Ben Cohen (rugby union)
Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ben Christopher Cohen MBE |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 16 st 3 lb (227 lb; 103 kg) (103 Kg) |
| Position | Centre / Wing |
Ben Cohen MBE, born 14th September, 1978 in Northampton, is an English rugby union player.
Cohen played for Northampton Saints in the rugby union Guinness Premiership. He is currently without a club and has been linked with a move to rugby league. [1] [2]
Ben Cohen's usual position is on the wing
Cohen has been strongly linked with a move to Harlequins RL in the European Super League. [3]
Ben Cohen is a England rugby union international.
Early Career
Though his surname is typically Jewish, Cohen only has distant Jewish ancestry. “My family’s not Jewish,” he said in an interview on his official website, “but a few generations back they used to be. I think it was my great grandfather that married a non-Jewish girl and broke with tradition.” [1]
Cohen was educated at Kingsthorpe Upper School, Northampton. This was not a rugby playing school and at age 12 he first started playing with Northampton Old Scouts RFC.
In November 2000, Cohen's father Peter Cohen, and brother of English World Cup winning soccer player George Cohen, was killed in an incident at the Eternity nightclub in Northampton which Peter Cohen managed. He died a month after the assault, from a blood clot in his brain. Three men were found guilty of violent conduct.
Northampton
When he was 17 he joined Northampton Saints and made his first team debut against Treorchy in the 1996/97 season, since then his name has rarely left the team sheet.
Representative Career
Cohen is the 10th-highest point scorer in England rugby history and second only to Rory Underwood in the list of all time England try scorers.
In February 2000, Cohen made his England debut against Ireland in the inaugural Six Nations Championship, scoring two tries.
In June 2001, "Big" Ben Cohen joined the Lions tour to Australia, and although he did not figure in the Tests series he did score twice in the midweek match against New South Wales Country Cockatoos at Coffs Harbour.
During the 2002/3 season he played in all of England's matches, scoring a spectacular try against the All Blacks and put in a try-saving tackle on Ben Blair, he scored twice against the Australians at Twickenham. One of his most memorable tries was scored against Australia in June 2003 as England swept aside the host nation by 25-14, to complete their southern hemisphere tour unbeaten.
In England's successful World Cup campaign he started in all but one of England's matches and the triumph marked a unique family double. His uncle George Cohen played football at right back for England when they won the 1966 World Cup.
In the 2004 Six Nations Cohen was named man of the match against Wales, partly for two striking tries. He was a replacement in two of England's 2004 Autumn internationals and was showing fine form for Northampton Saints by the turn of the year, often as an outside centre.
Cohen initially endured a difficult time after helping England lift the World Cup, admitting that he had lost his appetite for the game and he didn't feature in the 2005 Six Nations Championship. However, strong club form saw him win a try-scoring recall against Australia in November 2005. He stayed among the England setup throughout 2006 and during the Autumn internationals, but missed out on the Elite England squad for the 2007 Six Nations, being overlooked in favour of untested debutants such as David Strettle.
However, Cohen's 'never say die' approach, both as a general attribute and as exemplified during the closing stages of the 2006/07 Guinness Premiership season secured him a place in the squad for the summer tour of South Africa and raised the prospect of a place in the squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. However, in May 2007 Cohen ruled himself out of both England's summer tour and the World Cup, stating that he wished to spend time with his pregnant wife, who is expecting twins. This decision raises the possibility of Cohen announcing his retirement from international rugby in the near future.
Probable Move to rugby league
He has been linked with a switch of codes to rugby league at Harlequins, but Northampton are likely to demand a transfer fee given the breakdown in relations with the player. [4] [5] It has been confirmed that the player has been de-registered as a player member of the RFU lending further weight to the expected Super League move. [6]
References
- ^ "Saints confirm Cohen speculation". Northampton. 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
- ^ "Cohen on strike after captaincy snub". Sportinglife. 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
- ^ "Stayaway Cohen nears Northampton exit". Northampton. 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
- ^ "Leo-Latu escapes Wakefield sack after racist comments". Guardian. 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- ^ "Cohen walks out after Saints snub". BBC. 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
- ^ "England profile". England Rugby. 2007-09-02. Retrieved 2007-09-02.