Josh Lewsey
Encyclopedia
Owen Joshua Lewsey MBE
(born 30 November 1976) is a former English
rugby union
footballer who played fullback, wing or centre for Wasps
.
in London
and grew up in Watford
in Hertfordshire
, where he attended Sarratt Church of England School and later Watford Grammar School for Boys. He played for the Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Football Club
. He joined Wasps
at eighteen and played for their Colts side and was under-21 captain.
Despite the fact that he was born in England
and has always lived in England, he could have qualified for Wales
as his mother is Welsh and his father is half-Welsh and half-English. He played for Bristol whilst attending Bristol University and rejoined Wasps
at the age of twenty-one after completing his studies. He won his first England cap on the 'Tour of Hell' to Australia
in 1998, and also appeared in all three tests in the 2001 North American tour. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
in 2001 and served for two years as an officer in the British Army with the Royal Artillery
, before opting to play professional rugby union thereafter.
He made his England home-début in the Six Nations Championship
in 2003 after an injury to Jason Robinson
. He scored twice in a 40–5 win over Italy
. He followed this with the opening try in his next game against Scotland
, and was part of the Grand Slam
winning side. He played well for Wasps and England A, and was an important member of the England
side that won the Hong Kong Sevens
in 2002. He also represented England in sevens
at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
He had a key part in the tests against New Zealand
and Australia
on the June 2003 Southern-hemisphere tour. By then he was first-choice Full back, Jason Robinson
having moved to wing. He was a part of the 2003 World Cup winning squad, and scored five tries in the 111–13 defeat of Uruguay
Lewsey played on the right wing against Italy
and Scotland
in the 2004 Six Nations Championship. He scored a try in both games, and was named Man of the Match at Murrayfield
.
He was selected for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
. He made an ideal start scoring two tries in the first five minutes against Bay of Plenty
.
He was selected for the 2006 Six Nations Squad, but unfortunately was injured early on in the first match of the championship against Wales
with an injury to his left AC joint, he consequently missed the following match against Italy
, he did however return for the next game against Scotland
.
In 2006 Lewsey was given the summer off from international rugby and spent time climbing in the Himalayas
reaching the base camp of K2
. He did not inform his club, London Wasps, of the expedition as he was sure they would object.
At the Middlesex 7s
he scored 11 tries, and became the tournament's top try and points scorer, helping Wasps win their first Middlesex 7s
title since 1993. He appeared again for the 2007 Six Nations opener against Scotland.
For London Wasps he has participated in many major title victories, the latest being the Guinness Premiership Cup win in 2007/2008 when he scored a try in Wasp's 26-16 win over Leicester.
Lewsey featured heavily in England's campaign to retain the Rugby World Cup in 2007, scoring the only try against France in the 14-9 victory which put England into the final. However, just before half-time in the same match he picked up a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the final.
England's coach Brian Ashton did not select Lewsey for the England squad to compete in the 2008 Six Nations squad. However, he was called up for Martin Johnson's England Squad for 2008/2009.
On 24 March 2011 it was announced that Lewsey had agreed to come out of retirement to play for London Wasps until the end of the season.
Lewsey releases his autobiography on 5 February 2009 titled "One Chance: My Life and Rugby". While rugby heavily features in his book, he also covers more personal aspects of his life and general views on issues such as the countryside and importance of sports in communities.
On 5 April 2009, Lewsey announced that he would retire from Rugby at the end of the 2008/09 season. Although he had aspirations to make the 2009 British and Irish Lions
team for the tour to South Africa
he was not picked.
As an avid climber, Lewsey has opted for a complete career change and the opportunity to further his mountain exploits. Lewsey and his friend Keith Reesby were unsuccessful in their attempt to climb to the summit of Mount Everest
via the difficult North Col route, in May 2010. Both climbers were within 500 feet of the summit when breathing apparatus failure caused them to abandon the ascent . Lewsey admitted afterwards that "He had never felt so scared" as the two climbers attempted to descend before running out of oxygen. Following this expedition he will join PricewaterhouseCoopers
as a management consultant, working in the area of organisational performance.
In September 2011, Lewsey became an employee of Citigroup Global Markets Ltd. as a sales trader.
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 30 November 1976) is a former 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...
footballer who played fullback, wing or centre 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...
.
Career
Lewsey was born in BromleyBromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
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...
and grew up in Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, where he attended Sarratt Church of England School and later Watford Grammar School for Boys. He played for the Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Football Club
Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Football Club
Amersham and Chiltern R.F.C. is an English rugby union team located in the western outskirts of Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England. The club colours are burgundy and white...
. He joined 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 eighteen and played for their Colts side and was under-21 captain.
Despite the fact that he was born in England
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...
and has always lived in England, he could have qualified for Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
as his mother is Welsh and his father is half-Welsh and half-English. He played for Bristol whilst attending Bristol University and rejoined 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 twenty-one after completing his studies. He won his first England cap on the 'Tour of Hell' to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1998, and also appeared in all three tests in the 2001 North American tour. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in 2001 and served for two years as an officer in the British Army with the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, before opting to play professional rugby union thereafter.
He made his England home-début in the Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
in 2003 after an injury to Jason Robinson
Jason Robinson
Jason Thorpe Robinson OBE is an English former international rugby union and rugby league player of the 1990s and 2000s. Playing at wing or fullback, he won fifty-one rugby union international test caps in total for England, and in rugby league he won twelve caps for Great Britain and seven for...
. He scored twice in a 40–5 win over 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,...
. He followed this with the opening try in his next game against 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 was part of the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
winning side. He played well for Wasps and England A, and was an important member of the England
England national rugby union team (sevens)
The English national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Honours:* 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament - Winners* Rugby World Cup Sevens Winners 1993* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2002* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2003*...
side that won the Hong Kong Sevens
Hong Kong Sevens
The Hong Kong Sevens is considered the premier tournament on the IRB Sevens World Series in rugby sevens—a variant of rugby union....
in 2002. He also represented England in 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...
at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
He had a key part in the tests 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...
on the June 2003 Southern-hemisphere tour. By then he was first-choice Full back, Jason Robinson
Jason Robinson
Jason Thorpe Robinson OBE is an English former international rugby union and rugby league player of the 1990s and 2000s. Playing at wing or fullback, he won fifty-one rugby union international test caps in total for England, and in rugby league he won twelve caps for Great Britain and seven for...
having moved to wing. He was a part of the 2003 World Cup winning squad, and scored five tries in the 111–13 defeat of 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....
Lewsey played on the right wing 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,...
and 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...
in the 2004 Six Nations Championship. He scored a try in both games, and was named Man of the Match at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
.
He was selected for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
. He made an ideal start scoring two tries in the first five minutes against Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the official governing body for rugby union in the Bay of Plenty, in the North-East of the North Island...
.
He was selected for the 2006 Six Nations Squad, but unfortunately was injured early on in the first match of the championship 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...
with an injury to his left AC joint, he consequently missed the following match 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,...
, he did however return for the next game against 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...
.
In 2006 Lewsey was given the summer off from international rugby and spent time climbing in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
reaching the base camp of K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
. He did not inform his club, London Wasps, of the expedition as he was sure they would object.
At the Middlesex 7s
Middlesex 7s
The Middlesex Sevens is a rugby union sevens tournament held annually at Twickenham stadium in London, England. It was first held in 1926, and started by Dr J.A. Russell-Cargill, a London based Scot...
he scored 11 tries, and became the tournament's top try and points scorer, helping Wasps win their first Middlesex 7s
Middlesex 7s
The Middlesex Sevens is a rugby union sevens tournament held annually at Twickenham stadium in London, England. It was first held in 1926, and started by Dr J.A. Russell-Cargill, a London based Scot...
title since 1993. He appeared again for the 2007 Six Nations opener against Scotland.
For London Wasps he has participated in many major title victories, the latest being the Guinness Premiership Cup win in 2007/2008 when he scored a try in Wasp's 26-16 win over Leicester.
Lewsey featured heavily in England's campaign to retain the Rugby World Cup in 2007, scoring the only try against France in the 14-9 victory which put England into the final. However, just before half-time in the same match he picked up a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the final.
England's coach Brian Ashton did not select Lewsey for the England squad to compete in the 2008 Six Nations squad. However, he was called up for Martin Johnson's England Squad for 2008/2009.
On 24 March 2011 it was announced that Lewsey had agreed to come out of retirement to play for London Wasps until the end of the season.
Retirement
On 10 December 2008 it was confirmed that Lewsey would be retiring from international rugby to concentrate on his club career, ending his time in the England set-up, which spanned more than 10 years and claiming 55 caps with 22 tries scored.Lewsey releases his autobiography on 5 February 2009 titled "One Chance: My Life and Rugby". While rugby heavily features in his book, he also covers more personal aspects of his life and general views on issues such as the countryside and importance of sports in communities.
On 5 April 2009, Lewsey announced that he would retire from Rugby at the end of the 2008/09 season. Although he had aspirations to make the 2009 British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
team for the tour to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
he was not picked.
As an avid climber, Lewsey has opted for a complete career change and the opportunity to further his mountain exploits. Lewsey and his friend Keith Reesby were unsuccessful in their attempt to climb to the summit of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
via the difficult North Col route, in May 2010. Both climbers were within 500 feet of the summit when breathing apparatus failure caused them to abandon the ascent . Lewsey admitted afterwards that "He had never felt so scared" as the two climbers attempted to descend before running out of oxygen. Following this expedition he will join PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
as a management consultant, working in the area of organisational performance.
In September 2011, Lewsey became an employee of Citigroup Global Markets Ltd. as a sales trader.
External links
- Wasps profile
- itsrugby.co.uk - Profile and Statistics
- Josh Lewsey interview at Southwesttrains.co.uk
- Josh Lewsey photo 1 by sportingheroes.net
- Josh Lewsey photo 2 by sportingheroes.net
- One Chance my Life and Rugby by Josh Lewsey Cover photography Peter DazeleyPeter DazeleyPeter Dazeley, known as Dazeley, is a photographer living and working in London, renowned for fine art, advertising, anamorphic and nude photography and he also does flower photography.- Biography :...
Virgin BooksVirgin BooksVirgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
London, 2009 ISBN 9781905264537