Joe Worsley
Encyclopedia
Joseph Paul Richard Worsley MBE
(born 14 June 1977 in London
) is a retired English
rugby union
player who played flanker
for Wasps
and England
.
and Brunel University
and joined London Wasps
at the age of 16 from Welwyn RFC
. He became the youngest player to represent England U21s, after being a member of the England Schools 18 Group Grand Slam team in 1994–95.
Worsley is noted for his defensive capabilities against opposing ball-carriers. His ability to play any of the three back row positions earned him a place in the England
World Cup Squad in 1999 as a bench replacement. He won his first cap against Tonga
at the World Cup, then came on as a replacement against both Scotland
and Italy
during England
's Six Nations Championship matches in 2000. He won two more caps as a replacement in that summer’s Tests against South Africa
in Pretoria and Bloemfontein. He enjoyed a successful tour to North America in the summer of 2001, filling Lawrence Dallaglio
’s number 8 position and scoring against both Canada
and the United States.
He continued in the back row for England’s 2001 Investec Challenge matches, when he turned in two outstanding performances against Australia
and South Africa
. He also replaced Richard Hill
in both of England’s 2003 tour matches against New Zealand
and Australia
.
His 2002-03 season started well, and Worsley won the Man of The Match award against Saracens in September. However, a hamstring
injury, forced him out of the England Autumn Internationals and six weeks of the Zurich Premiership.
He scored England’s second try in their win over Wales
at Cardiff in 2003, just eight days after scoring against France A for England A at Northampton
, and being voted man of the match.
Worsley was a member of England’s victorious Rugby World Cup squad in 2003, coming on during the pool match against South Africa
and starting against both Samoa
and Uruguay
.
In 2004 he played against Italy
, Ireland
and France
in the Six Nations Championship, as well as coming off the bench against Wales
to score a match winning try. Worsley played powerfully against both South Africa
and Australia
in November 2004. He started in the back row, now an automatic choice after former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio
retired from England duty two months earlier.
He was a member of the London Wasps
side that won both the Zurich Premiership final and the Heineken European Cup
Final in 2004 and he played well on the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia.
He missed out on England's entire 2005 Autumn test series due to a knee injury but regained full fitness in time for the 2006 Six nations championship.
Worsley participated in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
. He made a "try-saving tap-tackle" which prevented Vincent Clerc of France from scoring a probable match-winning try late in the semi-final (13 October). Worsley toured New Zealand in June 2008, coming on as a substitute in both Tests, and was named as a replacement for Tom Rees in the shadow of the 2009 Six Nations, and began as a replacement against Italy.
He then re-started his international career, starting in front of Steffon Armitage against Wales, and proving his worth, earning man of the match.
He played on the Lions 2009 tour of South Africa in front of any other English flankers.
On August 1 2011 it was announced that Worsley had been cut from England's training squad due to injury and would probably miss the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
On 14 November 2011 it was announced that Worsley would be forced to retire due to a neck injury.
improving the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in Britain and Ireland.
He has also started actively participating in Rugby classes for the Alex Boys academy, helping disadvantaged children learn rugby of which he is a keen advocate.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 14 June 1977 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is a retired English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rugby union
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 played flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
for 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 England
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
Worsley was educated at Hitchin Boys' SchoolHitchin Boys' School
Hitchin Boys' School is a specialist technology and language college in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. It educates boys aged between 11 and 18. The school currently has around 1000 pupils...
and Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
and joined 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...
at the age of 16 from Welwyn RFC
Welwyn RFC
Welwyn RFC was originally born as Welwyn , and formed in 1931.The first rugby club in Welwyn Garden City was Mid Herts, formed in the mid 1920s and composed mainly of players from the more affluent West side of town...
. He became the youngest player to represent England U21s, after being a member of the England Schools 18 Group Grand Slam team in 1994–95.
Worsley is noted for his defensive capabilities against opposing ball-carriers. His ability to play any of the three back row positions earned him a place in the England
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...
World Cup Squad in 1999 as a bench replacement. He won his first cap against Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
at the World Cup, then came on as a replacement against both Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
during England
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...
's Six Nations Championship matches in 2000. He won two more caps as a replacement in that summer’s Tests against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in Pretoria and Bloemfontein. He enjoyed a successful tour to North America in the summer of 2001, filling Lawrence Dallaglio
Lawrence Dallaglio
Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager...
’s number 8 position and scoring against both Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
and the United States.
He continued in the back row for England’s 2001 Investec Challenge matches, when he turned in two outstanding performances against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
and South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. He also replaced Richard Hill
Richard Hill (flanker)
Richard Hill MBE is a former rugby union footballer who played flanker for Saracens and England.Often portrayed as the 'silent assassin' at both club and international level, his effective and abrasive style of forward play has made him legendary in rugby union circles...
in both of England’s 2003 tour matches against New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
.
His 2002-03 season started well, and Worsley won the Man of The Match award against Saracens in September. However, a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury, forced him out of the England Autumn Internationals and six weeks of the Zurich Premiership.
He scored England’s second try in their win over Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
at Cardiff in 2003, just eight days after scoring against France A for England A at Northampton
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
, and being voted man of the match.
Worsley was a member of England’s victorious Rugby World Cup squad in 2003, coming on during the pool match against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
and starting against both Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
and Uruguay
Unión de Rugby del Uruguay
The Uruguayan Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Uruguay.-Foundation and affiliation:It was founded in 1951 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1989.They have been represented in the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cups....
.
In 2004 he played against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
, Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
and France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in the Six Nations Championship, as well as coming off the bench against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
to score a match winning try. Worsley played powerfully against both South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in November 2004. He started in the back row, now an automatic choice after former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio
Lawrence Dallaglio
Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager...
retired from England duty two months earlier.
He was a member of the 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...
side that won both the Zurich Premiership final and the Heineken European Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
Final in 2004 and he played well on the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia.
He missed out on England's entire 2005 Autumn test series due to a knee injury but regained full fitness in time for the 2006 Six nations championship.
Worsley participated in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
. He made a "try-saving tap-tackle" which prevented Vincent Clerc of France from scoring a probable match-winning try late in the semi-final (13 October). Worsley toured New Zealand in June 2008, coming on as a substitute in both Tests, and was named as a replacement for Tom Rees in the shadow of the 2009 Six Nations, and began as a replacement against Italy.
He then re-started his international career, starting in front of Steffon Armitage against Wales, and proving his worth, earning man of the match.
He played on the Lions 2009 tour of South Africa in front of any other English flankers.
On August 1 2011 it was announced that Worsley had been cut from England's training squad due to injury and would probably miss 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...
.
On 14 November 2011 it was announced that Worsley would be forced to retire due to a neck injury.
Charitable work
He is an Honorary President of the rugby charity Wooden SpoonWooden Spoon Society
Wooden Spoon is a children's charity founded in 1983, when the England rugby team received the Wooden Spoon in the 5 Nations. Spoon is dedicated to helping children and young people who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially by using sport as a method of improving lives while...
improving the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in Britain and Ireland.
He has also started actively participating in Rugby classes for the Alex Boys academy, helping disadvantaged children learn rugby of which he is a keen advocate.