Nick Wood

Profile

As a member of the England U21 Grand Slam winning squad seven years ago, Nick Wood knows the sweet taste of success.

He was included in the subsequent party for the IRB World Championship at that level and his development has gone on from there.

A few days before the New Zealand match at Twickenham in November 2008, he was drafted into the England senior training squad as cover for Andrew Sheridan and was chosen for the summer tour of Argentina in 2009 but remained outside the match day 22 for the Test against the Pumas in Salta. The previous month, he had played off the bench for the England XV beaten 33-26 by the Barbarians at Twickenham.

His other near miss in terms of a cap was when being called into the party for the 2007 trip to South Africa. He was due to make a Test start but succumbed to a torn chest muscle in training and needed to fly home.

Nick had appeared for England U18 and U21 and represented the Saxons in Six Nations matches in three consecutive years, first appearing off the bench for Stuart Turner, of Sale Sharks, in the 33-18 defeat by Ireland A on his home club ground at Kingsholm in 2006 and a fourth in the 17-13 victory over the side now known as the Wolfhounds in January 2010. He went on to start all three games against Russia, the United States and Canada when the Saxons won the Churchill Cup the following June.

His other matches against Italy A and Ireland A in 2007 preceded a third appearance against Ireland A the following year.

He had joined Gloucester in 2001 after leaving Radley College, also played for Rosslyn Park, studied Modern Languages at Brasenose College, Oxford and graduated to tour selection for the Dark Blues to Japan in 2002 after playing for the university U21 side.

Swindon-born Nick signed a new three-year contract in January 2010 and 25 months on , had appeared in 197 games for Gloucester, including a remarkable 105 in the past three and a half seasons. He has also won representative honours in hockey.

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