Alexander Marshall Waller (born 14 February 1990) is a
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
player for
Premiership side
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", ...
.
Club career
Born in
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...
, Waller is a product of the
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", ...
Academy and made his debut in November 2009 against the
Ospreys.
Waller soon established himself in the Saints' first team and featured in their double winning season five years after hit first run out in a Saints shirt. The young prop began both the
European Rugby Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
and
Aviva 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 th ...
finals on the bench but came on at Twickenham to score the Premiership winning try in extra time as Saints beat
Saracens
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...
to claim the title.
Since then Waller has become a regular fixture in the Saints team and in the 2017/18 racked up his 150th consecutive appearance in the
Aviva 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 th ...
to take the title for the most consecutive appearances in the league’s history. Waller also turned out for his 200th appearance in a Saints shirt that season.
Most recently Waller helped Saints secure
European Champions Cup rugby for 2017/18 as Saints beat
Stade Francais
Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...
in the European Champions Cup play-off final to claim the last spot in the top-tier of Europe for next season.
International career
In January 2014 he was named as an injury replacement in 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 for the game against the
Ireland Wolfhounds
The Ireland Wolfhounds (formerly Ireland A and Ireland B) are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. They previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons, the national team ...
. The call up marked his first inclusion in any of England's representative teams. He made his debut in the match as the Saxons slipped to a 14–8 defeat, and earned a second cap the following week against
Scotland A
The Scotland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Scottish national side. The first Scotland 'A' fixture took place in 1990.
History
Unlike association football, where the main team is supposed to be the "A" team, Scotla ...
. In May that year, Waller was among a group of 16 players called up after the Premiership Final to join up with the senior
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
squad for the three Test
summer tour of New Zealand.
Waller was named on the bench for the non-capped England XV game against the Barbarians on 31 May 2015.
Honours
;Northampton Saints
*
Premiership:
2013–14 (winners)
*
European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
:
2013–14 (winners)
References
External links
Alex Waller profileat Northampton Saints
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waller, Alex
1990 births
Living people
Rugby union players from Kettering
English rugby union players
Rugby union props
Northampton Saints players
People educated at Wellingborough School