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James Hilgendorf
James Hilgendorf
Position Full Back, Five Eight, Utility
Height 182cm
Weight 89kg
Date of Birth 29/03/82
Club Wests-Subiaco (From Eastwood, Sydney)
Super 14 Team Emirates Western Force
Super 14 Caps 9 (9 Start, 0 Replacement)
Super 14 Caps 2006 9 (9 Start)
Western Force Gold Caps 5 (5 Start, 0 Replacement)
Western Force Gold Caps 2006 5 (5 Start)
Honours:
2006- Emirates Western Force, 9 Caps
2005- Italian S10's, Viadana
2004- New Zealand NPC, Taranaki
2003- Tooheys New Cup Premiers, Eastwood
2002- Tooheys New Cup Premiers, Eastwood
2001- NSW Academy
2000- Australian Schoolboys
A product of the Eastwood club in Sydney, James Hilgendorf is a versatile utility back who can play in every position in the backline bar scrumhalf.
He was an Australian Schoolboy in 2000 where he played alongside Morgan Turinui, Lachlan MacKay and Mark Gerrard, before joining the NSW Waratah Academy in 2001.
Hilgendorf helped take Eastwood to consecutive Tooheys New Cup titles in 2002 and 2003, and made his Waratah debut against Samoa in 2003.
In 2004 he played for the Waratahs against Scotland before deciding to try his hand in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship.
Hilgendorf joined fellow Australian and past Force team mate Brock James at Taranaki and enjoyed an outstanding 2004 season at fullback.
He then moved to Italy, where he played for the Viadana club in the Italian Super 10s competition.
In May 2005 Hilgendorf returned to Taranaki for his second NPC season before relocating to Perth.
Following an injury ravaged first couple of weeks for the Force, after five Rounds at Full Back Hilgendorf found himself in the #10 jersey to play the Bulls.
He proved to be an outstanding selection there and particularly his partnering with fellow journeyman and Winger Scott Staniforth at Inside Centre breathed new hope and promise into the Force backline.
Unfortunately Hilgendorf's season came to an abrupt end against the Blues in Round 9 when early in the match he "stopped an elbow" from Rua Tipoki.
The incident left Hilgendorf with a double fracture to his eye socket, Tipoki with sixteen weeks to consider his thuggery, the Force again searching for the right combinations and the majority of Force supporters regarding the Blues as the new teams "payback" side for 2007.
Hilgendorf returned to play for the Force Gold against Manu Samoa and Japanese touring club sides Toshiba and Yamaha only to break his hand in that final match.
His final matches for 2006 was in the one off "Australian Provincial Championship" where he faced up to the Brumbies and Waratahs in September.
Hilgendorf is completing a Bachelor of Human Movement and Secondary Education at Sydney Uni.
Hilgendorf's world Rugby experience has embedded in him a love of travel and he rates the Greek Islands as a favourite, unfortunately Rugby isn't high on the sporting scale in Greece or he may have had the ideal retirement!
His uncle, Peter Hilgendorf is one of the top referees in Perth’s Premier Grade competition and refereed the Grand Final in 2005.
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