Scott Higginbotham announced himself as a young player worth keeping an eye with a massive hit on Bryan Habana just seconds into his Super Rugby debut for the Reds in 2008.

Much has been expected of Higginbotham ever since he was named the Reds Academy Player of the Year in 2007. He took time to establish himself as a regular with the Queensland side but he finally started to deliver on a consistent basis during the 2010 campaign, the dynamic loose forward with the soft hands (a product of his Sevens background) racking up four tries during a season in which he did not miss a single minute of action.

He was named in the Wallaby squad for the 2010 Tri Nations but failed to see any game time, his cause not aided by an ankle sprain which saw him miss the start of the competition. However, he was included in the panel for the end-of-season tour and looked set to make his first appearance in a gold jersey.

Higginbotham made his debut against France from the bench in November 2010 and went on to impress for the Reds in their victorious 2011 Super Rugby campaign. Higginbotham was used as a subsitute in their defeat to Samoa and made his first start for the Wallabies in their 14-9 win over the Springboks on August 13.

Higginbotham clearly did enough to impress boss Robbie Deans and was rewarded with a place in the Wallabies 30-man squad for the World Cup, where he made four appearances as Australia were knocked out at the semi-final stage.