William George Edwards is an English rugby union and rugby sevens player who has represented Loughborough Students,[1] Saracens,[2] Northampton Saints,[3] Harlequins Rugby Club[4] and England.[5] He made his breakthrough in 2017, when he was called up to the World Series squad for the Vancouver tournament,[6] which England went on to win.
| Birth name | William George Edwards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 17 November 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 14 st 0 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | The Skinners' School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Loughborough University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Edwards became a full-time member of the squad[7] following call ups to Singapore,[8] Paris[9] and London[10] Sevens and went on to represent the squad until 2020 when England Rugby made the Sevens programme redundant. Edwards was made captain of the team in the Clermont-Ferrand[11] Men's Seven's Grand Prix 2017 in late June. Will, went on to represent the squad until 2020 when England Rugby made the Sevens Programme redundant[12] in August 2020.
Will, following his redundancy was quick to be snapped up by Premiership club, Harlequins, with whom he signed a short term deal in November 2020.[4]
Early life
editEdwards was born on 17 November 1995 in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. He attended St Augustines Catholic Primary School and The Skinners' School and played at a youth level for Tunbridge Wells RFC and later at Sevenoaks RFC, where he was selected to play for Kent Rugby Football Union. He gained a place at the Loughborough University in 2014.
Career
editHarlequins
editDuring the Derby Day loss to London rivals Saracens, Edwards replaced the injured fly-half Tommaso Allan, where he helped set-up a try before converting.[13]
With Marcus Smith away on England Camp, Edwards got the number 10 shirt against London Wasps, where, in the warm up he turned his ankle but continued on to lead Harlequins from the midfield along with stalwart Danny Care to win the game. His impact on the game saw him awarded with his first Gallagher Premiership Man of the Match award.[14]
References
edit- ^ "National League 1 » Will Edwards". loughboroughsport.com. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
- ^ "Will Edwards of Saracens is stopped by the Harlequins defence during the Premiership A match". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
- ^ "Saints Sevens squad announced for Singha Series finals". www.northamptonsaints.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
- ^ a b "Harlequins sign Will Edwards on short-term deal". Harlequins. 19 November 2020.
- ^ "RFU - England". RFU. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
- ^ "Will Edwards helps England to Sevens Victory in Vancouver - News - Tunbridge Wells RFC". www.twrfc.com. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
- ^ "Edwards signs full-time England Rugby contract". Loughborough University. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ "England Sevens name squad for Singapore". RFU. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ "England sevens name squad for Paris". RFU. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ "England Sevens name squad for London". RFU. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ "England name squad for Clermont-Ferrand Sevens". RFU. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
- ^ "England Sevens scrapping sounds alarm bell for World Sevens Series". The Rugby Paper. 18 August 2020.
- ^ "Quins edged by Saracens in London Derby". Harlequins F.C. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ "Man of the Match".