Key Facts
| Squad | London Irish |
|---|
| Position | Scrum half |
|---|
| Age | 30 |
|---|
| Height | 1.73m (5'8") |
|---|
| Weight | 78kg (12st 3lb) |
|---|
| Caps | 9 Test appearances |
|---|
After being an unused
replacement against France and Scotland in consecutive matches in 2008, Paul
Hodgson earned his reward with a first cap, off the bench, the following week
in the 33-10 win over Ireland at Twickenham.
He waited more than a
year for his next caps against Argentina in June 2009 but appeared in all three
Investec Challenge Series games in the subsequent autumn and in the first three
2010 RBS 6 Nations matches. Paul then became a pre-tour replacement for the
injured Joe Simpson in Australasia in the summer of 2010 and played off the
bench in both games against the Australian
Barbarians.
Known as ‘Dodge’
because of his sidestepping skills, Epsom-born Paul has topped a century of
Premiership appearances in his career – 141 for London Irish by June 2011, and
one for Bristol Rugby after being a replacement for a single minute in his only
Premiership match for the club, ironically against the Irish back in 2002-03.
Reaching the
three-figure landmark in the 26-24 win over Leeds Carnegie in January 2008
completed an exciting few days after he had been called into the England squad
in the absence of injured club mate Peter Richards. He had spent almost 13
years with Sutton & Epsom before switching to London Wasps and then
becoming an academy player at Bristol.
Educated at the Glyn Technology
School, Ewell and the University of West of England, he has represented England
U18, U21 and Sevens in the IRB World Series and can play on the wing as well as
at scrum half.
In July 2008, he
guided England Saxons to a 36-19 win over Scotland A in Chicago to clinch the
Churchill Cup for the second successive year. He played in all five Saxons’
matches last year and scored tries against Italy A at Worcester in January and
the USA at Northampton in June as the Saxons headed to a repeat triumph in the
final Churchill Cup. His shrewd marshalling of his backs earned him the man of
the match award in the Tonga game at Kingsholm eight days later.
Paul’s other
distinctions include being the London Irish Player of the Season in 2007-08 and
he captained the side in the opening Premiership match against Harlequins at
Twickenham the following September. He has also devoted his spare time to
assisting with coaching at the successful Dorking club.
International Record
2008 I(R) 2009 Arg(1R,2R), A(R), Arg, NZ 2010 W(R), It(R),I(R)
