Matt Banahan
Encyclopedia
Matthew Andrew Banahan (born 30 December 1986 in Jersey
) is a Jerseyman who plays rugby union
for Bath
in the Aviva Premiership and England
in international rugby union. His main position is wing, and he can also operate as an outside centre.
, earning selection to the Jersey and West of England
junior representative sides before he decided his hockey career was stalled and switching to rugby union. Banahan went to La Moye school and Les Quennevais School.
and was brought to the Recreation Ground
as a lock.
Banahan joined Bath Rugby from the London Irish Academy in the summer of 2006. The giant wing, took up rugby after deciding that he was not going to get any further in his hockey career (he had represented Jersey and the West of England). He has also been involved with the RFU’s Junior National Academy set-up and, England's sevens set up.
Unsurprisingly given his physical attributes, he started as a lock but switched to wing where his powerful combination of size, strength and speed made him a potent weapon in the Bath United and Development sides, for whom he scored ten tries in fourteen games last season.
Quickly promoted to the first team from the Academy set up, Banahan made 26 first grade appearances and finished the 2007/08 season as the club’s top try scorer (16) and the Guinness Premiership
regular season’s second highest (10) behind Leicester’s Tom Varndell (13).
squad in the 2007-08 IRB Sevens World Series
, which refers to a pool of players who supplement the 11 core squad members. As a member of the wider squad, he was eligible for selection for up to four of the eight events in the tournament. He was also selected for the England Saxons
squad to play in the 2008 Churchill Cup
. He celebrated his Saxons debut by scoring a hat trick in a 64–10 victory over the USA in the opening round. He then scored two tries against Ireland A
and one in the final against Scotland A
.
Banahan played for England on Saturday 30 May 2009 against the Barbarians
at Twickenham
in an uncapped game where he scored a try. He was called up to the squad for their summer tour replacing David Strettle
who was ruled out through injury. He made his full England debut on 6 June 2009 in a comfortable win over Argentina at Old Trafford where he also scored a try and was named 'Man of the Match'. He retained his place for England's 2009 Autumn series against Australia
, Argentina
and New Zealand, and scored his third international try in the win against Argentina.
Banahan made his first start in the centre for England during their 2010 Autumn series, playing at outside centre in the game versus Samoa on 20 November 2010. He scored a try when England were trailing 6–8, and set up England's second through an intercepted pass. On the back of this performance, he was named on the bench for England's final game of 2010 against South Africa.
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
) is a Jerseyman who plays rugby union
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...
for Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
in the Aviva Premiership and England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in international rugby union. His main position is wing, and he can also operate as an outside centre.
Early life
Banahan grew up playing field hockeyField hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, earning selection to the Jersey and West of England
West of England
The West of England is a loose and locationally unspecific term sometimes given to the area surrounding the city and county of Bristol, England, and also sometimes applied more widely and in other parts of South West England.-Use in the Bristol area:...
junior representative sides before he decided his hockey career was stalled and switching to rugby union. Banahan went to La Moye school and Les Quennevais School.
Club career
Banahan moved to Bath, after previously appearing for the London Irish AcademyLondon Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
and was brought to the Recreation Ground
Recreation Ground (Bath)
The Recreation Ground is a large open space in the centre of Bath, England, next to the River Avon, used for recreational purposes by Bath residents and the public generally....
as a lock.
Banahan joined Bath Rugby from the London Irish Academy in the summer of 2006. The giant wing, took up rugby after deciding that he was not going to get any further in his hockey career (he had represented Jersey and the West of England). He has also been involved with the RFU’s Junior National Academy set-up and, England's sevens set up.
Unsurprisingly given his physical attributes, he started as a lock but switched to wing where his powerful combination of size, strength and speed made him a potent weapon in the Bath United and Development sides, for whom he scored ten tries in fourteen games last season.
Quickly promoted to the first team from the Academy set up, Banahan made 26 first grade appearances and finished the 2007/08 season as the club’s top try scorer (16) and the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
regular season’s second highest (10) behind Leicester’s Tom Varndell (13).
International career
Banahan was selected for the "wider" England SevensEngland national rugby union team (sevens)
The English national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Honours:* 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament - Winners* Rugby World Cup Sevens Winners 1993* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2002* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2003*...
squad in the 2007-08 IRB Sevens World Series
2007-08 IRB Sevens World Series
The 2007–08 IRB Sevens World Series was the ninth of an annual series of rugby union sevens tournaments for full national sides run by the International Rugby Board since 1999–2000...
, which refers to a pool of players who supplement the 11 core squad members. As a member of the wider squad, he was eligible for selection for up to four of the eight events in the tournament. He was also selected for 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...
squad to play in the 2008 Churchill Cup
2008 Churchill Cup
The 2008 Churchill Cup took place between 7 June and 21 June 2008 in what was the sixth year of the tournament. Six rugby union teams took part: , England Saxons, Ireland A, Scotland A, the , and an Argentinian XV.-Participation:...
. He celebrated his Saxons debut by scoring a hat trick in a 64–10 victory over the USA in the opening round. He then scored two tries against Ireland A
Ireland A national rugby union team
The Ireland Wolfhounds are the second national rugby union team behind the Irish national side. They have previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons and the full national teams of Canada and the United States as well as selection of other nations' 1st, 2nd and 3rd...
and one in the final against Scotland A
Scotland A national rugby union team
The Scotland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Scottish national side.-History:Scotland's status as one of the leading rugby nations in the Northern Hemisphere, made the SRU to field a second team, first known as Scotland XV, and currently as Scotland A, which can play at...
.
Banahan played for England on Saturday 30 May 2009 against the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
in an uncapped game where he scored a try. He was called up to the squad for their summer tour replacing David Strettle
David Strettle
David Strettle, , is an English rugby union player who plays on the wing for Saracens and England.- Biography :Strettle grew up in Thelwall, Cheshire, attending Lymm High School and playing for Lymm RFC. Strettle then went on to study at Sheffield Hallam University...
who was ruled out through injury. He made his full England debut on 6 June 2009 in a comfortable win over Argentina at Old Trafford where he also scored a try and was named 'Man of the Match'. He retained his place for England's 2009 Autumn series against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
and New Zealand, and scored his third international try in the win against Argentina.
Banahan made his first start in the centre for England during their 2010 Autumn series, playing at outside centre in the game versus Samoa on 20 November 2010. He scored a try when England were trailing 6–8, and set up England's second through an intercepted pass. On the back of this performance, he was named on the bench for England's final game of 2010 against South Africa.
External links
- Banahan profile Bath Rugby
- Career Stats Statbunker