Joe Simpson (rugby player born 1988)
Encyclopedia
Joe Simpson is a rugby union
player who plays scrum half for London Wasps
and the England national rugby union team
.
Simpson was educated at St Benedict's School
, Ealing, which he represented at both rugby and cricket
and where he was honoured as Victor Ludorum
for athletics three times, at junior, middle and senior school levels. Outside school he played cricket for Ealing Cricket Club and played, with Hugo Ellis
and Dominic Waldouck
, in the youth team at Richmond Rugby Club. He also enjoys a round of golf with friends Nathan 'knockout' Nye, Simon 'hearney' Hearn and Michael 'my house has wheels' Molony, usually taking in the delights of Perivale golf course during the summer months.
In addition to his parents Simpson cites Mike Reilly and Alun Powell, his coaches at Richmond and the Wasps Academy respectively, as influences. He is also very fond of penguins and has completed a month's unpaid work experience at London Zoo.
In the 2008/09 season Simpson graduated to the Wasps first team, coming on as a substitute a number of times and gaining a more frequent position in the starting XV towards the latter part of the season. He scored on his debut and was awarded fourth place in the Guinness Premiership
Try of the Season award.
Simpson signed a full-time senior contract with London Wasps in the summer of 2009 securing his place at the club for two years. He was in the starting line-up for the opening game of the season on 5 September 2009 against Harlequins
, played at Twickenham
as part of the London Double Header . In the first minute Simpson was head-butted
by George Robson, the Harlequins' lock, in an off-the-ball incident. After treatment on the field for a cut sustained to his nose Simpson continued to play for the remaining 79 minutes, despite feeling sick and dizzy.
On the 17th December 2010, London Wasps announced that Simpson had signed a three-year extension to his contract which will keep him at the club until the end of the 2013/14 season.
In the 2007/08 season he secured a place with the England sevens'
side, travelling to Dubai for the IRB World Seven Series
tournament, and was also named in the England Under 20s squad. At the end of the season he was nominated for the 'IRB Young Player of the Year Award' for his performance in the IRB Junior World Championship in June 2008.
In June 2009 Simpson progressed into the England Saxons squad and travelled with Wasps' teammates Dom Waldouck and Danny Cipriani
to play in the Churchill Cup
in Colorado. On his debut he completed a solo try
and was awarded Man Of the Match and appeared twice more during the tournament (in which the Saxons lost the final to Ireland A), coming on as a substitute.
Following his performance at the 2009 Churchill Cup Simpson was selected for the 2009/10 squad for the England Saxons national rugby union team.
On 11 May 2010 Simpson was one of nine uncapped players named in the England senior squad to tour Australia and New Zealand in the summer and on 30 May he made his debut for England, coming on as a substitute for David Strettle
with nine minutes remaining in the match against the Barbarians. However, having sustained an injury to his left hamstring in the Barbarians game the RFU announced that Simpson would have to pull out of the tour.
On 12 January 2011, it was announced that Simpson had been called up to the senior England squad (EPS) for the 6 Nations tournament.
On 22 August 2011 Simpson was named in the 30 man England squad heading to New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
, the opportunity arising following an injury to Danny Care. On the 18th September 2011, Simpson replaced Ben Youngs in the 66th minute against Georgia in the pool stages of the Rugby World Cup 2011 to win his long anticipated first cap. He was only the second player to win his first cap for England in a Rugby World cup tournament - second to Joe Worsley
who was the first player to do so at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays scrum half for London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
and the England national rugby union team
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
.
Biography
Simpson was born in Australia to a New Zealand mother and English father, both rugby enthusiasts. He has one younger brother called Michael.Simpson was educated at St Benedict's School
St Benedict's School
St Benedict's School is a co-educational independent Roman Catholic school situated in Ealing, West London. The school is part of Ealing Abbey and is governed by the Abbot and monks of Ealing. As the only day school of the English Houses of the English Benedictine Congregation, the school does not...
, Ealing, which he represented at both rugby and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and where he was honoured as Victor Ludorum
Victor Ludorum
Victor Ludorum is Latin for "the winner of the games." It is usually a trophy presented to the most successful team, club, or competitor at a sports event. It is common at rowing regattas and was traditional at some British public school sports days...
for athletics three times, at junior, middle and senior school levels. Outside school he played cricket for Ealing Cricket Club and played, with Hugo Ellis
Hugo Ellis
Hugo Ellis born 4 February 1988 in Isleworth, London, England is a rugby union player for Newport Gwent Dragons in the RaboDirect Pro12. He plays as a back-row. He is a former pupil of St Benedict's School, Ealing,. Hugo's father played for Wales Schools, Neath and was an Oxford Blue...
and Dominic Waldouck
Dominic Waldouck
Dominic Waldouck is a rugby union footballer who plays centre for London Wasps. He attended Latymer Upper School in Ladbroke Grove, London and attended Kew College Primary School.-Biography:...
, in the youth team at Richmond Rugby Club. He also enjoys a round of golf with friends Nathan 'knockout' Nye, Simon 'hearney' Hearn and Michael 'my house has wheels' Molony, usually taking in the delights of Perivale golf course during the summer months.
In addition to his parents Simpson cites Mike Reilly and Alun Powell, his coaches at Richmond and the Wasps Academy respectively, as influences. He is also very fond of penguins and has completed a month's unpaid work experience at London Zoo.
Club career
Simpson joined the London Wasps England Rugby Academy full-time from St Benedict's School in the summer of 2006, but spent much of the subsequent two years at Blackheath Rugby Club on loan.In the 2008/09 season Simpson graduated to the Wasps first team, coming on as a substitute a number of times and gaining a more frequent position in the starting XV towards the latter part of the season. He scored on his debut and was awarded fourth place in the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
Try of the Season award.
Simpson signed a full-time senior contract with London Wasps in the summer of 2009 securing his place at the club for two years. He was in the starting line-up for the opening game of the season on 5 September 2009 against Harlequins
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
, played at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
as part of the London Double Header . In the first minute Simpson was head-butted
Headbutt
A headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead...
by George Robson, the Harlequins' lock, in an off-the-ball incident. After treatment on the field for a cut sustained to his nose Simpson continued to play for the remaining 79 minutes, despite feeling sick and dizzy.
On the 17th December 2010, London Wasps announced that Simpson had signed a three-year extension to his contract which will keep him at the club until the end of the 2013/14 season.
International career
In May 2006 Simpson earned his first cap in the England Under 19 team, playing against Wales.In the 2007/08 season he secured a place with the England sevens'
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
side, travelling to Dubai for the IRB World Seven Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
tournament, and was also named in the England Under 20s squad. At the end of the season he was nominated for the 'IRB Young Player of the Year Award' for his performance in the IRB Junior World Championship in June 2008.
In June 2009 Simpson progressed into the England Saxons squad and travelled with Wasps' teammates Dom Waldouck and Danny Cipriani
Danny Cipriani
Daniel Jerome Cipriani is an English rugby union footballer. He plays fly-half, centre and fullback. He has played for London Wasps and England. He's currently playing his first season of Super Rugby as a member of the inaugural Melbourne Rebels squad.-Biography:Danny Cipriani is mixed-race, his...
to play in the Churchill Cup
Churchill Cup
The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....
in Colorado. On his debut he completed a solo try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
and was awarded Man Of the Match and appeared twice more during the tournament (in which the Saxons lost the final to Ireland A), coming on as a substitute.
Following his performance at the 2009 Churchill Cup Simpson was selected for the 2009/10 squad for the England Saxons national rugby union team.
On 11 May 2010 Simpson was one of nine uncapped players named in the England senior squad to tour Australia and New Zealand in the summer and on 30 May he made his debut for England, coming on as a substitute for David Strettle
David Strettle
David Strettle, , is an English rugby union player who plays on the wing for Saracens and England.- Biography :Strettle grew up in Thelwall, Cheshire, attending Lymm High School and playing for Lymm RFC. Strettle then went on to study at Sheffield Hallam University...
with nine minutes remaining in the match against the Barbarians. However, having sustained an injury to his left hamstring in the Barbarians game the RFU announced that Simpson would have to pull out of the tour.
On 12 January 2011, it was announced that Simpson had been called up to the senior England squad (EPS) for the 6 Nations tournament.
On 22 August 2011 Simpson was named in the 30 man England squad heading to New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
, the opportunity arising following an injury to Danny Care. On the 18th September 2011, Simpson replaced Ben Youngs in the 66th minute against Georgia in the pool stages of the Rugby World Cup 2011 to win his long anticipated first cap. He was only the second player to win his first cap for England in a Rugby World cup tournament - second to Joe Worsley
Joe Worsley
Joseph Paul Richard Worsley MBE is a retired English rugby union player who played flanker for Wasps and England.-Biography:...
who was the first player to do so at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.