Topsy Ojo
Encyclopedia
Temitope "Topsy" Ojo is an English
rugby union
player for the London Irish
club, and has represented England
at International level.
He became a full member of the London Irish squad in April 2006, and now plays wing.
, London
. His father, Akin Ojo, a thoracic surgeon, and his mother Bola Ojo (née Ibidapo-Obe) are from south-west Nigeria
, where Temitope is a common Yoruba
name. Topsy Ojo started to play rugby union
at Dartford Grammar School
at the age of eleven, as well as going on to captain the 1st XV. He also represented Kent and London & South-East Schools at both U16 and U18. After he starting playing some under-19 trial matches and being recommended for the London Irish Academy
he went on to join the Sunbury
based Academy in July 2003.
He made his English club debut in September 2005 in a match against London Wasps
. By April 2006 he had joined the full London Irish
squad, and now plays wing.
Ojo has been tipped to replace Tom Varndell
as "the hottest young finisher" by the BBC
. He finished the 2005-06 Guinness Premiership
season with 14 games in the starting lineup with 7 tries. That season, Ojo started in the final of the Euroopean Challenge Cup
, losing to Gloucester Rugby. Despite only being at the club a few years, he has quickly become a firm favourite with the crowd.
Ojo scored a try in London Irish's first premiership game of the 2006–07 season
, in which they defeated promoted Harlequins
during the London Double Header at Twickenham
.
Ojo scored a try against Stade Toulousain
in the 2008 Heineken Cup Semi Final.
and his colleagues, and went onto represent England at the under-19 2003 Six Nations, as well as the FIRA
World Cup Championships. He also went on to represent England at the 2006 IRB U21 World Championship
.
Ojo made his debut for the England Saxons
against the USA
in the 2007 Churchill Cup
, where he scored the Saxons' first try. On May 29, 2007, Ojo was called up to the full England squad for the first time.
Ojo made another appearance for the England Saxons
, against Italy A
in Ragusa
, Sicily
on 9 February 2008.
On 13 May 2008, Ojo was named in Martin Johnson's first England squad selection, set to tour New Zealand that summer. He won his first cap
on June 14.
Ojo showed both pace and vision in his first game scoring twice in a game where New Zealand were dominant. His first try was an interception of a Dan Carter pass, before running nearly the length of the pitch (80m) to outpace the New Zealand full back Mils Muliaina
who had to come from the other side of the field. His second try involved picking the ball up after a kick and running it under the posts. On the strength of this performance, Ojo was one of the few England backs to be retained in the starting XV for the second Test in Christchurch.
No formal complaint was issued to the New Zealand police. However, on 10 July 2008, Ojo along with team-mate Mike Brown was found guilty of misconduct and fined £500 for staying out until after 7.00 the following morning. Danny Care was found not guilty of any misconduct. David Strettle
was found not guilty of any misconduct but was warned to not put himself in potentially compromising situations in future.
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 for the London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
club, and has represented 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...
at International level.
He became a full member of the London Irish squad in April 2006, and now plays wing.
London Irish
Ojo was born in TottenhamTottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, 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...
. His father, Akin Ojo, a thoracic surgeon, and his mother Bola Ojo (née Ibidapo-Obe) are from south-west Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, where Temitope is a common Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
name. Topsy Ojo started to play 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...
at Dartford Grammar School
Dartford Grammar School
Dartford Grammar School is a selective secondary foundation school for boys in Dartford, Kent, England, which admits girls to its sixth form . All of the students joining the school are from the top 25% of the ability range...
at the age of eleven, as well as going on to captain the 1st XV. He also represented Kent and London & South-East Schools at both U16 and U18. After he starting playing some under-19 trial matches and being recommended for the London Irish Academy
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
he went on to join the Sunbury
Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames, also known as Sunbury, is a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, and part of the London commuter belt. It is located 16 miles southwest of central London and bordered by Feltham and Hampton, flanked on the south by the River Thames.-History:The earliest evidence of...
based Academy in July 2003.
He made his English club debut in September 2005 in a match against 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...
. By April 2006 he had joined the full London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
squad, and now plays wing.
Ojo has been tipped to replace Tom Varndell
Tom Varndell
Tom Varndell is an English rugby union footballer who plays on the wing for London Wasps, England and England Sevens. He claims to have been clocked at 10.8 seconds for the 100 metres in his socks on grass...
as "the hottest young finisher" by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. He finished the 2005-06 Guinness Premiership
2005-06 Guinness Premiership
The 2005–06 Guinness Premiership was the 19th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2005 and May 2006. The final was contested by the Sale Sharks and the Leicester Tigers at Twickenham. Sale Sharks won 45 – 20 to win the Premiership...
season with 14 games in the starting lineup with 7 tries. That season, Ojo started in the final of the Euroopean Challenge Cup
2005-06 European Challenge Cup
The 2005–06 European Challenge Cup was the tenth year of the European Challenge Cup, the second tier rugby union cup competition below the Heineken Cup...
, losing to Gloucester Rugby. Despite only being at the club a few years, he has quickly become a firm favourite with the crowd.
Ojo scored a try in London Irish's first premiership game of the 2006–07 season
2006-07 Guinness Premiership
The 2006–07 Guinness Premiership was the 20th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2006 and May 2007. It was announced during the 2005-06 season that the 2006-07 competition would end two weeks early due to the 2007 Rugby World Cup in...
, in which they defeated promoted 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...
during the London Double Header 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...
.
Ojo scored a try against Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
in the 2008 Heineken Cup Semi Final.
International career
Ojo had been a member of the England Intermediate National Academy at Bath, where he was coached by Brian AshtonBrian Ashton (rugby player)
William Brian Ashton MBE is a former rugby union player and the former Head Coach of the England and Ireland national rugby union teams.-Biography:...
and his colleagues, and went onto represent England at the under-19 2003 Six Nations, as well as the FIRA
FIRA - Association of European Rugby
The FIRA - Association Européenne de Rugby is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of the International Rugby Board .The predecessor to FIRA–AER was the Fédération...
World Cup Championships. He also went on to represent England at the 2006 IRB U21 World Championship
2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship
The 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship was played in the Auvergne region of France throughout June 2006. The final was played between South Africa and France at the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, which saw France win 24 to 13....
.
Ojo made his debut for the England Saxons
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
against the USA
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
in the 2007 Churchill Cup
2007 Churchill Cup
The 2007 Churchill Cup was held from May 18 to June 2, 2007. It was the fifth year of the Churchill Cup. Six rugby union teams took part: Canada, England Saxons, Ireland A, New Zealand Māori, Scotland A, and the USA.-Format:...
, where he scored the Saxons' first try. On May 29, 2007, Ojo was called up to the full England squad for the first time.
Ojo made another appearance for the England Saxons
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
, against Italy A
Italy A national rugby union team
The Italy A national rugby union team are the second national rugby union team in Italy after the national side. They compete every year in the IRB Nations Cup.-Fixtures:IRB Nations Cup 2010...
in Ragusa
Ragusa, Italy
Ragusa is a city and comune in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Ragusa, on the island of Sicily, with around 75,000 inhabitants. It is built on a wide limestone hill between two deep valleys, Cava San Leonardo and Cava Santa Domenica...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
on 9 February 2008.
On 13 May 2008, Ojo was named in Martin Johnson's first England squad selection, set to tour New Zealand that summer. He won his first cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
on June 14.
Ojo showed both pace and vision in his first game scoring twice in a game where New Zealand were dominant. His first try was an interception of a Dan Carter pass, before running nearly the length of the pitch (80m) to outpace the New Zealand full back Mils Muliaina
Mils Muliaina
Junior Malili Muliaina , better known as Mils Muliaina, is a rugby union player. He plays for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and New Zealand at international level. He was born in Salesi, Samoa, then moved with his family to Invercargill, New Zealand, at the age of two...
who had to come from the other side of the field. His second try involved picking the ball up after a kick and running it under the posts. On the strength of this performance, Ojo was one of the few England backs to be retained in the starting XV for the second Test in Christchurch.
Controversy
During the 2008 summer tour to New Zealand, Ojo and several other England players were allegedly involved in an incident late at night on 14 June 2008 after a drinking session following defeat in their first match.No formal complaint was issued to the New Zealand police. However, on 10 July 2008, Ojo along with team-mate Mike Brown was found guilty of misconduct and fined £500 for staying out until after 7.00 the following morning. Danny Care was found not guilty of any misconduct. 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...
was found not guilty of any misconduct but was warned to not put himself in potentially compromising situations in future.