Bradley Barritt (born 7 August 1986) is a South African-born former
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player. He played the position of
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 eccentricity ...
.
Early life
Barritt attended
Kearsney College
Kearsney College is a private boarding, English medium high school for boys in Botha's Hill, a small town between the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.
History
Kearsney College ...
.
Career
Barritt's debut season was in 2006 for the and
Sharks
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
in the
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...
and
Super 14
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...
.
He had the ability to occasionally play fly half and did so to great effect in the
2006 Currie Cup season when perennially injured provincial team-mate
Butch James
Andrew David "Butch" James (born 8 January 1979) is a South African former professional rugby union player who represented 40 times and was a member of the team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup. His usual position was fly-half, though he also ...
was absent from the squad.
However, due to the emergence of
François Steyn
François Philippus Lodewyk Steyn (born 14 May 1987) is a South African former professional rugby union player. A Utility player#Rugby union, utility back who represented his South Africa national rugby union team, country, he was able to play a ...
at the coastal franchise, Barritt's opportunity to play fly half was curtailed, leading to him finding a more settled role as the Sharks' first-choice inside centre.
Barritt played in the
2007 Super 14 Final, losing by a solitary point to the
Bulls
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*The plural of bull, an adult male bovine
* Bulls, New Zealand, a small town in the Rangitikei District
Sports
*Bucking bull, used in the sport of bull riding
*Bulls (rugby union), a South African rugby union franchise operated ...
.
He signed for the English Premiership side
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
,
and joined them after winning the
2008 Currie Cup
The 2008 Currie Cup Premier Division season (known as the ABSA Currie Cup due to sponsorship) was contested from 20 June through to 25 October. The Currie Cup is an annual domestic competition for Province, provincial rugby union teams in South ...
.
Due to injuries, he was recalled to play in a
2009 Super 14 fixture against the
Waratahs, his final game for the Sharks.
Barritt made his Saracens debut against
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
.
During his time at Saracens he won five Premiership titles in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019, with Barritt featuring in all five finals. He also helped Saracens win the
European Champions Cup in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
In June 2020, it was confirmed Barritt would leave Saracens at the conclusion of the
2019–20 season.
International career
Barritt played for South Africa against France in the final of the
2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship
The 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship was played in the Auvergne region of France throughout June 2006. The final was played between South Africa and France at the Stade Marcel-Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, which saw France win 24–13.
Part ...
.
He represented the
Emerging Springboks
South Africa 'A', also formerly known as the Junior Springboks or the Emerging Springboks, are the second national rugby union team representing South Africa, below the senior national team, the Springboks. Until 2018, it was also under the ...
at the
IRB Nations Cup
The Nations Cup is a rugby union competition that was first held in 2006 at Estádio Universitário in Lisbon with Argentina A, Italy A, Portugal and Russia taking part. The tournament is part of the International Rugby Board's US $50 million St ...
in 2007.
Barritt was selected by England coach
Martin Johnson to represent 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 emerg ...
at the
2009 Churchill Cup
The 2009 Churchill Cup took place between June 6 and June 21, 2009, marking the seventh year of the Churchill Cup.
For the first time in the tournament's history, all rounds were held in the United States. This was done in an effort to reduce the ...
. This was possible because Barritt had not yet had a senior-level cap for another country,
making him eligible for England as well as South Africa.
Barritt's family has strong English roots, and many of his aunts and uncles live in England.
[ Barritt's grandparents were born in England, and his grandfather played rugby union for English Universities.][ Barritt made his Saxons debut against the ]USA
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
, scoring a try.
Barritt was called up to the England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
senior squad for the first time in 2010 to face the New Zealand Maori
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
and again for the 2012 Six Nations Championship
The 2012 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2012 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 13th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was ...
making his full debut against Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. He got his first points for England when he scored a try in a memorable win over New Zealand in December 2012.
On 15 June, Barritt was called up into the British & Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...
squad for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia
The 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia was a rugby union tour during June and July 2013. The British & Irish Lions played ten matches - a three-Test match (rugby union), test series against Australia national rugby union team, Austra ...
over injury concerns in the back line.
International tries
References
External links
Saracens profile
England profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barritt, Brad
1986 births
Living people
Alumni of Kearsney College
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from South Africa
England international rugby union players
English rugby union players
Rugby union centres
Rugby union players from Durban
Saracens F.C. players
Sharks (Currie Cup) players
Sharks (rugby union) players
South African people of British descent
University of Natal alumni
2015 Rugby World Cup players