Ben Mitchell (born 6 April 1994) is an English-born Irish professional
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player who is currently a
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
. , he is with the United States team
Seattle Seawolves in
Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...
(MLR). He previously played for
Youghal RFC,
University College Cork
University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork.
The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...
in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the
Gentlemen of Aspen RFC
The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in Aspen, Colorado. Gentlemen of Aspen RFC was a founding member of the Super League,a national competition that ran from 1997 to 2012. They withdrew from the SuperLeague in ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
,
Austin Elite
The Austin Gilgronis were a professional rugby union team based in Austin, Texas, United States. The team was founded in 2017 as the Austin Elite, and competed in Major League Rugby.
History
On September 19, 2019, after extensive polling at t ...
and
San Diego Legion
The San Diego Legion is an American professional rugby union team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby.
Home field
The team plays at Snapdragon Stadium, which is located on the campus o ...
.
Career
Mitchell was educated at the independent
Midleton College
Midleton College is an independent co-educational boarding and day school in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland. In past centuries it has also been called Midleton School.
Although founded in 1696, the school did not open until 1717. It went thr ...
and then at University College Cork (UCC), both of which have produced leading rugby players. At UCC, he studied Commerce and joined
University College Cork RFC
University College Cork Rugby Football Club currently plays in Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. Founded in 1872, they originally played as ''Queen’s College Cork'', as UCC was then known. Recent successes include winning the All Irelan ...
. In his first year and a half, he played in the university club's under-20 team, then in 2014 joined the senior team in the
All Ireland League, remaining on the team until halfway through the 2017/18 season. In 2015/2016, UCC RFC was promoted to Division 1 of the League.
[Cork man Mitchell making big impression in Major League Rugby in the US]
dated 20 May 2018 at the42.ie, accessed 21 April 2019 In 2016 and 2017, Mitchell was selected for the Irish Universities to play the English Universities. He was UCC RFC player of the year for the 2016/17 season and played his last game for the team in November 2017.
[ At the end of the 2016 AIL season Mitchell was selected on the bench for a ]Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Mumhan) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU's Munster B ...
A/Development side against the Irish under 20s team
In 2016 and 2017, Mitchell was a summer player for the Gentlemen of Aspen in the Rocky Mountain Summer League, starring in the ''Ruggerfest'' tournament in 2017. In October 2017 he signed a two-year contract with Austin Elite to join the team for the inaugural Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...
season of 2018 and was re-signed in January 2019.
In 2018 and 2019 Mitchell played as lock for Austin in every game but one. In 2019 he became team captain, taking over from Andrew Suniula
Andrew Suniula (born 1 May 1982) is a former rugby football player who played rugby union as a center (rugby union), centre for the United States national rugby union team, United States national team (USA Eagles XV's). He last played for the A ...
. In 2018 Mitchell was named on the All-MLR 1st team and was regarded as the best lock in the competition.
In 2019 he again achieved All-MLR honors by being named on the All-MLR 2nd team.
In August 2019 he was signed by San Diego Legion
The San Diego Legion is an American professional rugby union team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby.
Home field
The team plays at Snapdragon Stadium, which is located on the campus o ...
, in what was seen as a major blow for the Austin franchise. In late 2020 he will qualify for the United States national rugby union team
The United States men's national rugby union team represents the United States in men's international rugby union. Nicknamed the Eagles, it is controlled by USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United Stat ...
by residency in the US and is predicted to be of interest to the selectors.
In 2019 he was named as the Head Coach of the Gentlemen of Aspen
The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in Aspen, Colorado. Gentlemen of Aspen RFC was a founding member of the Super League,a national competition that ran from 1997 to 2012. They withdrew from the SuperLeague in ...
. He helped the Gentlemen of Aspen
The Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in Aspen, Colorado. Gentlemen of Aspen RFC was a founding member of the Super League,a national competition that ran from 1997 to 2012. They withdrew from the SuperLeague in ...
to the 2021 Ruggerfest title as player/coach.
He was resigned by San Diego Legion for 2020–21.
In October 2021 Mitchell was selected for the United States national rugby union team
The United States men's national rugby union team represents the United States in men's international rugby union. Nicknamed the Eagles, it is controlled by USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United Stat ...
Selects team to play in the Americas Pacific Challenge in Uruguay. Mitchell played in both games in Uruguay against Chile A and Brazil A and was singled out by head coach Mike Tolkin as one of the USA’s standout performers on the tour.
Mitchell became the 14th player in Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...
history to play 50 times in the competition.
Mitchell was named in the All-MLR 1st team for the 2022 season.
This was Mitchell’s 3rd All-MLR selection in 5 seasons, having been named on the 1st Team in 2018 and 2nd Team in 2019.
In the 2022 MLR offseason it was announced that Mitchell had signed a multi year contract with the Seattle Seawolves franchise ahead of the 2023 MLR Season.
Notes
External links
Ben Mitchell
at americasrugbynews.com
Ben Mitchell
at ultimaterugby.com
at itsrugby.co.uk
Ben Mitchell
at majorleague.rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Ben
1994 births
Living people
Alumni of University College Cork
Austin Gilgronis players
Irish expatriate rugby union players
Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate rugby union players in the United States
People educated at Midleton College
Rugby union players from Nottingham
Rugby union locks
English rugby union players
Irish rugby union players
American rugby union players
San Diego Legion players
Seattle Seawolves players