Uche Oduoza (born 15 October 1986 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

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 ...

) 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 ...

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 currently plays for

Leeds Carnegie Leeds Carnegie was a brand name used by several sports teams associated with the Carnegie School of Physical Education, now part of Leeds Beckett University. These include: Current * Leeds Carnegie Handball Club Changed name * Leeds Carnegie ...

. Oduoza's position of choice is

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 e ...

although he can also play fullback.

Career

Born in Glasgow, Oduoza grew up in Exeter where he joined his local club side Exeter Saracens. He was spotted by Worcester's Academy Manager whilst representing England at Under 18 level. Oduoza later joined the Worcester Warriors Academy side and was a regular in the A league. He made his senior side debut in the European Cup against Italian side

Rugby Rovigo stadium, 200px Rugby Rovigo Delta, formerly known until 2010 as Rugby Rovigo, is an Italian rugby union club currently competing in the Top10. They are based in Rovigo, in Veneto. The club was founded in 1935 by medical student Dino Lanzoni, wh ...

whilst he was still at school in Wolverhampton and his league debut against local 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 ...

. He also spent time on loan at

Birmingham and Solihull R.F.C. There have been three rugby clubs, each one a separate legal entity, that have borne the ‘Birmingham & Solihull’ name: ◆ Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Football Club Ltd ('the first club'), founded in 1989 -as an industrial and provident ...

Oduoza has represented his country at U18, U19, U21 levels and for the Sevens side. He scored a fantastic 98m try for England in the 2008 San Diego Sevens. While competing for the England Sevens, Oduoza announced that he would be leaving Worcester for Japanese side Suntory Sungoliath after the 2007–08 season. It was also announced that he had rejected a new two-year deal at Worcester. He then returned to the Guinness Premiership for the 2009–10 season with

Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...

. Oduoza will be combining his rugby career with studying medicine at the

Hull York Medical School Hull York Medical School (HYMS) is a medical school in England which took its first intake of students in 2003. It was opened as a part of the British Government's attempts to train more doctors, along with Brighton and Sussex Medical School, ...

. At the end of the 2009–10 season due to his university commitments Oduoza had made only one appearance for the Falcons first team, starting in an LV Cup match against Worcester. In May 2010 he was named as an unattached player as part of the

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 at the Scotland Sevens in Edinburgh. In early March 2011 Uduoza returned to train with England Sevens after recovering from a knee reconstruction. In early April he featured on the bench for the

"A" team against

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", ...

Wanderers and made his first team debut for the club also against

in the Premiership. In June 2011 he was recalled to the England Sevens squad for the Moscow leg of the European Sevens Grand Prix.

References

External links

Worcester profileNewcastle profileEngland profileGuinness Premiership profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oduoza, Uche 1986 births Living people Rugby union wings Scottish rugby union players Worcester Warriors players Newcastle Falcons players Black British sportspeople Rugby union players from Glasgow