Tatafu Polota-Nau (left) and Scott Fardy of Australia train in Teddington, Middlesex. (Reuters)

Reuters/London

Australia’s towering backrower Scott Fardy doesn’t exactly fit the profile of someone flying under the radar. At 1.98 metres (six feet six inches) tall and sporting a thick black beard, he is an imposing and unmistakable presence on and off the pitch.  
Fardy has been one of the standout performers in the Wallaby team at the Rugby World Cup, both in defence and attack, but has largely been out of the spotlight, primarily because of all the attention on Australia’s other loose forwards, David Pocock and Michael Hooper.
And that’s just the way he wants it to stay. “I like being in the shadows and not being as noticed as much as those two, it’s quite enjoyable,” he said yesterday.
“But obviously it’s a real honour to play alongside Pooey (Pocock) and Hoops (Hooper) because they are both really good players.”
An old-fashioned blindside flanker who jumps in the lineout and also drives in the scrum, Fardy is the odd one in the Australian backrow. Pocock and Hooper are both openside flankers, although Pocock is playing at number eight, giving the Wallabies an edge at the breakdown and allowing Fardy to organise the defence.
“I just leave them to do what they do well. (Australia coach Michael Cheika) has told me to do what I do well so I just do that and get on with it,” Fardy said.
“It doesn’t change anything week to week from what I have to do. I just play and he works out the balance before the game and picks the team accordingly.”
Fardy is also something of a late bloomer, having made his test debut in 2013 at 29, an age when a lot of players are on their way out. His long wait, and some of his experiences off the field, have helped give him a different perspective both on life and rugby.
Before his call up to the Wallabies, Fardy spent several seasons playing in Japan for the Kamaishi Seawaves, and he was living in the city when it was levelled by a devastating quake and tsunami in March 2011.
His apartment was high enough to avoid the worst of the destruction and the Australian Embassy in Japan offered him the chance to evacuate a few days later.
But Fardy decided to stay on and help with the recovery effort. When he finally returned to Australia, he dedicated himself to making the most of every moment, and making the Wallabies team for the World Cup. He has already achieved that goal and now he stands on the crest of another with the Wallabies taking on Argentina at Twickenham on Sunday for a place in the final.
“This is a World Cup semi-final, I haven’t been to a World Cup before so this is going to be a massive game for me,” he said. “It’s the biggest game I’ve played so far in my career.”