugby, with the Ourimbah Razorbacks, until the age of 15. Six months after he left school AAC was playing first grade for Sydney’s Northern Suburbs. 

In 2004 he joined the ACT Brumbies on an ARU development contract, played in the IRB Sevens World Series and made the Australian squad for the U21 world championships. A year later he made his Super Rugby debut against the Crusaders in Canberra before he found himself as a spectator at Subiaco Oval for the fourth Test of 2005 against the Springboks. AAC was called from the stands and onto the bench within minutes of the kick-off after Elton Flatley withdrew during the warm-up due to blurred vision. When he ran on late in that match it is believed AAC became the only Wallaby to ever debut without a number on his back. 

Over the next 11 seasons AAC was an integral and indispensable component of the national team. He played in 52 of the Wallabies’ 56 Tests between 2008 and 2011 and missed just one of the 42 Tests from 2009 to 2011. He was selected in the run-on XV in 113 of his 121 Tests and played the full 80 minutes on 89 occasions. AAC started at fullback in 24 Tests, on the left wing in 7, on the right wing in 36, at outside centre in 40 and at inside centre in 5. He played 19 Tests for Australia at four Rugby World Cups, second only to George Gregan, and scored 12 tries, second to Drew Mitchell. 

Recalled to the Wallaby squad for the 2018 Spring Tour, AAC rounded out his 121 Test and 39 tries (both 3rd all-time for Australia when he retired in 2021) international career at the Japan Rugby World Cup in 2019. 

While his stats are undoubtedly impressive, it is nigh impossible to measure the sizable contribution AAC made to the game of rugby in this country.