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Joseph Oliver Launchbury (born 12 April 1991) is a former English
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 ...
lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...
. He represented
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 ...
at international level and previously played for the under-18s and under-20s before making his Test debut in 2012. Launchbury plays mainly in the second row but is also comfortable as a blindside flanker.


Club career


Youth

Born in
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
. Launchbury was introduced to rugby by his first coach - Shaun Parkin at Exmouth RFC. Launchbury was educated at St John’s Sidmouth in East
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, where he captained the school rugby team, and Christ's Hospital Horsham. He played for
Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
and also represented Barns Green before joining the Harlequins Academy age 15. After Harlequins failed to offer him a professional contract aged 18, he left the club and joined then
National League 2 South National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, N ...
side Worthing Raiders for the 2009–10 season. His performances at Worthing under Will Green, then head coach and former
Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
player, saw him recommended to his former club once again under the stewardship of renowned coach Bobby Walsh. He played in several
A League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
matches for Wasps and, after a spell training with the in South Africa, did enough to be given a full-time contract from July 2010.


Wasps

Launchbury was named in Wasps' Academy squad for the 2010–11 season and also joined
National League 1 National One, up until 2023 known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Lea ...
side Rosslyn Park on loan to gain senior experience. Having played the first half of the season for the A team and out on loan, Launchbury made his Wasps' debut on 30 January 2011 in the
Anglo-Welsh Cup The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...
against Harlequins as a replacement, scoring a try in a 38–13 defeat. His first Premiership appearance came the following month against
Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home ...
and he remained a fixture in the side for the rest of the season. In May 2011 he was named the club's Young Player and Academy Player of the Season and was rewarded with a new three-year contract. In 2011–12, Launchbury's first full season with Wasps, Launchbury made 15 senior team appearances despite missing four months of the season after injuring his ankle in October. He returned to the side in February as a replacement but went into the starting XV for the next game and was ever-present as Wasps retained their Premiership status. All but one of his appearances over the season were made as a blindside flanker despite playing in the second row for most of the previous year. Launchbury graduated from the Academy at the end of the season, moving up to the senior squad alongside several other England youth internationals. Launchbury extended his contract in November 2012, keeping him with Wasps until 2015. He made 19 appearances during the campaign and was widely recognised for his performances, winning the November Player of the Month award and 2012–13 Premiership Young Player of the Season. He was also nominated for the
Rugby Players' Association The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) is a trade union representing elite rugby rugby union players in England. The RPA is the representative body and collective voice of elite rugby players in England and represents more than 600 male and female c ...
Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, missing out on both occasions to Wasps and England teammate
Christian Wade Christian Wade (born 15 May 1991) is an English professional rugby league player, former American football player, and former rugby union player, who currently plays for Wigan Warriors in the Super League. Wade played for Wasps for seven seaso ...
, and was among 15 players longlisted for ERC European Player of the Year. Ahead of the 2016/17 Aviva premiership campaign Launchbury was named captain of
Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
. Wasps entered administration on 17 October 2022 and Launchbury was made redundant along with all other players and coaching staff. Following Wasps' entry into administration, Launchbury signed a short-term deal to join Japanese club
Toyota Verblitz Toyota Verblitz is a Japanese rugby union team in the Japan Rugby League One. Verblitz is a portmanteau of ''verde'' (Italian, Spanish and Portuguese for 'green') and ''blitz'' (German for 'lightning'). The team is owned by Toyota Motor Corporat ...
from December 2022 to May 2023, for the 2022-23 Japan Rugby League One season.


Harlequins

On 21 November 2022 it was announced that Launchbury would join Harlequins, signing a multi-year deal to return to the club ahead of the 2023–24 season, following his time in Japan. During the 2023–24 Champions Cup, Launchbury made an appearance from the bench, replacing Irné Herbst, as Harlequins beat
Glasgow Warriors The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...
to record their first ever victory in the knockout stages of the
European Rugby Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pr ...
.


International career

Launchbury's first international experience came as part of the England under-18 side which finished runners-up in the 2009 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship. He moved up to the under-20s in 2011, making his debut as a replacement against
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in the Under-20s Six Nations. Despite not being included in the original squad he was elevated to the starting line-up for the following game and earned the Man of the Match award against
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
as England won the Grand Slam. He was selected for the Junior World Championship in June the same year and started every game as England reached the final, eventually losing 33–22 to
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. He was named England Player of the Tournament by his teammates. In 2012 Launchbury was called up to the senior squad for the tour of South Africa. He played in the uncapped game against the
Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...
at
Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...
but an injury picked up in training forced him to return home. The following month he was included in the
Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
squad and in November was called into the England training camp for the Autumn internationals as injury cover for Wasps teammate Tom Palmer. He made his Test debut days later as a replacement against
Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
and was promoted to the starting line-up against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. He retained his place for the match against
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
as England recorded their first win over the All Blacks since 2003. After impressing in all four Autumn Tests, Launchbury was voted Man of the Series. Launchbury started in all five of England's Six Nations matches as they finished runners-up to
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
and was named England Player of the Year for 2012–13 in his first season as a senior international. Several commentators backed him for a place in 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 tour to Australia but he was not selected. Instead he travelled with England for the tour of Argentina, starting both Tests in a 2–0 series win. Launchbury retained his starting place for the 2013 Autumn internationals as England beat first Australia and then Argentina, a game in which he scored his first international try, grounding the ball after a rolling maul. A second try followed against the All Blacks, although he was forced off after 46 minutes with a shoulder injury. England were unable to repeat the previous year's win, losing 30–22. Launchbury was ever-present during the 2014 Six Nations, starting all five games including the match against
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
in which he made 15 tackles and won three turnovers. His partnership in the second row with Courtney Lawes, which began during the Autumn internationals, was praised throughout the tournament as England finished runners-up for the second year in a row. Launchbury was among an initial group of 30 players selected for the three Test summer tour to New Zealand. He started the first two games, in which England were defeated narrowly,. He was dropped for the third Test but was restored to the starting line-up after Geoff Parling failed to overcome an injury sustained in the second game. England lost the game 36–13, their heaviest defeat of the tour, as New Zealand took the series 3–0. Launchbury was named Man of the Match in two consecutive Six Nations games: against Wales and Italy. Launchbury was not selected to be a member of the British an Irish Lions Touring party to New Zealand, which was a controversial call following his success in the Six Nations. Many Rugby experts were left confused by Launchbury's shock omission from the Squad. Launchbury was called up for the 2022 Six Nations to replace Lewis Ludlam, who suffered a rib injury in the second half of England’s first match against Scotland.


International tries


Personal life

Launchbury is married to Mallory Bourn and they have three children, Blythe Alexandra, Hayden Oliver and Quinn Alexander. His brother in law is footballer
Korey Smith Korey Alexander Sheridan Smith (born 31 January 1991) is an English professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cambridge United F.C., Cambridge United. Smith started his career at Norwich City F.C., Norwich City ...
(their wives are sisters).


Honours

;London Wasps *Academy Player of the Year: 2010–11 *Young Player of the Year: 2010–11 * Premiership Player of the Month: November 2012 *Premiership Young Player of the Season: 2012–13 ;England *
Six Nations Under 20s Championship The Six Nations Under 20s Championship is an international rugby union tournament. It is the under-20s equivalent of the Six Nations Championship. Originally the tournament was in an under-21 format but changed to under-20s in 2008. England ...
:
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
Grand Slam winners * IRB Junior World Championship:
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
(runners-up) *IRB Junior World Championship: 2011 England Player of the Tournament *Autumn internationals:
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
England Man of the Series *England Player of the Year: 2012–13 *
Rugby World Cup The Men's Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams, the winners of which are recognised as the World championship, world champions of the sport. The tournament is administer ...
runner up:
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...


References


External links


Joe Launchbury profile
at Wasps RFC
Joe Launchbury profile
at the RFU *
Career statistics
at Statbunker {{DEFAULTSORT:Launchbury, Joe 1991 births Living people England international rugby union players English rugby union players People educated at Christ's Hospital Rosslyn Park F.C. players Rugby union locks Rugby union players from Exeter Wasps RFC players Toyota Verblitz players 2015 Rugby World Cup players 2019 Rugby World Cup players English expatriate rugby union players in Japan