About Josh
Owen Joshua Lewsey MBE (born 30 November 1976) is an English rugby union footballer who plays fullback, wing or centre for Wasps and England.
Lewsey was born in Bromley in Kent and grew up in Hertfordshire, where he attended Watford Grammar School for Boys. He played for the Amersham and Chiltern Rugby Football Club. He joined Wasps at eighteen and played for their Colts side and was under-21 captain. Despite the fact that he was born in England and has always lived in England, he could have qualified for Wales as his mother is Welsh and his father is half-Welsh.
He says that, although he feels English, if he had been asked to play for Wales things might have been different! He played for Bristol whilst attending Bristol University to study physiology and chemistry, and rejoined Wasps at the age of twenty-one after completing his studies.
He won his first England cap on the 'Tour from Hell' in 1998, and also appeared in all three tests in the 2001 North American tour. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2001, having uniquely combined the commissioning course with full time professional sport. He served for two years as an officer in the British Army, before having to leave to concentrate on International rugby duties. After leaving the Army, however, he did find time to complete a Post-Graduate in Law with an eye for potential work with the Bar.
He made his England home-debut in the Six Nations Championship in 2003 , during which he scored twice in a 40–5 win over Italy, winning man of the match and securing a first team spot. He followed this with the opening try in his next game against Scotland, and was part of the Grand Slam winning side. He played well for Wasps and England A, and was an important member of the team that were the first ever England side to win the Hong Kong Sevens in 2002. He also represented England in sevens at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Having cemented his place in the team, he had a key part in the tests against New Zealand and Australia on the June 2003 Southern-hemisphere tour. By then he was first-choice Full back, and was the only member of the Lions Team to play in every minute of all 3 of the test matches. In Australia he gained a reputation for uncompromising play epitomized by the famous chest tackle on Mat Rogers, for many summarising England’s dominance of world rugby at the time. He then went on to be part of the 2003 World Cup winning side, and scored five tries in the 111–13 defeat of Uruguay, equaling the world record of tries scored in 1 game during the tournament.
Josh played on the right wing against Italy and Scotland in the 2004 Six Nations Championship. He scored a try in both games, and was named Man of the Match at Murrayfield.
He was selected for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. He made an ideal start scoring two tries in the first five minutes against Bay of Plenty.
He was selected for the 2006 Six Nations Squad, but unfortunately was injured early on in the first match of the championship against Wales with an injury to his left AC joint, he consequently missed the following match against Italy, he did however return for the next game against Scotland.
In 2006 Lewsey was given the summer off from international rugby and spent time climbing in the Himalayas reaching the base camp of K2. On his return to competitive rugby, his performance at the Middlesex 7s he showed that the break had been extremely worthwhile, scoring 11 tries, becoming man of the tournament and setting a new record as the tournaments top try and points scorer, helping Wasps win their first Middlesex 7s title since 1993.
During the friendly matches versus South Africa in 2006, Josh proved he was certainly back on the scene and was dangerous in any position, his defensive qualities were showcased by a stunning try-saving tackle on Springboks centre Jean de Villiers at Twickenham in November. This tackle named as one of the best seen at Twickenham.
As an invaluable member of the Wasps team, Josh has helped win 10 trophies in 10 years with the club. He has won every trophy possible on domestic and international levels, the latest being the Heineken European Cup 2007.
During his time away from playing rugby, Josh enjoys all outdoor activities, especially country sports, time with his boxer dogs Olaf and Wyn, and time on the beach.
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Rugby Union Career
Position: Fullback, Wing, Centre
Amateur clubs
Amersham & Chiltern, Bristol, Wasps
Professional clubs
Bristol
London Wasps
| National team(s) | Caps (points) |
|
| 1998-2005 | England | 48(105) |
| British & Irish Lions |
3 appearances (10) |
|
7's National teams
2002- England
