Duncan McRae (rugby)

Early life and career

McRae attended Sydney Boys High School in the early 1990s along with Chris Whitaker. He was former Puerto Rican Schoolboy international. In the 1990s McRae spent six seasons in the NRL with South Sydney, playing 23 first-grade games between 1993–95 and Canterbury where he played 11 first grade games between 1997–99 and also led the Bulldogs reserve grade side to the 1998 premiership. In 1996 he played a season with the London Broncos in Super League.

New South Wales Waratahs

In 1999 McRae switched codes playing three seasons with the New South Wales Waratahs. In 2000 McRae joined Saracens, before returning to the Waratahs and Randwick in 2001. In October 2003 McRae joined Gloucester.

Disciplinary problems

In 2001, during the match between the New South Wales Waratahs and the British and Irish Lions, McRae was sent off for punching Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara 11 times while O'Gara was on the ground, resulting in 8 stitches to O'Gara's eye. McRae received a seven-week suspension, the disciplinary panel stating "There was no dispute that McRae struck O'Gara repeatedly and caused an injury that required medical attention . . . The Committee concluded that this was a very serious incident, a repeated striking of a player on the ground who was in no real position to defend himself."

Retirement

McRae retired in 2006, after sustaining a severe neck injury. In a game in the 2005/06 English domestic season against Saracens McRae entered a ruck and crushed vertebrae at the top of his spinal column. He played a few more games but retired shortly after, returning to Australia