Rugby Football Union - Graham Rowntree England Profile

Graham Rowntree England Profile


	Graham Rowntree of England photo by Getty Images

03 February 2005
Graham Christopher Rowntree is one of the great warriors of the Zurich Premiership, a Leicester Tigers stalwart and rugged scrummager and good all round player. His performances in England’s three Investec Challenge Autumn Tests in 2004 were outstanding and revitalized his Test career.

He was educated at Hastings High School and John Cleveland College in Hinckley. He has been with Leicester Tigers for 16 years, since joining them from Nuneaton. For so much of that time he was in harness with the famous ‘ABC club’ alongside Richard Cockerill and Darren Garforth.

He won his first England cap as a temporary replacement for Jason Leonard in the match against Scotland in 1995, a Grand Slam year. Graham appeared for both the England U16 and U18 Group Schools sides and in 1993 was the youngest player in Leicester's
cup winning side at Twickenham. He also made the 1997 Lions tour of South Africa.

He narrowly missed selection for England’s squad of 30 for the 2003 World Cup. Clive Woodward admitted that to leave Rowntree behind was one of the hardest decisions he had to make in all his years as England head coach. Rowntree had played in both the 1995 and 1999 World Cups. He was prominent throughout the pre World Cup
years, starting in all of England's Six Nations games in 2002. He played in England's magnificent 15-13 win over New Zealand in Wellington in 2003, and in the World Cup warm up against France in Marseille.

In season 2004-05, he has continued to play with massive passion and effectiveness.

International record: 1995 S(R), World Cup It,WS. WS, 1996 F,W,S,I,It,Arg, 1997 S,I,F,W,A, 1998 A,NZ(1,2),SA,N(R),It(R), 1999 USA,C, World Cup It(R),Tg,Fj(R), 2001 C(1,2)USA,I(R),A,Ro,SA 2002 S,I,F,W,It 2003 F(R),W,It,S,I, NZ, F(2) 2004 C, SA, A Lions: 1997

Did you know?
Graham is a strong family man. For eight years of his life until the game turned professional, he worked as an insurance broker. He regards his Tigers team mates as the biggest influence on his career, although he singles out Martin Johnson for special praise, having played with him since their Tigers youth team days.

For him, winning the European Cup in 2001 at the Stade Francais will always be one of his favourite memories, along with the 15-13 defeat of New Zealand in Wellington in
2003. Now he wants to stay fit, stay healthy and play at the top for as long as he can.

CLUB Leicester Tigers
POSITION Prop
BORN 18.4.71 Stockton-on-Tees
HEIGHT 1.82m (6'0)
WEIGHT 108.6kg
CAPS 48
POINTS 0