Mark Mapletoft

Mark Mapletoft (born 25 December 1971) is an English rugby union coach and former player. He played for England in one test against Argentina in 1997, having also represented England at A, U21 and U18 levels. He was also a reserve for the Coventry football team.

Mark Mapletoft

Birth name	Mark Sterland Mapletoft
Date of birth	(1971-12-25) 25 December 1971
Place of birth	Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England
Height	5.7 ft (1.7 m)
Weight	13 st (83 kg)
School	Lawrence Sheriff for Boys (Rugby)
University	Loughborough University
Occupation(s)	Head coach for Harlequins
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half, Fullback Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1990–1994 1994–1999 1999–2002 2002–2005 Rugby Lions Gloucester Rugby Harlequins London Irish Loughborough Students (461) (453) International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1997 England 1 (3) Correct as of 2014-06-20

Early life

Mark Mapletoft was born on 25 December 1971 in Mansfield.

Rugby union career

Mapletoft joined Gloucester in 1994 from Rugby Lions as a full-back but made the move to fly-half under coach Richard Hill after recovering from a serious knee injury. He made his only international appearance on 7 June 1997 at Ferrocaril Oeste, Buenos Aires in the Argentina vs England match. Argentina won the match 33 to 13. Mapletoft was a popular figure at Gloucester RFC, where he helped keep them in the top division in the 1997–98 season and he was known for his cheeky flair and inspired breaks. He scored 11 tries for Gloucester and scored over 450 points. Many of the top clubs wanted his signature and his desire to play at number 10, when Gloucester saw him reverting to full back lead to a move to Harlequins. Injuries meant he was not always at his best but he went on to continue to have a solid club career ending his playing days at London Irish. He was overlooked at international level because Rob Andrew was the mainstay of the England side and the emergence of Johnny Wilkinson meant he was unable to secure a place at the highest level. He scored 6 tries and scored over 450 points for Irish before retiring and taking a role with the RFU Academy. While coaching at Saracens, he played amateur rugby for Hertford RFC. He has recently agreed a coaching position with his former team Harlequins.