Julian White
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Julian White MBE (born 14 May 1973 in Plymouth, Devon) is a rugby union footballer who plays tighthead prop for Leicester Tigers and England.
Julian White is regarded as one of the most powerful forwards in the game. he is renowned for his destructive scrummaging. Despite being seen as a better scrummager than Phil Vickery, other skills, particularly his ball carrying are not as good.
As a youngster he played mini and junior rugby for Salcombe and had played in the same senior side as his father, a former Plymouth Albion player. He served his rugby union apprenticeship with Okehampton and Plymouth Albion and had a spell in New Zealand with Hawkes Bay and Canterbury Crusaders. He joined Saracens from Bridgend in 1999 and swiftly made his Premiership debut in the 28-23 defeat of London Irish at Vicarage Road, Watford on the opening weekend of the season.
White made his England debut against South Africa on England's Summer 2000 tour there, when first choice Phil Vickery was injured. Since then, White has been a useful squad member, and has gained caps as a replacement and when Vickery was injured or rested. He appeared in his first Twickenham Test against Argentina in November 2001, playing until half time when he was replaced by Phil Vickery.
He toured North America in the summer of 2001, forming a solid front row with Graham Rowntree and Dorian West. At the start of the 2002 season he transferred back to the West Country with Bristol Shoguns but joined Leicester Tigers for the 2003-04 season after Bristol were relegated. He replaced the retiring Darren Garforth.
White was part of the side that won the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup, he was in the starting line up against Samoa and came on as replacement against Uruguay.
In 2004, with Phil Vickery recovering from a back operation and after an operation on his knee, Julian grasped the opportunity to demonstrate his formidable scrummaging skills in the England front row during the 6 Nations and the summer tour to the Southern Hemisphere.
External links
- sporting heroes (http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=1318)
- Planet-Rugby (http://www.planet-rugby.com/stats/players/players_listing.phtml/p_r/ENG?setCode=archive&search_text=Julian+White&tournament_code=international&country=&scdate=1871&ecdate=2004&position=&sbdate=1871&ebdate=2004&go=Submit)