Lee Blackett
Encyclopedia
Lee Blackett is a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 footballer for Leeds Carnegie. His usual position is at wing or centre. He went to school at King Edward VII and Queen Mary School
King Edward VII and Queen Mary School
King Edward VII and Queen Mary School is an HMC Independent Co-educational school in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire, England.The Lytham Schools Foundation was established in 1719 after a flood disaster in the town. In 1908, one hundred and eighty-nine years after the Foundation's initial formation,...

 in Lytham, and played some of his earlier rugby at Fylde Rugby Club
Fylde Rugby Club
Fylde Rugby Union Club is a rugby union club based in Lytham St Annes, on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England. Its home venue is the Woodlands Memorial Ground on Blackpool Road in Ansdell...

.

Background

The Tykes initially signed Blackett, a former Rotherham Earth Titans captain, in February 2006 on loan with prop James Isaacson
James Isaacson
James Isaacson is a former rugby union player who at club level represented Newcastle Falcons and Leeds Carnegie . His usual position is at prop. He was educated at Durham School and Northumbria University....

 going the other way. He made his debut for the Tykes against Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...

 on 10 March 2006 in 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...

 and he made a further 2 appearances that season. He is a popular player and has many nicknames. These are generally based around his uncanny resemblance to famous figures; namely Leo Cullen of Leinster, Ian Dowie (the footballer) and most notably, Earthworm Jim.

A product of the Rotherham Academy, Blackett was one of the Titans more consistent players after breaking through to the first XV, going onto make 50 appearances for the club and later being honoured with the role of captain at just the age of 23. Blackett gained representative honours with England counties and was part of the squad that went on tour to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. He spent four seasons with the Titans, gaining some Premiership experience with the side in 2004 when he made his full senior debut against Bath Rugby
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...

.

Blackett went onto make a handful of appearances before the side were eventually relegated. In National Division One he established himself as the first choice No 12 and in the 2004–05 campaign was an almost ever present making 24 appearances for the side and scoring five tries, two of these coming against Plymouth Albion in Rotherham’s 24–18 league victory.

Blackett has plenty of experience playing in National Division One and whilst with Rotherham was regarded as one of the division's top players, with a strong reputation as a reliable defender. Despite only joining the Tykes until the end of the 2005–06 season, Blackett was one of the few players who committed their future to the club at the end of the season; which ended in relegation.

Blackett attended and represented Sheffield Hallam University's 1st XV in Rugby Union where he played alongside Sean Lamont
Sean Lamont
Sean Lamont is a Scottish international rugby union player who plays at centre and on the wing. His younger brother Rory Lamont is also a Scotland international rugby union player.-Biography:...

 & David Strettle
David Strettle
David Strettle, , is an English rugby union player who plays on the wing for Saracens and England.- Biography :Strettle grew up in Thelwall, Cheshire, attending Lymm High School and playing for Lymm RFC. Strettle then went on to study at Sheffield Hallam University...

.

On 21 March 2008, Blackett scored the Guinness Premiership's fastest ever try against Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...

, crossing the try line after just 8.2 seconds.

External links

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