Rugby Football Union - Josh Lewsey MBE England Profile

Josh Lewsey MBE England Profile


	Josh Lewsey photo by Allsport

Updated December 22, 2008

JOSH LEWSEY MBE

Club: London Wasps
Position: Wing/full back
Born: 30.11.76 | Bromley
Height: 1.78m (5’ 10”)
Weight: 87kg (13st 10lb)
Representative Honours: England U19 Colts, U21s, Sevens, A
Caps: 55
Points: 110 – 22T
International Record: 1998 NZ(1,2), SA(1) 2001 C(1,2), USA 2003 It, S, I, NZ, A, F, F(R) World Cup – G, SA, U, F, A 2004 It, S, I, W, F, NZ(1,2), A, C, SA, A 2005 W, F, I, It, S, A, NZ, Sam 2006 W,S, F, Arg, SA(1,2) 2007 S, It, I, F, F(1,2) World Cup – USA, SA, Sam, Tg, A, F
British & Irish Lions: 2005 NZ (1,2,3)

Owen Joshua Lewsey MBE, who was recalled to the England set-up for the first time since last year’s Rugby World Cup, announced his retirement from England duty in December to concentrate on his London Wasps career.

Left out of Brian Ashton’s 2008 RBS 6 Nations squad he was a key performer for a London Wasps side that clinched a sixth Guinness Premiership title with victory over Leicester Tigers in May. He then opted for a summer of recuperation from a niggling Achilles injury rather than make himself available to tour New Zealand.

Josh joined the 50-cap club when he led the team out in the RWC 2007 opener against USA and then played in every game apart from the final. He scored the try in the opening minutes of the semi final against France that paved the way for England's progress. However, a hamstring strain sustained in that victory prematurely ended his involvement.

Josh also played a major part in the 2003 triumph, where he scored five tries in the pool win over Uruguay and was at No 15 in the final against Australia.

A wing or full back, Josh started his international career on the ‘Tour of Hell’ in 1998 at centre, against New Zealand, and played the second test against the All Blacks the following week at fly half.

On his return he had to wait another three years for his next caps – on the tour of North America in 2001 – but now in his 11th season of test rugby, he has been a near ever present in the England team since the 2003 RWC final.

A member of the squad that won the 2002 Hong Kong Sevens and took part in the Commonwealth Games in Manchester that year, he was also the outstanding member of the Lions’ back division during the 2005 tour of New Zealand.

Educated at Watford Boys Grammar School and Bristol University, where he studied Physiology and Biochemistry, Josh had a spell at Bristol before returning to London Wasps where he had played for the Colts and Under 21s.

Did you know?
Josh could have played for Wales - his mother Mari comes from Cwmllynfell at the foot of the Black Mountains.

After the ‘Tour of Hell’ he veered towards an army career, graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2001 and served for two years as an officer in the British Army. "At first I genuinely thought I could do both jobs, but fairly soon I realised I was kidding myself. You can't play at being an officer in the Army. A decision had to be made and it was a tough one.”

Josh spent part of the summer of 2006 trekking on K2 in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan as a complete break from the game. He went off with an Army friend to the north-eastern frontiers and suffered from altitude sickness in conditions where temperatures reached 30 degrees by day and minus 20 by night.

Beating Australia in Melbourne on the 2003 summer tour and in the RWC final was a career highlight, while losing to Fiji in the 2002 Commonwealth Games Sevens quarter final was forgettable.

In his spare time, Josh likes to walk his boxer dogs Olaf and Wyn in the countryside near his 17th century home, also goes surfing and names Paul Hull, Kevin Maggs and Jonathan Davies as having an influence on his early career.

He spent his childhood days at Amersham & Chiltern RFC and is the middle one of three brothers alongside Tom the eldest a former London Welsh player and Ed - ‘the one with all the friends.’