Josh Drauniniu (born 17 August 1985) is a

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 ...

footballer who currently plays for Rouen Normandie Rugby of France Rugby's

Pro D2 The Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was introduced in 2000. It ...

. Drauniniu joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

in 2003 at the age of 17 and saw active service in the Gulf in 2005. Upon joining the Navy, Josh was soon introduced to

, having played rugby league and football at school in Fiji, and he made his debut in the annual Army v Navy match 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 ...

in 2004. Three years later he was signed by

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...

, where his pace on the wing caught the eye of the England Sevens selectors. England beat New Zealand 21-19 to secure a meeting with South Africa in the final. He failed the final hurdle, but his performances were enough to earn him a place in the England squad for the 2009 Sevens World Cup in Dubai, though England would go out to Samoa in the quarter-finals. Despite his England Sevens commitment, Josh was still named in Rugby Times'

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 ...

Team of the Season for 2008/09, having scored 16 tries. In his first season for

he had raced in for 22 tries, and it was that try scoring form that tempted Harlequins to bring him to the

Guinness Premiership Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby u ...

. His first start for Quins came in a 9-9 draw with

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...

at the Stoop in October 2009, but the highlight of his time at the club would come against the

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The club plays in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby union. It was formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. ...

Franklin's Gardens Franklin's Gardens (currently known for sponsorship purposes as cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens) is a purpose-built rugby stadium in Northampton, England. It is the home stadium of Northampton Saints and Loughborough Lightning. The stadiu ...

three weeks later when he scored two tries as a second-half replacement in a 27-16 defeat. He made one

Heineken 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 pre ...

appearance, as a replacement against the

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park. Originally formed in 1876, from 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before rebranding back ...

The Stoop Twickenham Stoop Stadium (informally referred to as The Stoop) is a stadium located in south-west London, England, situated just across the road from Twickenham Stadium. The stadium is home to the Harlequins in Premiership Rugby and has a ...

, and was named on the bench for last years A League final against Leicester Development at Welford Road, which the home side won 29-27. In February 2010 he made his way back into Ben Ryan's England Sevens team for the Adelaide and Hong Kong legs of the IRB World Series. Drauniniu is known as an attacking winger with a dangerous side step, and his talents have not gone unnoticed by rival clubs. He signed for the

Worcester Warriors Worcester Warriors are a professional rugby union club based in Worcester, England. They most recently played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby union, before being suspended by the Rugby Football Union, RFU in September 2 ...

for their first season back 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, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby u ...

On 22 May 2015, Drauniniu re-signed with

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club () was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, after gaining promotion from ...

back in the

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men's English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when Eng ...

from the 2015-16 season.

References

External links

London Welsh ProfileWorcester Warriors Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drauniniu, Josh 1985 births Living people Fijian rugby union players Exeter Chiefs players Harlequin F.C. players London Welsh RFC players Royal Navy rugby union players Worcester Warriors players Rugby union wings Rugby union players from Suva 21st-century Fijian sportsmen