Joe Launchbury

Joe Launchbury

File:Joe Launchbury (cropped).png
Launchbury playing for London Wasps in 2012
Full name	Joseph Oliver Launchbury
Date of birth	(1991-04-12) 12 April 1991
Place of birth	Exeter, England
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	118 kg (18 st 8 lb)
School	Christ's Hospital
Rugby union career
Current status
Current team	London Wasps
Playing career
Position	Lock
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2009–2010 2010– 2010–2011	Worthing Wasps → Rosslyn Park (loan)	22 86 6	(35) (25) (5)
correct as of 29th May 2016.
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2009 2011 2012–	England U18 England U20 England	? 8 32	(?) (0) (10)
correct as of 29th May 2016.

Joseph Oliver "Joe" Launchbury (born 12 April 1991) is an English rugby union lock who plays for Premiership side Wasps. He represents England 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

Born in Exeter, Launchbury was educated at Christ's Hospital where he captained the rugby team. He played for Horsham and also represented Barns Green before joining the Harlequins Academy age 15. After deciding not to offer him a professional contract at 18, he left Harlequins and joined then National League 2 South side Worthing for the 2009–10 season. His performances at Worthing under Will Green, the then head coach and former London Wasps player, saw him recommend Launchbury to his former club. He played in several A League matches for Wasps and, after a spell training with the Eastern Province Kings in South Africa, did enough to be given a full-time contract from July 2010.

He was named in Wasps' Academy squad for the 2010–11 season and also joined National League 1 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 against Harlequins as a replacement, scoring a try in a 38–13 loss. His first Premiership appearance came the following month against Leicester Tigers and he remained a regular 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, his first full season with the senior team, Launchbury made 15 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. He 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 Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, missing out on both occasions to Wasps and England teammate Christian Wade, and was among 15 players longlisted for ERC European Player of the Year.

International career

Launchbury's first international experience came as part of the England under-18 side who 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 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 then earned a Man of the Match award against Ireland 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. He was named England Player of the Tournament by his teammates.

2012–13 season

In 2012 he was called up to the senior squad for the tour of South Africa. He played in the uncapped game against the Barbarians at Twickenham but despite flying out, an injury picked up in training forced him to return home. The following month he was included in the Saxons squad but 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 and was then promoted to the starting line-up against Australia. He retained his place for the game against New Zealand 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.

He started in all five of England's Six Nations matches as they finished runners-up to Wales 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 and Irish Lions squad for the 2013 tour to Australia though ultimately he was not selected. He instead travelled with England for the tour of Argentina, starting both Tests in a 2–0 series win.

2013–14 season

He retained his starting place for the 2013 Autumn internationals as England first beat Australia and then Argentina, a game in which he scored his first international try, grounding the ball after a rolling maul. A second try is as many games followed against the All Blacks, though he was forced off after 46 minutes with a shoulder injury as England were unable repeat the previous years win, losing 30–22. He was ever present during the 2014 Six Nations, starting all five games including the match against Ireland in which he made 15 tackles and won three turnovers. Launchbury's partnership in the second row with Courtney Lawes, which began during the Autumn internationals due to an injury to Geoff Parling, was praised throughout the tournament as England finished runners-up for the second year in a row.

He 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, but was less influential at the breakdown than earlier in the season and missed several restarts, leading England head coach Stuart Lancaster to concede that he looked tired. He was initially 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.

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: 2011 Grand Slam winners
• IRB Junior World Championship: 2011 (runners-up)
• IRB Junior World Championship: 2011 England Player of the Tournament
• Autumn internationals: 2012 England Man of the Series
• England Player of the Year: 2012–13

External links

• Joe Launchbury profile at London Wasps
• Joe Launchbury profile at the RFU
• Joe Launchbury profile at ESPN Scrum
• Career statistics at Statbunker