Nick Abendanon
Encyclopedia
Nick Abendanon is an English
rugby union
player, currently playing for Bath Rugby
in the Guinness Premiership
. Full-back Abendanon burst onto the scene during the 2006–07 season, scoring 10 tries in 24 first-team appearances for Bath.
His form that season earned him a first England
cap in South Africa – the country of his birth – in June 2007. He was capped again against France in August 2007, but narrowly missed out on a place in England’s 30-man squad. However, he did eventually travel to France as cover for the final after a Josh Lewsey
injury.
A strong tackler, balanced runner and dangerous counter-attacker, he has firmly established himself as Bath’s first-choice full-back in the post-Matt Perry era.
Some fine performances during the 2008–09 season were rewarded with a call-up for the England Saxons
squad for the 2009 Churchill Cup
in the United States.
Retaining his place in the squad, Abendanon was part of the England Saxons victory of the 2010 Churchill Cup
and his impressive performances resulted in him being named Player of the Tournament.
Entering the 2010-11 season Abendanon continued his good form. Although he lost his place for a month to Jack Cuthbert
due to a niggling injury which limited him to impact appearances of the bench, Abendanon was promoted to the England Elite squad
as replacement for the banned Delon Armitage
. This promotion put him in contention to feature during the 2011 Six Nations
which some pundits believed he deserved for his improvement over the previous year.
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...
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...
player, currently playing for 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...
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...
. Full-back Abendanon burst onto the scene during the 2006–07 season, scoring 10 tries in 24 first-team appearances for Bath.
His form that season earned him a first England
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...
cap in South Africa – the country of his birth – in June 2007. He was capped again against France in August 2007, but narrowly missed out on a place in England’s 30-man squad. However, he did eventually travel to France as cover for the final after a Josh Lewsey
Josh Lewsey
Owen Joshua Lewsey MBE is a former English rugby union footballer who played fullback, wing or centre for Wasps.-Career:...
injury.
A strong tackler, balanced runner and dangerous counter-attacker, he has firmly established himself as Bath’s first-choice full-back in the post-Matt Perry era.
Some fine performances during the 2008–09 season were rewarded with a call-up for the England Saxons
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...
squad for the 2009 Churchill Cup
2009 Churchill Cup
The 2009 Churchill Cup took place between June 6 and June 21, 2009, in the seventh year of the tournament.For the first time in the tournament's history, all rounds were held in the United States in an effort to reduce the cost of the tournament after the discontinued sponsorship by Barclays and to...
in the United States.
Retaining his place in the squad, Abendanon was part of the England Saxons victory of the 2010 Churchill Cup
2010 Churchill Cup
The 2010 Churchill Cup, the eighth edition of an annual international rugby union tournament, was taking place in the Denver and New York City metropolitan areas...
and his impressive performances resulted in him being named Player of the Tournament.
Entering the 2010-11 season Abendanon continued his good form. Although he lost his place for a month to Jack Cuthbert
Jack Cuthbert
Jack Cuthbert is a rugby union player for Bath in the Aviva Premiership. He plays as a winger/fullback or outside centre, although has won most of his 1st class appearances at fullback. Whilst still a member of the Bath academy, he has shown himself to be a promising player, and is a strong and...
due to a niggling injury which limited him to impact appearances of the bench, Abendanon was promoted to the England Elite 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...
as replacement for the banned 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...
. This promotion put him in contention to feature during the 2011 Six Nations
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,...
which some pundits believed he deserved for his improvement over the previous year.