Matt Henjak

Matt Henjak (born 25 November 1981) is an Australian former professional rugby union player. He played scrum-half for the Australian national team. Henjak, of Croatian ancestry, is the nephew of former rugby league half-back and Brisbane Broncos head coach Ivan Henjak. After being sacked by the Western Force in 2008 for an off field indiscretion, Henjak signed for Toulon in the Top 14 in France where he played until 2012. He played a further season in France with Dax in the Pro D2 competition.

Matt Henjak
Birth nameMatthew T. Henjak
Date of birth (1981-11-25) 25 November 1981[1]
Place of birthQueanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight88 kg (13 st 12 lb)[2]
SchoolSt Edmund's College
Notable relative(s)Ivan Henjak
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2002
2006–2008		 Canberra Vikings (QPR)
Cottesloe		 9 (40)
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2003–2005
2004
2006–2008
2007
2008–2012
2012–2013		 Brumbies
Harlequins
Western Force
Perth Spirit
Toulon
Dax		 18
2
23

72
21		 (5)
(0)
(5)

(16)
(5)
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2004–2006 Australia 4 (0)

Early career

Henjak was educated at St Edmund's College in Canberra, the same school as Matt Giteau, George Gregan and Ricky Stuart. He played for the Canberra Vikings while playing in the Canberra club competition. In 2001 and 2002 Henjak represented Australia in the under 21 side as well as later playing for Australia A.

Super Rugby

He made his Super 12 debut in 2003, playing for the ACT Brumbies in a match against the Chiefs.

Henjak was called up into the 27-man national squad as cover mid-year 2004 after Elton Flatley broke his arm.[1] Henjak made his international debut in 2004, on 26 June against England[1] where he came off the bench onto the wing with 10 minutes remaining in the game after Clyde Rathbone was injured.

He moved to the new Super 14 team, the Western Force, for the 2006 Super 14 season. In 2008 he was involved in an altercation in which his teammate winger Haig Sare had his jaw broken, requiring surgery to insert a plate. Henjak was dismissed by the Western Force after he was found guilty of involvement in a bar room brawl.[1][3][4]

England and France

Henjak went over to England for the latter part of 2004, having a short term stint with Harlequins.

After being sacked from the Western Force in 2008, Henjak was linked to a code-switch to rugby league and a move to the Canberra Raiders,[5][6][7] however Toulon gave him the chance to resurrect his rugby union career n France.[1][8] After four seasons with Toulon in the Top 14 competition, he played a further season with Pro D2 Club, Dax, in the second tier professional competition before retiring from professional rugby.

Controversies

During his playing career, Henjak was linked with a series of scandals. In 2004, he was involved in an altercation in South Africa, in which the complainant was secretly paid A$16,000 to drop assault charges.[1][9]

References
  1. "Matt Henjak: Player profile". ESPN Scrum. ESPN EMEA Ltd. 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  2. http://www.rctoulon.com/en/rct/joueur/henjak/ Toulon RC profile retrieved 7 May 2011
  3. "Henjak facing the sack". Western Force rugby club. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
  4. "Door will reopen if Henjak reforms". Fox Sports. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
  5. "NRL leaves door ajar for Henjak". NRL. 22 February 2008. Archived from the original on 27 February 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
  6. "Raiders may come to Henjak's rescue". LeagueHQ. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
  7. "NRL likely for sacked Henjak". Fox Sports. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
  8. "Henjak heads for Toulon". Planet Rugby. 6 July 2009. Archived from the original on 4 November 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  9. "Learning from the Henjak experience". Fox Sports. 23 February 2008. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
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