Mark Gordon Ella, AM[1] (born 5 June 1959) is an indigenous Australian former rugby union footballer.
Ella captained a depleted Australian team on the 1982 Australia rugby union tour of New Zealand, which the Wallabies would lose one game to two against the All Blacks.
Ella is perhaps most famous for his performances on the 1984 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland, during which Australia achieved rugby union's Grand Slam by defeating the Home Nations in four consecutive Tests, with Ella scoring one try in each Test.
He and his brothers Glen (his twin) and Gary were educated at Matraville High School, where they learned to play rugby.
[citation needed] Bob Dwyer, former coach of the Wallabies, in his first autobiography The Winning Way, claimed Ella to be one of the five most accomplished Australian players he had ever seen.
Gareth Edwards writes in 100 Great Rugby Players that: "Firstly, he stands closer to his scrum-half than most other stand-off halves I have played with or against, so that he pulls back row forwards on him at an angle which makes it hard for them to change direction, once he has released possession, to harass the midfield".
Gareth Edwards notes, "Next, he wastes no strides holding the ball he does not want to use, and flips it instantly on its way towards the wide open space down the touchline where danger-men like David Campese prowl..."[4] Continuing his appraisal of Ella in The Scotsman, Mair wrote: "In his deft handling, the ball is often on in a fraction of a second".
[6] The London Observer described Ella as "the detonator which explodes the brilliance of the Australian backs at critical moments.
He (the five-eighth) is throwing a quick pass automatically, believing this is what he ought to be doing, without making an assessment of the play and of the opportunities that might exist at that moment.
[6] The extent to which Ella supported his teammates has been gauged by Gareth Edwards who wrote that, "In rugby the word 'link-man' is almost a cliché, yet it is the term I must choose to sum up Mark's gifts.
In 100 Great Rugby Players, Gareth Edwards concludes his writings on Ella by stating: "In this book, we are mainly concerned with players' outstanding ability to play the game, but it is worth adding here that Mark Ella provided tremendous entertainment to spectators, as well as demonstrating his skills".
[10] Ella came into contention for national selection during the 1979 Ireland rugby union tour of Australia that included two Tests.
Irish captain and flanker Fergus Slattery stated, following the tour, that Mark Ella was the Australian five-eighth who troubled Ireland the most.
Ella made his debut for the Wallabies during their second touring match against Interior on 16 October 1979, scoring a try in a 47–12 win.
[13] Ella almost achieved national selection for the first Test following injuries to Paul McLean and Roger Gould.
[13] Between the first and second Australian Tests against Argentina, Ella played in Australia's last provincial match against Cuyo, won 43–4.
With the scores tied at 9-9, Ella set-up a try for Australian winger Mick Martin by looping Michael Hawker.
[18] The third Test against New Zealand in 1980 contained one of the most famous moments of Mark Ella's rugby career – his "around-the-body-pass."
Australian coach Bob Templeton is reported later explaining Ella's omission saying that, "The French were a far more volatile team than the All Blacks and we had to change our approach accordingly.
Mark achieved a "Grand Slam" by scoring a try in every test match of the series, something that he had also accomplished on the 1977/78 Australian Schoolboys tour.
At age 25, Ella stunned the rugby world by announcing his retirement, turning down many big money offers in the process.
"[25] In July 2021, Ella agreed to donate his collection of five jerseys from the famous 1984 Wallabies grand slam tour to the Australian Rugby Museum, which is currently in development.
[26] In On a Wing and a Prayer former Australian winger David Campese called Ella "the best rugby player I have ever known or seen.
[31] Simon Poidevin wrote in For Love Not Money that, "Mark Ella remains the most talented rugby player I have ever seen.
'"[36] In 2020, former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes ranked Ella the third greatest five-eighth of all time, behind All Black Dan Carter and Wales' Phil Bennett.
Mark Ella was named alongside Col Windon, Ken Catchpole and David Campese as the first Invincibles of Australian rugby.