David Ian Campese, AM[1] (/kæmˈpiːzi/;[2] born 21 October 1962), also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player (1982–1996), who was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and played 85 Tests at wing and 16 at fullback.

[29][30] In 1987, Campese won the New South Wales Sevens tournament, held at Concord Oval, playing for an Australian side that defeated New Zealand 22–12 in the final.

[33] He participated in the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in 1993, held at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Scotland, in which his Australian team lost to England 17–21 in the final.

Campese debuted for the Wallabies in a match against Manawatu in Palmerston North,[40][47] in which he scored a solo try and kicked three goals from five attempts in a 26–10 victory.

[48][49] This included a try and three successful goals kicked from five attempts in his debut match against Manawatu,[44] two tries and a conversion (10 points) in the Wallabies' 11th tour game against Bay of Plenty (lost 16–40),[50] and 13 points against North Auckland at Whangārei in the Wallabies' final game prior to the third Test of the series (won 16–12), in which Campese scored two tries, a penalty and a conversion, before being named 'man of the match'.

Again, Australian coach Bob Dwyer recommended Randwick player Glen Ella for the full-back position in Gould's absence, but was overruled by his co-selectors.

Campese returned to the Australian team in the goal-kicker role, while playing winger, for its second Test against France at Parc des Princes, which they lost 6–15.

"[88] Years later in Wallaby Gold: The History of Australian Test Rugby (2003) Alan Jones contested the accusations of slander saying: That's just rubbish.

"[93] Rugby writer Peter Jenkins wrote "Campese, criticised the week before by Jones for indifferent defence, received after this game a one-word endorsement from the coach: 'Fantastic.'

[99][100] However, Australian flyhalf Michael Lynagh injured himself with a badly corked thigh in the second half of Queensland's 12–27 loss to the All Blacks,[101] leaving Australia without a recognised goal-kicker.

Campese, along with Wallaby captain Nick Farr-Jones, was then rested and selected on the bench for Australia's fourth match on tour, a 10–16 loss to South-West Division.

[103] Bolstered by the return of Michael Lynagh to the Australian team, Campese regained selection for Australia's fifth provincial game against Midlands Division, in which he was instrumental in setting-up Brad Girvan for a try in the 60th minute.

The Sydney Morning Herald rugby writer Greg Growden reported that, "Australia fully deserved to be 23-0 ahead at halftime after well-crafted tries by Niuqila, Gourley and David Campese, who left the field in the 30th minute with a slight groin strain.

Campese scored the second of his two tries with the final play of the game, prompting the crowd at Cardiff Arms Park to give him a standing ovation.

In the 62nd minute, Campese stopped a French backline movement with a tackle on Stéphane Weller, that forced his opposite winger to "knock the ball on".

The game continued with an Australian attacking scrum, from which Nick Farr-Jones executed a box-kick that wasn't properly fielded by French winger Stéphane Weller.

He occupied French centre Philippe Sella with a goosestep, before delivering the final pass to Tim Horan who scored his second try in the Test.

However, after the Wallabies trailed 6–8 at half-time, Campese scored two tries in the second half - one off a Tim Horan scissors' pass and the second off a Michael Lynagh inside-pass from a set-play.

[143] In the Wallabies' final match prior to their first Test on tour against Wales, Campese came off the bench in the second half of Australia's 14–6 victory over Connacht.

Two phases later Campese took a pass from Nick Farr-Jones in the first-receiver position, launched a high kick that his opposite winger Jacques Olivier wasn't able to field.

"When I think back over my Test career, it seems most of my best performances have been outside Australia, such as the 1991 Rugby World Cup in Britain, the 1988 tour, and the Grand Slam trip of 1984," he said.

[149] Following the first two Tests of the series, Campese noticed that following short kick-offs, when mauls would be formed, his opposite South African winger would stand further than 20 metres behind the contest for the ball.

He went down the blind-side and passed the ball to Campese, who ran past South Africa scrumhalf Robert du Preez.

Campese scored the first try of the Test when, while about to be tackled into touch, he executed a chip kick, followed it through, and scooped the ball off the ground for one of his greatest tries.

[156] Campese was recalled to a training session with the Wallabies, with the information that if Burke proved his fitness, he would not play in the second Bledisloe Cup Test.

[159] In Campo: Still Entertaining Campese reflects that, "As chance would have it, Jonah got the ball in the opening stages of the second half and ran straight at me… I think I shut my eyes, but I tackled him.

[164] Campese made 12 appearances at the Hong Kong Sevens (1983–1990, 1993–94, 1997–98), during which he played in three victorious Australian campaigns (1983, 1985 and 1988), winning the Leslie Williams Award for Player of the Tournament in 1988.

[29] Campese was honoured alongside Jonah Lomu, Waisale Serevi, Eric Rush, Christian Cullen, Ben Gollings and Zhang Zhiqiang.

[166][29] In late 1985, Campese was embroiled in controversy when he, Glen Ella and Roger Gould decided to participate in a sevens tournament in South Africa.

[190][191] Following the Wallabies' final match of the U.K. leg of their tour, Campese travelled to Italy where St Helens made more overtures towards him, which were declined.