Jonathan Joseph (rugby union)

Jonathan Byron Alexander Joseph (born 21 May 1991) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for Pro D2 club Biarritz.[3] He played more than fifty games for England between 2012 and 2020.[2]

Jonathan Joseph
Birth nameJonathan Byron Alexander Joseph
Date of birth (1991-05-21) 21 May 1991
Place of birthDerby, England
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight91 kg (14 st 5 lb; 201 lb)[2]
SchoolThe Old Vicarage School, Darley Abbey
Park House School
Millfield
Notable relative(s)Will Joseph
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, Wing, Fullback
Current team Bath
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2009–2013
2013–2023
2023-		 London Irish
Bath
Biarritz		 61
175
0		 (95)
(162)
(0)
Correct as of 1 July 2023
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–2011
2012
2012–2020
2017		 England U20
England A
England
British & Irish Lions		 9
1
54
0		 (10)
(0)
(85)
(0)
Correct as of 28 November 2020

Early career

Joseph began his rugby career at Derby RFC.[4] He attended The Old Vicarage School, a preparatory school in Darley Abbey, before the family moved to Berkshire.[5] His father is originally from Grenada and represented Northampton Saints in the 1980s.[5] His younger brother Will Joseph is also a professional rugby player who made his international debut in July 2022.

Joseph attended Millfield and came through the London Irish academy after he spent his teenage years playing at Newbury RFC.[4] At club level, his first senior rugby came on loan to Barnes RFC as injury cover; however, his breakthrough season was for Irish in 2010–11, when he played in thirteen Premiership games and scored five tries. His remarkable rise was marked with a nomination for the Land Rover Discovery of the Season award in 2012.[2] He left London Irish at the end of the 2012–13 season having made 44 appearances and scored 13 tries.[6]

Club career

Joseph joined Bath at the start of the 2013–14 season and quickly forged a successful midfield partnership with inside centre Kyle Eastmond. In his first season at the club he started in their EPCR Challenge Cup final defeat to Northampton at Cardiff Arms Park.[7]

After a relatively quiet inaugural season, Joseph more than hit his straps in his second, proving to be sublime in attack and robust in defence. During their European Champions Cup match away at Stade Toulousain in January 2015, Bath showed scant regard for the French team's vast rugby pedigree and ran in four tries, with Joseph providing the catalyst for what many commentators regard as one of the finest European cup rugby tries of all time. Collecting the ball inside his own half, Joseph wriggled and side-stepped past a number of players before chipping ahead and collecting. After a searing run, again escaping the tackles of many of the Toulouse defenders, he released teammate Ross Batty, who in turn passed to Francois Louw to complete the move in scoring what was a truly audacious try.[8][9] At the end of the 2014-15 season Joseph scored a try in the Premiership final as Bath finished as runners-up to Saracens.[10]

International career

England

Joseph progressed through the England age-grade ranks and started for the England U20 side that defeated Ireland in the final round of the 2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship to complete a grand slam.[11] Later that year he was a member of the squad that finished as runners-up to New Zealand in the final of the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship alongside future England teammates Mako Vunipola, Joe Launchbury, George Ford, Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly and Christian Wade, amongst others.[12][13] In February 2012, Joseph made his debut at England 'A' level in a defeat against Scotland.[14]

Joseph was one of thirteen uncapped players selected by England head coach Stuart Lancaster for the 2012 mid-year tour of South Africa.[15] On 9 June 2012, he made his debut as a second-half substitute for Mike Brown in the first Test defeat at Kings Park Stadium.[16][17] An injury to Brad Barritt allowed Joseph to start the subsequent two Tests at outside-centre alongside Manu Tuilagi.[18][19] He was ruled out of the 2013 Six Nations through injury but was named to start both Test matches on the subsequent tour of Argentina.[20]

Joseph scored his first international try against Wales in the opening game of the 2015 Six Nations.[21] In the next round he scored twice against Italy and was named player of the match.[22][23] Joseph recorded his fourth try of the competition in the penultimate round against Scotland to finish the top try scorer of the tournament.[24] On 14 May 2015, it was announced that Joseph had won the Rugby Players' Association 'Player's Player of the Year' and 'England Player of the Year' for his outstanding performances for both club and country during the 2014–15 season.[25] He was included in the squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and scored in a warm-up loss to France.[26][27] He played in three of their four pool games as the hosts failed to reach the knockout phase.[28]

Joseph was selected by new coach Eddie Jones for the 2016 Six Nations and during the tournament scored his first hat-trick at international level away to Italy.[29] He started all five games during the competition including the final match as England defeated France to achieve their first Grand Slam in over a decade.[30] He scored a try in the opening game of their 2016 tour of Australia and also started the next two Tests as England completed a series whitewash.[31][32] Later that year he scored tries in autumn internationals against Fiji and Australia.[33][34] The following year saw Joseph accomplish another hat-trick in the penultimate round of the 2017 Six Nations against Scotland.[35] He also started in the final game of the competition as England missed out on a consecutive grand slam with defeat away to Ireland which also brought an end to a record equalling eighteen successive Test victories.[36] Later that year he scored another try in a victory over Australia.[37]

Joseph was included in the squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[38] He played in the quarter-final and semi-final victories over Australia and New Zealand.[39][40] In the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final he came off the bench during the second-half to replace Jonny May as England were defeated by South Africa to finish as runners-up.[41] After the World Cup Joseph won his fiftieth cap during the 2020 Six Nations and also started in the final round victory against Italy which meant England won the tournament.[42][43] Later that year he played in the Autumn Nations Cup; however, a calf injury ruled him out of the final of the competition.[44]

British & Irish Lions

Joseph was selected as one of the 41 British & Irish Lions players that toured New Zealand in the summer of 2017.[45] He did not participate in the Test series but did score a try in a tour game against Highlanders.[46]

International tries
As of 31 October 2020[2]
TryOpposing teamLocationVenueCompetitionDateResultScore
1 WalesCardiff, WalesMillennium Stadium2015 Six Nations6 February 2015Win21 – 16[21]
2  Italy London, England Twickenham Stadium 2015 Six Nations 14 February 2015 Win 47 – 17[23]
3
4 ScotlandLondon, EnglandTwickenham Stadium2015 Six Nations14 March 2015Win25 – 13[24]
5 FranceParis, FranceStade de France2015 Rugby World Cup Warm-Up22 August 2015Loss20 – 25[26]
6  Italy Rome, Italy Stadio Olimpico 2016 Six Nations 14 February 2016 Win 40 – 9[29]
7
8
9 AustraliaBrisbane, AustraliaSuncorp Stadium2016 England Tour of Australia11 June 2016Win39 – 28[31]
10  Fiji London, England Twickenham Stadium 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals 19 November 2016 Win 58 – 15[33]
11
12  Australia London, England Twickenham Stadium 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals 3 December 2016 Win 37 – 21[34]
13
14  Scotland London, England Twickenham Stadium 2017 Six Nations 11 March 2017 Win 61 – 21[35]
15
16
17  Australia London, England Twickenham Stadium 2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals 18 November 2017 Win 30 – 6[37]

Honours

England

Bath

References
  1. "Bath Rugby Official Website | 1st XV squad | Jonathan Joseph". Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  2. "ESPN Scrum: Jonathan Joseph". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  3. "Bath sign England Centre Jonathan Joseph from London Irish". This is Bath. 20 March 2013.
  4. Brown, Oliver (19 February 2015). "The making of Jonathan Joseph, England's rising star". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  5. Kitson, Robert (10 February 2017). "Jonathan Joseph: 'I like the atmosphere, it spurs me on and gets me going'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  6. "Jonathan Joseph: Bath sign London Irish centre for next term". BBC Sport. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  7. Osborne, Chris (22 May 2014). "Amlin Challenge Cup final: Bath 16-30 Northampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  8. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Jonathan Joseph magic creates match securing Bath try vs Toulouse 2015". YouTube.
  9. Standley, James (18 January 2015). "European Champions Cup: Toulouse 18-35 Bath". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  10. Hassan, Nabil (30 May 2015). "Premiership final: Bath 16-28 Saracens". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  11. "Ford drives England to overall glory". The Irish Times. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  12. Mudaly, Lesleigh (23 June 2011). "How England made Junior World Cup final". Rugby World. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  13. Mole, Giles (18 January 2019). "Dan Robson joins the club: How 2011 world junior final between England and New Zealand spawned 27 Test stars". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  14. "Scotland A thrash England Saxons at Galashiels". BBC Sport. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  15. "Danny Care recalled to England squad for South Africa tour". BBC Sport. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  16. "South Africa v England: Johnson and Marler make debuts". BBC Sport. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  17. "South Africa 22-17 England". BBC Sport. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  18. "Bruised England eye end to Boks' winning run". ESPN Scrum. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  19. Standley, James (23 June 2012). "South Africa 14-14 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  20. Standley, James (15 June 2013). "Argentina 26-51 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  21. Fordyce, Tom (6 February 2015). "Six Nations 2015: Wales 16-21 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  22. James, Steve (14 February 2015). "England v Italy: Jonathan Joseph says it's great to be compared to Jeremy Guscott". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  23. Fordyce, Tom (14 February 2015). "Six Nations 2015: England 47-17 Italy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  24. Fordyce, Tom (14 March 2015). "Six Nations 2015: England beat Scotland and eye title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  25. "Jonathan Joseph: Player of the year double for Bath centre". BBC Sport. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  26. Dirs, Ben (22 August 2015). "Rugby World Cup 2015: France win warm-up against England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  27. "Who's in England's Rugby World Cup squad?". BBC. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  28. "Jonathan Joseph reveals severe World Cup injury". BBC Sport. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  29. Fordyce, Tom (14 February 2016). "Six Nations 2016: Italy 9-40 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  30. Fordyce, Tom (19 March 2016). "Six Nations 2016: England win Grand Slam with France victory". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  31. Standley, James (11 June 2016). "England beat Australia 39-28 to win first Test in Brisbane". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  32. Standley, James (25 June 2016). "England beat Australia 44-40 in final Test to complete series whitewash". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  33. Standley, James (19 November 2016). "England score nine tries as they beat Fiji 58-15 at Twickenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  34. Dirs, Ben (3 December 2016). "England beat Australia to equal all-time record of 14 wins". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  35. Fordyce, Tom (11 March 2017). "Six Nations 2017: England 61-21 Scotland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  36. Fordyce, Tom (18 March 2017). "Six Nations 2017: Ireland 13-9 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  37. Fordyce, Tom (18 November 2017). "Autumn international: England 30-6 Australia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  38. Jones, Chris (12 August 2019). "Rugby World Cup: England leave out Te'o, name Ludlam & McConnochie in squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  39. Fordyce, Tom (19 October 2019). "England beat Australia 40–16 to make Rugby World Cup semi-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  40. Fordyce, Tom (26 October 2019). "England 19–7 New Zealand: Eddie Jones' side beat All Blacks to reach World Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  41. Fordyce, Tom (2 November 2019). "England 12–32 South Africa: Springboks win World Cup for record-equalling third time". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  42. Pickworth, William (22 February 2020). "England's Jonathan Joseph happy to wing it on way to milestone". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  43. Grey, Becky (31 October 2020). "Italy 5–34 England: Visitors' victory proves enough to win Six Nations title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  44. "Autumn Nations Cup final". BBC Sport. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  45. Glendenning, Barry (19 April 2017). "Lions 2017 squad announcement". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  46. Bysouth, Alex (13 June 2017). "British and Irish Lions beaten 23-22 by Highlanders in Dunedin". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
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