Neil Back

Neil Back
Rugby union career

Neil Back celebrating the English world cup victory in 2003.
Full name	Neil Antony Back MBE
Date of birth	(1969-01-16) 16 January 1969
Place of birth	Coventry, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	93 kg (205 lb; 14.6 st)
School	Woodlands School, Coventry
Occupation(s)	Professional Rugby Union Coach
Playing career
Position	Openside flanker
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
	Barker's Butts Earlsdon
correct as of 25 June 2014.
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1988-1990 1990–2005	Nottingham RFC Leicester Tigers	8 339	( 8 ) 615
correct as of 25 June 2014.
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1994–2003 1997-2005	England British and Irish Lions	66 5	(83) (5)
correct as of 25 June 2014.
Coaching career
Years	Club / team
2003-2008 2008–2011 2011–2012 2012-2013	Leicester Tigers Leeds Carnegie Rugby Lions Edinburgh Rugby
correct as of 5 July 2012.

Neil Antony Back MBE (born 16 January 1969) is a former international rugby union footballer for England and the British and Irish Lions who also played for Nottingham RFC, Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career.

Post World Cup victory with England in 2003 he took on the role of Player/Defensive Coach for Leicester Tigers until he decided to retire following an illustrious 17 year first class playing career. One of his final games saw him become the oldest Test British Lion in the history of the game in the 1st Test Match verses New Zealand whilst on the 2005 Tour.

During his international career he played in three World Cups - SA'95, FR'99 & AUS'03 where he was an integral part of the 2003 World Cup winning side. He also went on three British and Irish Lions Tours - SA'97 Winners, AUS'01 & NZ'05. He gained 66 caps for England, captaining them to victory four times, scored 16 tries and 1 drop goal (the only England Forward to do so in a Test Match in the history of the game). He played as an openside flanker. He is married to Alison who together have a daughter, Olivia who joined him on the winning podium in 2003 & a son, Finley.

Retirement from playing allowed him to concentrate on his future, seeing him continue his role as Assistant Coach at Leicester Tigers whilst gaining all of the RFU Coaching Awards and now has over a decade of coaching experience.

Biography

Back was born in Coventry, where he attended The Woodlands School between September 1980 and July 1987. During his time at the school, he also played football, cricket, basketball, athletics and cross country before opting to strive to gain international status in rugby union. Back learnt his trade at junior clubs in Coventry, Earlsdon RFC and Barker's Butts RFC and went on to represent England at Schools, Colts, U21 and Saxons levels before making his full England debut against Scotland in 1994. He began his senior playing career in 1988 for Nottingham.^[1]

In 1990 he joined Leicester Tigers and remained there for the next 18 years as a player & coach gaining 339 caps and scoring a club record (for a forward) 125 tries.

Despite impressive performances between 1990 and 1995, he was not selected for England regularly, picking up only 7 caps during this period on the basis that he was considered by some selectors, too small – at only 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) and 93 kg (205 lb; 14.6 st).

His most controversial moment came in Leicester's 1996 Pilkington Cup final defeat against Bath. As the final whistle was blown, Back pushed referee Steve Lander to the ground. Back maintained that he had mistaken Lander for Bath back-row (and future England head coach) Andy Robinson. Back was given a six-month ban from the game, but from a dark moment blazed back even fitter, fresher and more focused than he had ever been following a 20-week, 6 days a week, twice a day torturous training schedule.

This led to a call-up to the 1997 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa, where he played in the final two Test Matches, the second where the Series was won. He subsequently became an important part of Clive Woodward's England team, forming the famous back-row unit with Richard Hill and Lawrence Dallaglio. He was also one of five Tigers players selected for his 2nd Lions Tour 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia picking up another two Test caps and then went on to become the oldest Test Lion in history on his 3rd and final Tour to NZ in 2005 picking up his 5th Test cap in the 1st Test.

Back was a master of controlling the ball at the back of a rolling maul and in 1999 he was Leicester's top try scorer with 16 tries as Tigers often kicked penalties to touch for lineouts near to the opposition's try line, won the subsequent lineout and the pack drove Back over to score.

He scored a try in the 2001 Heineken Cup Final in which Leicester beat Stade Français by 34–30, and won the lineout which led to Austin Healey's break and Leon Lloyd's winning try.^[2]

In the 2002 Heineken Cup Final he once again aroused major controversy. Tigers were leading Munster 15–9 in the final minutes of the match, and Munster had a scrum well inside the Leicester 22. With the referee distracted on the other side of the scrum, Back knocked the ball from Munster scrum-half Peter Stringer's hands before the put-in and Leicester won possession and cleared the ball. The press and Munster fans were up in arms, though Munster's players sportingly conceded that gamesmanship was an integral part of the game.^[3]

He captained England on four occasions when Martin Johnson was injured. He took over the captaincy of Leicester for the 2003/4 season, but Johnson was reinstated as captain after the coaching coup that saw Dean Richards sacked as coach and replaced by John Wells, and Back was given a role as a Player/Defence Coach.

Back was one of England's outstanding players during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, scoring two tries along the way and played his last game for England in their victory over Australia in World Cup Final 2003. He won a total of 66 caps (4 as captain), scored 16 tries and 1 drop goal (the only English Forward to do so in the history of the game) and played in 3 World Cups (1995, 1999 & 2003).

Coaching career

Back's coaching career started at Leicester Tigers post England's World Cup success in 2003, where he became their player/defensive coach. When he finally retired from playing after the British and Irish Lions Tour of New Zealand in 2005, he continued as Leicester Tigers defensive coach, but to aid his coach development also took on the role of head coach of Leicester Tigers Academy and assistant forwards coach.

On 27 June 2008, Back left his beloved Tigers and signed a 3-year contract with Leeds Carnegie as head coach. In his first year Leeds Carnegie were promoted from the Championship to the Premiership, where they battled to remain against all the odds for the next 2 seasons on a very limited budget.

On 4 July 2011, after turning down a director of Rugby role at a Premiership Club announced that he would instead take on the same role at 'The Rugby Football Club (2011) Ltd', formerly known as 'Rugby Lions' in National League 3 Midlands, while Key became Chief Executive.^[4] Several high-quality players joined the new outfit, such as Ben Gollings and Leigh Hinton, which helped the Lions remain unbeaten all season (26 League + 5 Cup games), winning the League, automatic promotion and domestic cup in Back's first season.

During June 2011, Back joined Edinburgh Rugby's Coaching Team alongside ex-Ireland international scrum half, Michael Bradley and Billy McGinty.

References

↑ Neil Back: England career statistics. espn. Retrieved 03 August 2013
↑ "European glory seals Leicester treble". BBC. 19 May 2001. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
↑ "Tigers retain European Cup". BBC. 25 May 2002. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
↑ "Neil Back to take over as coach at lowly Rugby Lions". BBC Sport. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by Matt Dawson Martin Johnson	English National Rugby Union Captain Nov 2001 Mar–Apr 2002	Succeeded by Martin Johnson Phil Vickery

England squad – 1995 Rugby World Cup Fourth Place

Forwards	Back Bayfield Clarke Dawe Johnson Leonard Mallett Moore Richards Rodber Rowntree Ojomoh Ubogu West

Backs	Andrew Bracken Callard Carling (c) Catt Glanville Guscott Hopley Hunter Morris R. Underwood T. Underwood

Coach	Rowell

British and Irish Lions – 1997 South Africa tour

Forwards	Back Dallaglio Davidson Diprose (Injury replacement) Hill Johnson (c) Leonard Miller Quinnell Redman (Injury replacement) Regan Rodber Rowntree Shaw Smith Wainwright Wallace Weir Williams Wood Young

Backs	Bateman Beal Bentley Bracken (Injury replacement) Catt (Injury replacement) Dawson Evans Healey Howley Jenkins Gibbs Greenwood Guscott Grayson Stimpson Tait Townsend Underwood

Coach	McGeechan & Telfer

England squad – 1999 Rugby World Cup

Forwards	Archer Back Cockerill Corry Dallaglio Garforth Greening Hill Johnson (c) Leonard McCarthy Grewcock Rodber Rowntree Ubogu Vickery Worsley

Backs	Beal Bracken Catt Dawson De Glanville Grayson Greenwood Guscott Healey Luger Perry Rees Wilkinson

Coach	Woodward

British and Irish Lions – 2001 Australia tour

Forwards	Back Bulloch Charvis Corry Dallaglio Davidson Greening Grewcock Hill Johnson (c) Leonard McBryde Morris Murray O'Kelly Quinnell Smith Taylor Wallace West Williams Wood Vickery Young

Backs	Balshaw Catt Cohen Dawson Gibbs Greenwood Healey Henderson Howe Howley James Jenkins Luger Nicol O'Driscoll O'Gara Perry Robinson Taylor Wilkinson

Coach	Henry

England squad – 2003 Rugby World Cup winners (1st title)

Forwards	Back Corry Dallaglio Hill Grewcock Johnson (c) Kay Leonard Regan Moody Thompson Vickery West White Worsley Woodman Shaw (injury replacement)

Backs	Abbott Balshaw Bracken Catt Cohen Dawson Grayson Gomarsall Greenwood Lewsey Luger Robinson Tindall Wilkinson

Coach	Woodward

British and Irish Lions – 2005 New Zealand tour

Forwards	Back Bulloch Byrne Cockbain Corry Dallaglio Easterby Grewcock Hayes Hill Jenkins R. Jones Kay Moody O'Callaghan O'Connell O'Kelly Owen Rowntree Shaw Sheridan Stevens Taylor Thompson Titterrell Ja. White Ju. White M. Williams

Backs	Cooper Cueto Cusiter D'Arcy Dawson Greenwood Henson Hickie Hodgson S. Jones Horgan Lewsey Murphy O'Driscoll (c) O'Gara Peel Robinson Shanklin Smith Thomas Wilkinson S. Williams

Coach	Woodward

English national rugby union team captains

To 1900	1871–1873: Frederick Stokes 1874: Alfred St. George Hamersley 1875: Henry Arnold Lawrence 1875–1876: Francis Luscombe 1877–Mar 1878: Edward Kewley Mar 1878: Murray Wyatt Marshall 1879: Frank Reginald Adams 1880–1881: Lennard Stokes Feb 1882: Charles Gurdon Mar 1882: A. N. Hornby Dec 1882–1885: Edward Temple Gurdon Jan–Feb 1886: Charles John Bruce Marriott Mar 1886: Edward Temple Gurdon 1887: Alan Rotherham 1889: Fred Bonsor Feb 1890: Andrew Stoddart Mar 1890: John Lawrence Hickson Mar 1890: Andrew Stoddart 1891–Jan 1892: Frederic Alderson Feb 1892: Sammy Woods Mar 1892: Frederic Alderson Jan 1893: Andrew Stoddart Feb 1893: Sammy Woods Mar 1893: Andrew Stoddart Jan–Feb 1894: Richard Lockwood Mar 1894: Ernest Taylor 1895: Sammy Woods 1896: Ernest Taylor Mar 1896: Frank Mitchell 1897: Ernest Taylor 1898: J. F. Byrne 1899: Arthur Rotherham

To the First World War	Jan 1900: Richard Cattell 1900: John Daniell Jan 1901: John Taylor Feb–Mar 1901: William Bunting Jan 1902: Harry Alexander Feb–Mar 1902: John Daniell Jan–Feb 1903: Bernard Oughtred Mar 1903: Toggie Kendall Jan 1904: Frank Moxon Stout Feb–Mar 1904: John Daniell Jan–Mar 1905: Frank Moxon Stout Dec 1905 - Dec 1906: Vincent Cartwright Jan 1907: Basil Alexander Hill Feb 1907: John Green Mar 1907: Ernest Roberts Jan 1908: Thomas Kelly Jan 1908: John Birkett Feb 1908: Curly Hammond Mar 1908: Lancelot Slocock Jan 1909: George Lyon Jan–Mar 1909: Robert Dibble Jan–Feb 1910: Adrian Stoop Mar 1910: Edgar Mobbs Mar 1910-Feb 1911: John Birkett Mar 1911: Anthony Henniker-Gotley Jan–Mar 1912: Robert Dibble Apr 1912–Mar 1913: Norman Wodehouse 1914: Ronald Poulton

To the Second World War	1920: J. E. Greenwood 1921: Dave Davies Jan 1922: Bruno Brown Feb 1922–1923: Dave Davies 1924–1926: Wavell Wakefield 1927: Leonard Corbett 1928–Feb 1929: Ronald Cove-Smith Mar 1929–Feb 1930: Joe Periton Feb 1930–Jan 1931: Sam Tucker Feb 1931: Peter Howard Mar 1931–Jan 1933: Carl Aarvold Feb–Mar 1933: Tony Novis 1934: Bernard Gadney Jan–Feb 1935: Douglas Kendrew Mar 1935–Mar 1936: Bernard Gadney 1937: Tuppy Owen-Smith Jan–Feb 1938: Peter Cranmer Mar 1938–Mar 1939: Henry Toft

To the Professional Era	Jan–Feb 1947: Joe Mycock Mar–Apr 1947: Jack Heaton Jan 1948: Edward Scott Jan 1948: Tommy Kemp Feb–Mar 1948: Edward Scott Mar 1948: Bob Weighill Jan–Feb 1949: Nim Hall Feb 1949-Mar 1950: Ivor Preece Jan 1951: Vic Roberts Feb–Mar 1951: John Kendall-Carpenter Jan 1952-Mar 1953: Nim Hall 1954: Bob Stirling Jan–Feb 1955: Nim Hall Feb–Mar 1955: Peter Dalton Young Jan 1956–Mar 1958: Eric Evans 1959: Jeffrey Butterfield 1960–1962: Dickie Jeeps Jan–Mar 1963: Richard Sharp May–Jun 1963: Mike Weston Jan–Feb 1964: John Willcox Feb–Mar 1964: Ron Jacobs 1965: David Perry 1966: Budge Rogers Jan 1967: Richard Sharp Feb–Nov 1967: Philip Judd Jan–Feb 1968: Colin McFadyean Feb–Mar 1968: Mike Weston Feb 1969: Dick Greenwood Feb–Apr 1969: Budge Rogers Dec 1969-Mar 1970: Bob Hiller Apr 1970: Bob Taylor Jan 1971: Tony Bucknall Feb 1971: John Spencer Feb 1971: Bob Hiller Mar–Apr 1971: John Spencer Jan–Feb 1972: Bob Hiller Feb–Mar 1972: Peter Dixon Jun 1972–Mar 1974: John Pullin Jan–Feb 1975: Fran Cotton Mar–May 1975: Tony Neary May 1975: John Pullin Jan–Mar 1976: Tony Neary 1977: Roger Uttley 1978: Bill Beaumont Feb 1979: Roger Uttley Feb 1979–Jan 1982: Bill Beaumont Feb 1982–Feb 1983: Steve Smith Mar 1983: John Scott Nov 1983–Mar 1984: Peter Wheeler Jun 1984: John Scott Nov 1984: Nigel Melville 1985: Paul Dodge 1986: Nigel Melville Feb–Mar 1987: Richard Hill Apr 1987–Feb 1988: Mike Harrison Mar 1988: Nigel Melville Apr–Jun 1988: John Orwin Jun 1988: Richard Harding Nov 1988-Mar 1989: Will Carling May 1989: Rob Andrew Nov 1989–May 1995: Will Carling May 1995: Rob Andrew Jun 1995: Will Carling

To the Present Day	Nov 1995-Mar 1996: Will Carling Nov 1996: Phil de Glanville Dec 1996: Jason Leonard Feb–Jul 1997: Phil de Glanville Nov 1997–Apr 1998: Lawrence Dallaglio Jun 1998: Tony Diprose Jun–Jul 1998: Matt Dawson Nov 1998: Martin Johnson Nov 1998–Apr 1999: Lawrence Dallaglio Jun–Oct 1999: Martin Johnson Feb–Apr 2000: Matt Dawson Jun 2000–Apr 2001: Martin Johnson Jun 2001: Kyran Bracken Oct 2001: Matt Dawson Nov 2001: Neil Back Nov 2001–Mar 2002: Martin Johnson Mar–Apr 2002: Neil Back Jun 2002: Phil Vickery Nov 2002–Feb 2003: Martin Johnson Mar 2003: Jonny Wilkinson Mar–Jun 2003: Martin Johnson Aug 2003: Jason Leonard Aug 2003: Dorian West Sep–Oct 2003: Martin Johnson Nov 2003: Phil Vickery Nov 2003: Martin Johnson Feb–Jun 2004: Lawrence Dallaglio Nov 2004-Feb 2005: Jason Robinson Mar 2005-Mar 2006: Martin Corry Jun 2006: Pat Sanderson Nov 2006: Martin Corry Feb 2007: Phil Vickery Mar 2007: Mike Catt May 2007: Jason Robinson Jun 2007: Jonny Wilkinson Aug 2007: Phil Vickery Aug 2007: Mike Catt Aug–Sep 2007: Phil Vickery Sep 2007: Martin Corry Oct 2007–Feb 2008: Phil Vickery Feb 2008: Steve Borthwick Feb-Mar 2008: Phil Vickery Jun 2008–Mar 2010: Steve Borthwick Mar 2010–Nov 2010: Lewis Moody Nov 2010: Nick Easter Nov 2010: Lewis Moody Feb 2011: Mike Tindall Aug 2011: Lewis Moody Aug 2011–Sep 2011: Mike Tindall Sep 2011: Lewis Moody^[n1] Sep 2011: Simon Shaw^[n1] Oct 2011: Lewis Moody Feb–Jun 2012: Chris Robshaw Jun 2012: Dylan Hartley Nov 2012–Mar 2013: Chris Robshaw Jun 2013: Tom Wood Nov 2013–Oct 2015: Chris Robshaw Feb 2016– : Dylan Hartley

^[n1] Lewis Moody was substituted in the England vs Georgia match on 18 September 2011, and Simon Shaw was confirmed as captain for the remainder of the match.

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Neil Back

Biography

Coaching career

See also

References

External links