Bradley Barritt
Encyclopedia
Bradley Barritt is a rugby union
player who plays for Saracens
in the Aviva Premiership. He stands 186 cm tall, weighs in at 95 kg and plays the position of centre. Barritt attended Kearsney College
where he was a College Prefect in 2004 and captained the 1st XV in 2004.
and Super 14
season for the Natal Sharks
and Sharks
, Barritt showed great promise as a quality inside-centre for his provincial team. Parlaying those performances into his debut Super 14 season in 2006
, Barritt has risen to prominence as one of South Africa's leading inside-backs, owing in no small part to his tenacity on defence and astute ball distribution skills, often, with provincial team-mate Waylon Murray
, providing a valuable link to the Wings and offering stability to The Sharks' midfield.
He has the ability to play at fly-half (although in a rather ad-hoc capacity) and did so to great effect in the 2006 Currie Cup season when perennially injured provincial team-mate Butch James
was absent from the squad. However, due to the emergence of Francois Steyn
at the coastal franchise, Barritt's opportunity to play fly-half has been curtailed, leading to a 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.
Barritt signed for the English Premiership side Saracens
, and joined them after winning the 2008 Currie Cup competition
.
Due to injuries, Barritt was recalled to play in a 2009 Super 14 fixture against the Waratahs
, his final game for the Sharks.
.
He represented the Emerging Springboks
at the IRB Nations Cup in 2007.
Barritt was selected by England manager Martin Johnson to represent the England Saxons
at the 2009 Churchill Cup
. This was possible because Barritt had not yet had a senior-level cap for another country, and holds a UK passport, thanks to an English parent, making him eligible for England as well as South Africa. Barritt made his Saxons debut against the USA
, scoring a try.
He has been called up to the England senior squad for the first time to face New Zealand Maori.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays for Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
in the Aviva Premiership. He stands 186 cm tall, weighs in at 95 kg and plays the position of centre. Barritt attended Kearsney College
Kearsney College
Kearsney College is a private boarding school for boys in Botha's Hill, a small town that lies between the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the largest city of KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa.- History :...
where he was a College Prefect in 2004 and captained the 1st XV in 2004.
Sharks career
During his debut season in the 2006 Currie CupCurrie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
and Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
season for the Natal Sharks
Natal Sharks
The Natal Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participate in the annual Currie Cup and Super Rugby tournaments. The Sharks home stadium is Kings Park. They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current representative team of the Natal rugby...
and Sharks
Sharks (rugby franchise)
The Sharks are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super Rugby competition...
, Barritt showed great promise as a quality inside-centre for his provincial team. Parlaying those performances into his debut Super 14 season in 2006
2006 Super 14 season
The 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday 10 February 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday 27 May 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the...
, Barritt has risen to prominence as one of South Africa's leading inside-backs, owing in no small part to his tenacity on defence and astute ball distribution skills, often, with provincial team-mate Waylon Murray
Waylon Murray
Waylon Murray is a current player in a provincial rugby union team, the Lions. He stands 190 cm tall and weighs in at 105 kg and plays the position of centre.-Career:...
, providing a valuable link to the Wings and offering stability to The Sharks' midfield.
He has the ability to play at fly-half (although in a rather ad-hoc capacity) and did so to great effect in the 2006 Currie Cup season when perennially injured provincial team-mate Butch James
Butch James
Andrew David "Butch" James is a South African rugby union player. He has represented 40 times and was a member of the team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He also played for Bath Rugby in the Aviva Premiership...
was absent from the squad. However, due to the emergence of Francois Steyn
François Steyn
Francois Steyn is a South African rugby union player, who plays for the South African national team; and Racing Métro 92 in Paris. He was a member of the South African team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup...
at the coastal franchise, Barritt's opportunity to play fly-half has been curtailed, leading to a him finding a more settled role as the Sharks' first-choice inside-centre.
Barritt played in the 2007 Super 14 Final
2007 Super 14 Final
The Final of the 2007 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on 19 May 2007 at ABSA Stadium in Durban, South Africa. The match was won by the Bulls 20 points to 19 over their hosts the Sharks...
, losing by a solitary point to the Bulls.
Barritt signed for the English Premiership side Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
, and joined them after winning the 2008 Currie Cup competition
2008 Currie Cup Premier Division
The 2008 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division season was contested from 20 June through to 25 October. The Currie Cup is an annual domestic competition for provincial rugby union teams in South Africa....
.
Due to injuries, Barritt was recalled to play in a 2009 Super 14 fixture against the Waratahs
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
, his final game for the Sharks.
International career
Barritt played for South Africa against France in the final of the 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship2006 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 Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, which saw France win 24 to 13....
.
He represented the Emerging Springboks
Emerging Springboks
The Emerging Springboks are the second national rugby union team in South africa after the national side. They compete every year in the Nations Cup alongside the full national teams of Namibia, Romania and Georgia as well as Argentina Jaguars and Italy A. Now and again they also play touring sides...
at the IRB Nations Cup in 2007.
Barritt was selected by England manager Martin Johnson to represent the England Saxons
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of 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 A...
at the 2009 Churchill Cup
2009 Churchill Cup
The 2009 Churchill Cup took place between June 6 and June 21, 2009, in the seventh year of the tournament.For the first time in the tournament's history, all rounds were held in the United States in an effort to reduce the cost of the tournament after the discontinued sponsorship by Barclays and to...
. This was possible because Barritt had not yet had a senior-level cap for another country, and holds a UK passport, thanks to an English parent, making him eligible for England as well as South Africa. Barritt made his Saxons debut against the USA
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
, scoring a try.
He has been called up to the England senior squad for the first time to face New Zealand Maori.