Iain Balshaw
Encyclopedia
Iain Robert Balshaw, MBE
(born 14 April 1979 in Blackburn, England
) is a rugby
footballer who plays on the wing or at full back for Biarritz
.
, at junior level he played for Preston Grasshoppers
and joined Bath
as a teenager in 1997. He made his senior debut in 1998, scoring thirteen tries
in his first season.
in 2000 at the inaugural Six Nations Championship match against Ireland
, coming on as a substitute. In November 2000, he came on late in the England-Australia
autumn International at Twickenham
to give Dan Luger
a last minute winning try
, starting calls for his inclusion in the England starting line-up.
In the following 2001 Six Nations he finally made the starting line-up for England at full back and stunned the Welsh
in the opening game at the Millennium Stadium
; England winning 44–15. He toured Australia with the British and Irish Lions
in June 2001, but suffered from a lack of form and did not start in the Test matches.
However, the 2002/2003 season saw him back to his best. He was a member of the England squad for the tour of New Zealand
and Australia
, before joining the party for Churchill Cup
matches in North America. He scored two tries in a 'non-cap' international against Japan
in Tokyo
in June 2002, having recovered from shoulder surgery that restricted him to nine games in the previous eleven months for Bath
. Problems with injury meant that his subsequent international appearances were few, despite criticism Clive Woodward
retained faith in his ability and selected him to tour in the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup.
Balshaw played in the warm-up match against France
in Marseille
and impressed in England’s World Cup
game against Samoa
when he caught a diagonal kick from Jonny Wilkinson
to score a crucial try in the 70th minute. He was one of 19 England players who took to the field during the 2003 World Cup final
win over Australia
in Sydney
coming on as a replacement in extra time.
In the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand
he was selected ahead of Kevin Morgan
and Mark Cueto
, but later ruled out with a torn thigh muscle.
Balshaw was selected for England in both Tests in Australia in June 2006. He played well although was criticised by the media for chipping out of his own 22.
He was also chosen in the first two Autumn Internationals in 2006. He played against New Zealand and then against Argentina
where he scored an individual try. However, he then pulled out of the 1st Test against South Africa
injured.
He was England's first choice Fullback during the 2008 Six Nations Championship
but received a lot of criticism from rugby pundits including George Hook
. When Martin Johnson
announced his first England squads in July 2008 following his appointment as manager, Balshaw was omitted from both the Elite and Saxon
selections. As of 2011 Balshaw looks unlikely to make his way back into the squad at fullback, with Ben Foden
and Delon Armitage
being the regular choices, as well as Mark Cueto
's ability to cover the position and the rise of Saxons stars Alex Goode
and Mike Brown.
in July 2004, his game at club level flourished. Balshaw was out of action for the beginning of the season with a groin injury, but after three months of work with the Leeds medical staff he was back to fitness. He made his debut off the bench in the Tykes first home win of the season against Worcester Warriors. Balshaw’s first start came away against Grenoble
in the European Challenge Cup
and he has featured in the starting line up for the Tykes
subsequent games. After a run of five impressive starts Balshaw was rewarded with the captaincy for the Powergen Cup semi-final game against London Irish
, and this performance saw him gain a recall to the England squad
.
' relegation from the Guinness Premiership
, in April 2006, Balshaw joined Gloucester Rugby
, getting injured, though not seriously, in his debut against old club Bath
.
Balshaw moved to Gloucester
in 2006 after making 106 Premiership appearances for Bath and Leeds scoring 38 tries.
in 2009, as part of a large exodus of English players to the French Top 14.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 14 April 1979 in Blackburn, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
footballer who plays on the wing or at full back for Biarritz
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
.
Early life
Balshaw was educated at the Jesuit Stonyhurst CollegeStonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
, at junior level he played for Preston Grasshoppers
Preston Grasshoppers R.F.C.
Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from Preston, Lancashire. It was founded on 28 September 1869 at a meeting held at the Bull Hotel, Preston making one of the oldest 'northern' rugby union teams....
and joined Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
as a teenager in 1997. He made his senior debut in 1998, scoring thirteen tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in his first season.
International career
Balshaw burst on to the international scene in 2000, when he was heralded as one of England’s most exciting young talents. He was picked on the replacements’ bench for every one of that year’s internationals. He won his first cap for EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in 2000 at the inaugural Six Nations Championship match against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, coming on as a substitute. In November 2000, he came on late in the England-Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
autumn International at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
to give Dan Luger
Dan Luger
Daniel Darko Luger MBE is a former English rugby union international who was a member of the squad that won the Webb Ellis Cup in 2003.- Club career:...
a last minute winning try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
, starting calls for his inclusion in the England starting line-up.
In the following 2001 Six Nations he finally made the starting line-up for England at full back and stunned the Welsh
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in the opening game at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
; England winning 44–15. He toured Australia with the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in June 2001, but suffered from a lack of form and did not start in the Test matches.
However, the 2002/2003 season saw him back to his best. He was a member of the England squad for the tour of New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, before joining the party for Churchill Cup
Churchill Cup
The Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....
matches in North America. He scored two tries in a 'non-cap' international against Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in June 2002, having recovered from shoulder surgery that restricted him to nine games in the previous eleven months for Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
. Problems with injury meant that his subsequent international appearances were few, despite criticism Clive Woodward
Clive Woodward
Sir Clive Ronald Woodward OBE is an English former rugby union player and coach. He was coach of the team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He is currently the British Olympic Association's Director of Elite Performance.-Early life:Woodward was born in Ely...
retained faith in his ability and selected him to tour in the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup.
Balshaw played in the warm-up match against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and impressed in England’s World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
game against Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
when he caught a diagonal kick from Jonny Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
to score a crucial try in the 70th minute. He was one of 19 England players who took to the field during the 2003 World Cup final
2003 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2003 Rugby World Cup Final was won by England who defeated Australia 20 to 17. The match went into extra time, in which Jonny Wilkinson kicked a drop goal to seal England's win.-Path to the final:...
win over Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
coming on as a replacement in extra time.
In the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
he was selected ahead of Kevin Morgan
Kevin Morgan
Kevin Andrew Morgan is a Welsh rugby union player who has won 48 caps for the Wales national rugby union team, mainly at full back but also on the wing.-Education:...
and Mark Cueto
Mark Cueto
Mark John "Frank" Cueto is an English international rugby union player. He plays on the wing for Sale Sharks and England.-Biography:...
, but later ruled out with a torn thigh muscle.
Balshaw was selected for England in both Tests in Australia in June 2006. He played well although was criticised by the media for chipping out of his own 22.
He was also chosen in the first two Autumn Internationals in 2006. He played against New Zealand and then against Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
where he scored an individual try. However, he then pulled out of the 1st Test against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
injured.
He was England's first choice Fullback during the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
but received a lot of criticism from rugby pundits including George Hook
George Hook
George Hook is an Irish broadcaster, journalist and rugby union pundit. He had a career as a rugby union coach and businessman, before becoming a rugby pundit with Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
. When Martin Johnson
Martin Johnson
Martin Osborne Johnson CBE is an English former rugby union player who represented and captained England and Leicester. He is mostly known for captaining England to victory in the World Cup in 2003. He became the new England team manager on 1 July 2008, replacing the previous manager Brian Ashton....
announced his first England squads in July 2008 following his appointment as manager, Balshaw was omitted from both the Elite and Saxon
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
selections. As of 2011 Balshaw looks unlikely to make his way back into the squad at fullback, with Ben Foden
Ben Foden
Benjamin Foden is a rugby union footballer who plays for Northampton Saints and England. He plays at fullback or scrum-half, but can also operate on the wing...
and Delon Armitage
Delon Armitage
Delon Anthony Armitage is a rugby union footballer who plays at wing or fullback for London Irish and England. He also occasionally plays centre and often does place kicking, mainly from a distance or if the regular kicker is unable to take it.From 1996 to 2002, Armitage lived in...
being the regular choices, as well as Mark Cueto
Mark Cueto
Mark John "Frank" Cueto is an English international rugby union player. He plays on the wing for Sale Sharks and England.-Biography:...
's ability to cover the position and the rise of Saxons stars Alex Goode
Alex Goode
D. Alexander V. Goode is a professional English rugby union player playing in the Aviva Premiership for Saracens F.C..-Biography:...
and Mike Brown.
Leeds Tykes
After Balshaw's move to LeedsLeeds Tykes
Leeds Carnegie is an English rugby union club, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, currently playing in the RFU Championship. In recent years, they have bounced between the Premiership and the second-level National Division One, now known as the RFU Championship; they were either promoted or relegated...
in July 2004, his game at club level flourished. Balshaw was out of action for the beginning of the season with a groin injury, but after three months of work with the Leeds medical staff he was back to fitness. He made his debut off the bench in the Tykes first home win of the season against Worcester Warriors. Balshaw’s first start came away against Grenoble
FC Grenoble
Football Club de Grenoble Alpes Rugby is a French rugby union club which, until recently, competed in the top level of the French league system. They play at Stade Lesdiguières . They wear red and blue.-History:...
in the European Challenge Cup
European Challenge Cup
The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...
and he has featured in the starting line up for the Tykes
Leeds Tykes
Leeds Carnegie is an English rugby union club, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, currently playing in the RFU Championship. In recent years, they have bounced between the Premiership and the second-level National Division One, now known as the RFU Championship; they were either promoted or relegated...
subsequent games. After a run of five impressive starts Balshaw was rewarded with the captaincy for the Powergen Cup semi-final game against London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
, and this performance saw him gain a recall to the England squad
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
.
Gloucester Rugby
Following LeedsLeeds Tykes
Leeds Carnegie is an English rugby union club, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, currently playing in the RFU Championship. In recent years, they have bounced between the Premiership and the second-level National Division One, now known as the RFU Championship; they were either promoted or relegated...
' relegation from the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
, in April 2006, Balshaw joined Gloucester Rugby
Gloucester RFC
Gloucester Rugby are a professional English rugby union club situated in the west country city of Gloucester. The club plays in the domestic Aviva Premiership...
, getting injured, though not seriously, in his debut against old club Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
.
Balshaw moved to Gloucester
Gloucester RFC
Gloucester Rugby are a professional English rugby union club situated in the west country city of Gloucester. The club plays in the domestic Aviva Premiership...
in 2006 after making 106 Premiership appearances for Bath and Leeds scoring 38 tries.
Biarritz
Balshaw moved to BiarritzBiarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
in 2009, as part of a large exodus of English players to the French Top 14.
External links
- Profile Gloucester Rugby
- Profile Leeds Carnegie
- England Rugby
- Sporting Heroes
- Leeds Tykes