Nick Isiekwe (born 20 April 1998) 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 its m ...

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

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 ...

side

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

Early life

Isiekwe was born in

Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of London, which is part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2011 census was 97,500. Developed after the Second World War as a ne ...

. Isiekwe first played rugby union at the age of six, playing

touch rugby Touch rugby refers to games derived from rugby football in which players do not tackle each other but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or the ball. A formal, competitive variety, known as Tou ...

for Old Verulamians after being encouraged by his mother Ruth to take up a sport. At the age of thirteen, he played for

Old Albanian RFC Old Albanian Rugby Football Club (OAs) is a rugby union club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. The club currently play in National League 2 East. History The club was formed in 1924 by a group of Old Boys of St Albans School. The ...

and went through the junior ranks at the club.

Club career

Isiekwe, a member of the Saracens Academy structure, was trialed at many positions including

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

, Number 8, flanker and

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 ...

, but his six-foot six stature saw him physically outgrow his original positions and moved to second row. This positional change saw him gain two appearances for the Saracens senior side during the 2016–17 Premiership campaign. In May 2018 Isiekwe started in the final of 2017–18 Premiership Rugby season as Saracens defeated

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, 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 i ...

to win the competition. The following season he was a member of the side that completed a league and European double; coming off the bench as a replacement for

Will Skelton William "Will" Skelton (born 3 May 1992) is an Australian rugby union player, who plays as a lock for La Rochelle in the French Top 14 competition. Skelton was born in New Zealand, and he is of Samoan descent; he moved to Australia as a chil ...

in the 2019 European Rugby Champions Cup Final which saw Saracens defeat

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

St James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Pa ...

to become European champions and subsequently featuring in the victory over Exeter to retain their league title. In May 2020 it was announced that Isiekwe had signed a new deal that would see him remain at Saracens until 2024. After Saracens were relegated to the

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men’s English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when ...

for the 2020-21 campaign it was confirmed that he would further develop his career in the Premiership by spending a season on loan at

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 his first season back at Saracens he started in the Premiership final defeat to

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

. He helped Saracens win the Premiership title in 2023, starting in the final as Saracens defeated

Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...

International career

At the age of fifteen, Isiekwe represented London and South East U16's district in 2014, which quickly saw him gain his first age-grade international call-up; playing for England under 16's against Wales and Scotland. He made a quick climb in the national age-grade set-up, representing England under 17's in 2015 and making three appearances at the 2015 European Under-18 Championship in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He was a member of the England under-20 team that completed a grand slam during the 2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship. On 20 April 2017, Isiekwe received his first call-up by coach Eddie Jones for the senior England team to join their summer tour of South America. On 10 June 2017 he made his senior debut as a second-half substitute for

Charlie Ewels Charlie Ewels (born 29 June 1995 in Bournemouth, England) is an English professional rugby union player who plays at lock for Premiership club Bath. Personal life Ewels grew up in Bournemouth, attending Moordown St Johns, Bournemouth and Br ...

in the opening test against

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 ...

. The following year he made his first start in the opening test of their summer tour against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

at Ellis Park however he was substituted in the first half. Isiekwe did not feature at international level again for four years until he was recalled for the 2022 Six Nations Championship. He was also a member of their 2022 tour of Australia featuring off the bench in the final test victory at

Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...

to win the series.

Honours

Saracens * European Rugby Champions Cup: 2018-19 * Premiership: 2017-18, 2018-19

References

External links

*
RFU Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isiekwe, Nick 1998 births Living people Black British sportsmen England international rugby union players English sportspeople of Nigerian descent English rugby union players Rugby union locks Rugby union players from Hemel Hempstead Northampton Saints players Saracens F.C. players