James Horwill: Ex-Australia captain set to play for Cambridge in Varsity match
- Published
James Horwill won the first of his 62 Australia Test caps against Fiji in 2007
Former Australia captain James Horwill has come out of retirement and is set to play for Cambridge University in December's Varsity game against Oxford.
The ex-Harlequins lock, 34, retired this summer and is doing a masters at the Cambridge business school.
Horwill's fellow Wallabies lock Dan Vickerman and old Quins team-mate Jamie Roberts have also played for Cambridge.
"I speak to Jamie quite regularly and he certainly was a big influence in it," Horwill told BBC Cambridgeshire.
"I must admit he probably planted the seed quite early. I'd been up here a couple times with him when he was involved, and been around a couple events up at Cambridge."
As recently as June, Horwill skippered a Barbarians side - and scored a try - as they narrowly lost to an England XV at Twickenham, where the Varsity match will be held on 12 December.
Cambridge lost 38-16 in last year's game, officiated by former World Cup final referee Nigel Owens.
"I think it's going to be a challenge, there's no doubt about that, but I think that was part of the reason I wanted to do it, to push myself in a different way," added Horwill.