Matthew Andrew Banahan (born 30 December 1986) is a former rugby union player who played for
Bath and
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
in
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 ...
, between 2006 and 2021. Born in Jersey, he played 20 times for but capped 16 times between 2009 and 2011. His main position was
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
, however he could also operate as an inside or outside
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 eccentricity ...
.
Early life
Banahan grew up playing
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
, earning selection to the Jersey and
West of England
West of England is a combined authority area in South West England. It is made up of the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset unitary authorities. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan N ...
junior representative sides before he decided his hockey career was stalled and switching to rugby union.
Banahan went to La Moye school,
Les Quennevais School
Les Quennevais School ( Jèrriais: ''L'êcole des Tchennevais'') is a secondary school, owned and operated by the States of Jersey, and located in the parish of Saint Brélade in Jersey.
History
In 2015, it was decided that the Les Quennevais s ...
and Highlands College.
Club career
Banahan moved to Bath in the summer of 2006, after previously appearing for the
London Irish Academy and was brought to the
Recreation Ground
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...
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 ...
.
He had also been involved with the RFU's Junior National Academy set-up and, England's sevens set up.
He switched to wing where his powerful combination of size, strength and speed made him a potent weapon in the Bath United and Development sides, for whom he scored ten tries in fourteen games last season.
Quickly promoted to the first team from the Academy set up, Banahan made 26 first grade appearances and finished the 2007/08 season as the club's top try scorer (16) and the
Guinness Premiership
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 ...
regular season's second highest (10) behind Leicester's Tom Varndell (13).
On 10 January 2018, it was announced by
Bath that Banahan will be leaving after 12-year association to West Country rivals,
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
from the 2018–19 season.
On 29 November 2020, Banahan announced his retirement from all forms of rugby competition at the end of the 2020-21 season.
International career
Banahan was selected for the "wider"
England Sevens
The England national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. England's best finish in the Sevens Series is second place, which they have achieved four times, most recently i ...
squad in the
2007–08 IRB Sevens World Series, which refers to a pool of players who supplement the 11 core squad members. As a member of the wider squad, he was eligible for selection for up to four of the eight events in the tournament.
He was also selected for the
England Saxons
England A is England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England Saxons. England A play a key role in the development of emer ...
squad to play in the
2008 Churchill Cup. He celebrated his Saxons debut by scoring a hat trick in a 64–10 victory over the
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in the opening round. He then scored two tries against
Ireland A and one in the final against
Scotland A.
Banahan played for England on Saturday 30 May 2009 against the
Barbarians
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...
at
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
in an uncapped game where he scored a try. He was called up to the squad for their summer tour replacing
David Strettle
David Strettle, (born 23 July 1983), is a former English rugby union wing.
Early life
Strettle grew up in Thelwall, Cheshire, attending Lymm High School and playing for Lymm RFC. Strettle then went on to study at Sheffield Hallam Universi ...
who was ruled out through injury. He made his full England debut on 6 June 2009 in a comfortable win over Argentina at Old Trafford where he also scored a try and was named 'Man of the Match'. He retained his place for England's 2009 Autumn series against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
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 ...
, and scored his third international try in the win against Argentina.
Banahan made his first start in the centre for England during their 2010 Autumn series, playing at outside centre in the game versus Samoa on 20 November 2010. He scored a try when England were trailing 6–8, and set up England's second through an intercepted pass. On the back of this performance, he was named on the bench for England's final game of 2010 against South Africa.
Banahan last played for England in October 2011.
International tries
Post rugby career
On 28 January 2021, Banahan will return to Bath to become the Glasshouse Academy manager with the Bath Recreation team and a Sports Ambassador from July 2021.
References
External links
Banahan profileBath Rugby
Career StatsStatbunker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banahan, Matt
1986 births
Living people
Rugby union wings
England international rugby union players
Bath Rugby players
Gloucester Rugby players
Jersey rugby union players
2011 Rugby World Cup players