Joe Mbu (born 11 November 1983), also known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

of "Big Joe", is a Zairean former professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. Mbu played for the

London Broncos The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England. The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...

Harlequins RL The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England. The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...

in the

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

. He is the current head coach of the

London Skolars The London Skolars are a professional rugby league club based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in north London. They were founded in 1995 and have been professional since 2003, operating in the Betfred League 1. They also run an ...

Playing career

Joe Mbu's usual position was . He also operated on the , and positions. He was a product of the

academy setup, having played his early rugby league at the

. As a teenager Mbu also played

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 ...

as well, playing for an extremely successful

Finchley RFC {{Infobox rugby team , teamname = Finchley RFC , image = , imagesize = 150px , fullname = Finchley Rugby Football Club Ltd , nickname = Finches, Hawks , location = Finchley, Barnet, London, England , union ...

youth team in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

. In 2002, Joe was loaned out by the London Broncos to the

Huddersfield Giants Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the birthplace of rugby league, who play in the Super League competition. They play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium which is sh ...

to gain experience in their Senior Academy side. He started the 2003 season with a similar loan-out at

Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headi ...

before being recalled to the London Broncos to make his

début. Mbu played in the

for the

from 2003 to 2006. He became a crowd favourite amongst the London Broncos fans for his solid and dependable performances for the club. Mbu joined the National League One team

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

for the 2007 season and was appointed

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He rejoined the renamed Harlequins RL midway through the 2007 season due to Doncaster's financial difficulties. He remained at the Harlequins RL before retiring at the end of the 2009 season.

Coaching career

After retirement, Mbu coached London Skolars Under 16s in 2010. The team finished bottom of the table after winning only two games. In October 2010

appointed Joe Mbu as their head coach. now coaches Staines RFC June 2014 On 5 Nov 2021 Joe was re-appointed as head-coach of

, following the departure of

Jermaine Coleman Jermaine John Coleman (born August 30, 1978), better known by his stage name Maino, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York City. His debut single "Hi Hater" peaked at #16 on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs. His follow-up, "All the Above (Mai ...

He has coached Nigeria.

References

External links

Super League Stats
1983 births Living people Black British sportspeople British rugby league coaches British rugby league players Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to England Doncaster R.L.F.C. players Huddersfield Giants players Leeds Rhinos players London Broncos players London Skolars coaches London Skolars players Nigeria national rugby league team coaches Rugby league second-rows {{UK-rugbyleague-bio-stub