Steve Thompson (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
Steve Thompson MBE
(formerly Steve Walters; born 15 July 1978 in Hemel Hempstead
) is a rugby union
player who plays at hooker for London Wasps
and England
.
He is England's
most capped hooker, and has played for the British and Irish Lions
.
and went on to play for Northampton Old Scouts RFC alongside Ben Cohen in a very successful youth team. He also trained with the youth section of Saints and, at 18, was selected for the apprentice scheme at the club's academy as a back row forward. Former Saints coach Ian McGeechan
and coaches at Northampton Old Scouts RFC persuaded him to convert to being a hooker. Despite competing against the Argentinian Federico Méndez
in the 1999–2000 season for his club place, he still managed to force his way into the England A
squad. Thompson continued to develop as a player and became co-captain of Northampton Saints
.
at Franklin's Gardens in January 2007.
For the 2007/2008 season he signed for CA Brive Correze Limousin
as a "recruitment and technique adviser". But on 22 October 2007, Thompson announced he would be returning to the game after consulting medical staff. He first played (and won) with CA Brive on November 9, 2007 in the European Challenge Cup
against Connacht Rugby
. Thompson represented CA Brive CL
in three French Championship Top 14 campaigns.
who was head coach at Leeds.
Leeds were relegated from the 2010–11 Aviva Premiership. On 1 May 2011 it was announced that he had signed a 3 year deal with London Wasps.
in the 2002 Six Nations
against his former mentor’s side Scotland
and the men in white came out on top. He was selected for England’s summer tour to North America in 2001
, where he did well. He scored his maiden test try against Italy
in the 2003 Six Nations
, a tournament which saw England win the Grand Slam
. Thompson made a significant contribution to England's southern hemisphere tour in June 2003
, playing in both victorious tests against New Zealand and Australia
.
He was a member of the England
team that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup
. He played a part in all but one of England’s World Cup performances in Australia and scored his second test try in England’s opening World Cup match against Georgia
in Perth.
Thompson continued as an England regular in the Autumn games of 2004. He was selected for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
. On the tour he seemed to have regained some of his form after a poor 2005 Six Nations.
On May 19 2009 Martin Johnson gave Thompson a surprise call up for England's summer games against The Barbarians
and Argentina
. Thompson was recalled to the England squad for the 2009 autumn internationals
along with 2003 world cup winners Jonny Wilkinson
and Lewis Moody
.
In the 2011 RBS Six Nations
he scored the only try for England
in their match against Ireland
on 19 March 2011, a tournament which saw England win the Six Nations.
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...
(formerly Steve Walters; born 15 July 1978 in Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
) 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...
player who plays at hooker for London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
and 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...
.
He is England's
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...
most capped hooker, and has played for 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...
.
Northampton Saints
Thompson, then known as Steve Walters, started playing rugby at 15 at the Northampton School for BoysNorthampton School For Boys
Northampton School for Boys is a secondary school in Northampton, England.- Foundation and History :The school was originally founded in 1541 by mayor Thomas Chipsey, as the town's free boys grammar school. In 1557, the school moved to St. Gregory's church, which was adapted for its use...
and went on to play for Northampton Old Scouts RFC alongside Ben Cohen in a very successful youth team. He also trained with the youth section of Saints and, at 18, was selected for the apprentice scheme at the club's academy as a back row forward. Former Saints coach Ian McGeechan
Ian McGeechan
Sir Ian Robert McGeechan OBE is a Scottish former rugby union player and coach. His nickname is "Geech".-Playing career:...
and coaches at Northampton Old Scouts RFC persuaded him to convert to being a hooker. Despite competing against the Argentinian Federico Méndez
Federico Mendez
Federico Mendez , also known as Freddie Mendez is an Argentine rugby union footballer.Méndez played professional rugby in South Africa, England and France...
in the 1999–2000 season for his club place, he still managed to force his way into the England A
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. Thompson continued to develop as a player and became co-captain of Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
.
Retirement and return with CA Brive
On 15 April 2007 Thompson announced his immediate retirement from rugby due to a career ending neck injury that he had suffered during the closing Heineken Cup pool match with Biarritz OlympiqueBiarritz 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...
at Franklin's Gardens in January 2007.
For the 2007/2008 season he signed for CA Brive Correze Limousin
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech .- History :The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on...
as a "recruitment and technique adviser". But on 22 October 2007, Thompson announced he would be returning to the game after consulting medical staff. He first played (and won) with CA Brive on November 9, 2007 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...
against Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...
. Thompson represented CA Brive CL
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech .- History :The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on...
in three French Championship Top 14 campaigns.
Back in the Premiership
On 31 May 2010 Thompson finally agreed a 2 year deal with Leeds Carnegie after a lot of speculation. This saw him join up with former International team mate Neil BackNeil Back
Neil Antony Back is a former international rugby union footballer for England, who also played for Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career....
who was head coach at Leeds.
Leeds were relegated from the 2010–11 Aviva Premiership. On 1 May 2011 it was announced that he had signed a 3 year deal with London Wasps.
International career
Thompson made his debut 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 the 2002 Six Nations
2002 Six Nations Championship
The 2002 Six Nations Championship was the third series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
against his former mentor’s side Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and the men in white came out on top. He was selected for England’s summer tour to North America in 2001
2001 England rugby union tour of North America
-Matches:-Forwards:...
, where he did well. He scored his maiden test try against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
in the 2003 Six Nations
2003 Six Nations Championship
The 2003 Six Nations Championship was the fourth series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, a tournament which saw England win the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
. Thompson made a significant contribution to England's southern hemisphere tour in June 2003
2003 England rugby union tour of Australasia
-Matches:...
, playing in both victorious tests against New Zealand 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...
.
He was a member of the 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...
team that won the 2003 Rugby 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...
. He played a part in all but one of England’s World Cup performances in Australia and scored his second test try in England’s opening World Cup match against Georgia
Georgia national rugby union team
The Georgia national rugby union team represents Georgia in rugby union. The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try"...
in Perth.
Thompson continued as an England regular in the Autumn games of 2004. He was selected for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to 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...
. On the tour he seemed to have regained some of his form after a poor 2005 Six Nations.
On May 19 2009 Martin Johnson gave Thompson a surprise call up for England's summer games against The Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
and 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...
. Thompson was recalled to the England squad for the 2009 autumn internationals
2009 end of year rugby tests
The 2009 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, tour the northern hemisphere....
along with 2003 world cup winners 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...
and Lewis Moody
Lewis Moody
Lewis Walton Moody MBE is an English rugby union rugby player who currently plays for Bath Rugby and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side. He is renowned for his commitment to the physical aspects of the game....
.
In the 2011 RBS 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,...
he scored the only try for 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...
in their 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...
on 19 March 2011, a tournament which saw England win the Six Nations.