Christ Tshiunza (born 9 January 2002) is a
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 it ...
player who plays as 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 ...
or
flanker for
Exeter Chiefs
Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played its home m ...
in the
English Premiership
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. Tshiunza has represented
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and
Wales U20.
Club career
Born in
Kinshasa,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, to a French family, he moved to Wales in 2010. He attended
Whitchurch High School
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, head = Mark Powell
, ad ...
in Cardiff, where he was part of the
Cardiff Blues academy, before going to study at
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
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, where he was signed by the Chiefs on a four-year contract.
On 18 September 2021, Tshiunza made his debut for the Chiefs, appearing off the bench against
Leicester Tigers.
Tshiunza was named man of the match on 25 September 2022, as the Chiefs beat Premiership champions
Harlequins 43–42, as he scored the winning try after full time. He scored his first try in the
Champions Cup on 21 January 2023, as the Chiefs beat Castres 40–3 to secure their place in the knockouts.
International career
At international level, before making his debut for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
in 2021, he was qualified to play for
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
or
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, as well as his native
DR Congo.
He played in a friendly match for
England Under-20s in March 2021. He was then called up by
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
for the
2021 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, playing in four of their five matches and scoring the opening try in the final match against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
.
In October 2021, he was called up to the Wales senior team for their
Autumn international series against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
,
Fiji and
Australia. He made his international debut against Fiji at the
Millennium Stadium on 14 November 2021.
A hamstring injury ruled Tshiunza out of contention for the
2022 Six Nations Championship
The 2022 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, ...
.
Tshiunza returned to Wales U20 in July 2022, for the U20 Summer Series, scoring against Italy, and reaching the final to play South Africa.
On 18 October 2022 Tshiunza was selected in the squad for the
2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals
The 2022 end of year rugby union tests, also known as the 2022 Autumn internationals, were a number of rugby union test matches played during the months of October and November. Some of the games were known as the Autumn Nations Series for marketin ...
, and came off the bench in the first test against New Zealand. Tshiunza missed the following match against Argentina due to injury, and was unavailable for the final match against Australia due to the match falling outside the designated test window.
Tshiunza was named in the Wales squad for the
2023 Six Nations Championship
The 2023 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...
.
References
External links
*
Exeter Chiefs profileWRU profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tshiunza, Christ
2002 births
Living people
Welsh rugby union players
Democratic Republic of the Congo rugby union players
Sportspeople from Kinshasa
Rugby union locks
Cardiff Rugby players
Exeter Chiefs players
21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people
Wales international rugby union players