Jonathan Byron Alexander Joseph (born 21 May 1991) is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
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 it ...
player who plays as a
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
* Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
for
Premiership Rugby
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...
club
Bath Rugby. He played more than fifty games for England between 2012 and 2020.
Early career
Joseph began his rugby career at
Derby RFC
Derby Rugby Club is an English rugby union team based in Derby, England. The club runs four senior sides, a veterans team, a ladies team, a colts team and a full set of junior sides. The first XV currently plays in Midlands 1 East, a sixth tier l ...
.
He attended The Old Vicarage School, a preparatory school in
Darley Abbey
Darley Abbey is a former historic mill village, now a suburb of the city of Derby, England. It is located approximately north of the city centre, on the west bank of the River Derwent, and forms part of the Darley ward along with Little Che ...
, before the family moved to
Berkshire.
His father is originally from
Grenada and represented
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...
in the 1980s.
His younger brother
Will Joseph is also a professional rugby player who made his international debut in July 2022.
Joseph attended
Millfield and came through the London Irish academy after he spent his teenage years playing at
Newbury RFC.
At club level, his first senior rugby came on loan to
Barnes RFC as injury cover; however, his breakthrough season was for Irish in 2010–11, when he played in thirteen Premiership games and scored five tries. His remarkable rise was marked with a nomination for the Land Rover Discovery of the Season award in 2012.
He left London Irish at the end of the 2012–13 season having made 44 appearances and scored 13 tries.
Club career
Joseph joined Bath at the start of the 2013–14 season and quickly forged a successful midfield partnership with inside centre
Kyle Eastmond. In his first season at the club he started in their
EPCR Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...
final defeat to Northampton at
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...
.
After a relatively quiet inaugural season, Joseph more than hit his straps in his second, proving to be sublime in attack and robust in defence. During their
European Champions Cup match away at
Stade Toulousain in January 2015, Bath showed scant regard for the French team's vast rugby pedigree and ran in four tries, with Joseph providing the catalyst for what many commentators regard as one of the finest European cup rugby tries of all time. Collecting the ball inside his own half, Joseph wriggled and side-stepped past a number of players before chipping ahead and collecting. After a searing run, again escaping the tackles of many of the Toulouse defenders, he released teammate
Ross Batty, who in turn passed to
Francois Louw to complete the move in scoring what was a truly audacious try. At the end of this season Joseph scored a try in the Premiership final as Bath finished as runners-up to
Saracens.
International career
England
Joseph progressed through the England age-grade ranks and started for the
England U20
England national under-20 football team, also known as England Under-20s or England U20(s), represents England in association football at an under-20 age level and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in En ...
side that defeated
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 ...
in the final round of the
2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship to complete a grand slam. Later that year he was a member of the squad that finished as runners-up to
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 ...
in the final of the
2011 IRB Junior World Championship
The 2011 IRB Junior World Championship was the fourth annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams, this competition replaced the now defunct under 19 and under 21 world championships. The event was organised by rugby' ...
alongside future England teammates
Mako Vunipola,
Joe Launchbury,
George Ford,
Owen Farrell
Owen Andrew Farrell (born 24 September 1991) is an English professional rugby union player, currently captain of Gallagher Premiership side Saracens. Farrell has played international rugby for England since 2012. Farrell is one of the top poi ...
,
Elliot Daly
Elliot Daly (born 8 October 1992) is an English professional rugby union player who plays for Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership and for England.
Youth
Daly played his early rugby at Beckenham from age five before moving to Dorking in 200 ...
and
Christian Wade, amongst others. In February 2012, Joseph made his debut at
England 'A' level in a defeat 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 ...
.
Joseph was one of thirteen uncapped players selected by England head coach
Stuart Lancaster for the
2012 mid-year tour of South Africa. On 9 June 2022, he made his debut as a second-half substitute for
Mike Brown in the first Test defeat at
Kings Park Stadium
The Kings Park Stadium (known as the Hollywoodbets Kings Park for sponsorship reasons since 2022), is a stadium located in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban, South Africa.
The stadium was originally built with a capacity of 12,000 an ...
. An injury to
Brad Barritt allowed Joseph to start the subsequent two Tests at outside-centre alongside
Manu Tuilagi
Etuale Manusamoa Tuilagi (born 18 May 1991), known as Manu Tuilagi, is a rugby union player for Sale Sharks. He has played internationally for and the British & Irish Lions.
Born in Fogapoa, Samoa, Tuilagi has five elder brothers who played fo ...
. He was ruled out of the
2013 Six Nations through injury but was named to start both Test matches on the subsequent
tour of Argentina.
Joseph scored his first international try against
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 the opening game of the
2015 Six Nations
The 2015 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 16th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union tournament. It was contested b ...
.
In the next round he scored twice against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and was named player of the match.
Joseph recorded his fourth try of the competition in the penultimate round 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 ...
to finish the top try scorer of the tournament.
On 14 May 2015, it was announced that Joseph had won the
Rugby Players' Association 'Player's Player of the Year' and 'England Player of the Year' for his outstanding performances for both club and country during the 2014–15 season. He was included in the squad for the
2015 Rugby World Cup and scored in a warm-up loss to
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 ...
.
He played in three of their four pool games as the hosts failed to reach the knockout phase.
Joseph was selected by new coach
Eddie Jones for the
2016 Six Nations and during the tournament scored his first hat-trick at international level away to Italy.
He started all five games during the competition including the final match as England defeated France to achieve their first
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
in over a decade.
He scored a try in the opening game of their
2016 tour of Australia and also started the next two Tests as England completed a series
whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used.
...
.
Later that year he scored tries in autumn internationals against
Fiji and
Australia.
The following year saw Joseph accomplish another hat-trick in the penultimate round of the
2017 Six Nations
The 2017 Six Nations Championship was the 18th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. The tournament was also known as the RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by The Ro ...
against Scotland.
He also started in the final game of the competition as England missed out on a consecutive grand slam with defeat away to
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 ...
which also brought an end to a record equalling eighteen successive
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
victories.
Later that year he scored another try in a victory over Australia.
Joseph was included in the squad for the
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...
. He played in the quarter-final and semi-final victories over
Australia and
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 ...
. In the
2019 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2019 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match played on 2 November 2019 at the International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan. It marked the culmination of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and was played between England and South Africa, a r ...
he came off the bench during the second-half to replace
Jonny May as England were defeated by
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 ...
to finish as runners-up.
After the World Cup Joseph won his fiftieth cap during the
2020 Six Nations
The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland ...
and also started in the final round victory against Italy which meant England won the tournament.
Later that year he played in the
Autumn Nations Cup
The Autumn Nations Cup was a rugby union competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual Autumn internationals series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the COVID- ...
; however, a calf injury ruled him out of the final of the competition.
British & Irish Lions
Joseph was selected as one of the 41
British & Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
players that toured
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 ...
in the summer of 2017. He did not participate in the Test series but did score a try in a tour game against
Highlanders.
International tries
Honours
England
*
Six Nations Championship:
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
*
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...
runner-up:
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Bath
*
Premiership runner up:
2014–15
*
EPCR Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception ...
runner up:
2013–14
References
External links
RFU profileBath Rugby profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Jonathan
1991 births
Living people
Black British sportsmen
Bath Rugby players
England international rugby union players
English rugby union players
English people of Carriacouan descent
London Irish players
People educated at Millfield
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England
Rugby union players from Derby
Rugby union centres