William Joseph Addison (born 20 August 1992) is an English-born Irish rugby union player who plays as a utility back for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks, and has represented Ireland internationally.
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| Birth name | William Joseph Addison | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 20 August 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Penrith, Cumbria, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 93 kg (14 st 9 lb; 205 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Manchester | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A product of the Sale Sharks academy,[1] Addison made his club debut for Sale in 2010.[2] He was part of the England U20 side which won the Junior Six Nations.[3] He also featured at the 2012 Junior World Cup.[4] He split time between his rugby career and studying for a degree in business studies, graduating in 2014.[5] He was named the Sharks' captain ahead of the 2017-18 season, having previously captained the side in the absence of Josh Beaumont.[6]
Addison is Irish-qualified through his Fermanagh-born mother,[7] and grew up supporting Ireland.[8] His contract with Sale contained an option to leave if an Irish team approached him,[9] and he signed for Ulster ahead of the 2018–19 season in pursuit of his ambitions to play international rugby.[2] He had a successful start to the season, initially at fullback, later at outside centre.[10] On 24 October 2018, he was named in the Ireland squad for the November Internationals.[11] On 3 November 2018 he made his debut for Ireland against Italy.[12] He sustained a back injury in January 2019 that required surgery[10] and kept him out for fifteen months. He returned to action in April 2021, before his season was ended by a red card for a dangerous tackle against Munster in May.[13]
He started the 2021–22 season strongly, playing four games and scoring a try,[14] before sustaining a fracture of the lower leg in October which again meant undergoing surgery.[15] He signed for Sale at the end of the 2023-24 season.[16]
References
edit- ^ "Transfer News: Will Addison will leave Sale Sharks in the summer", Ruck.co.uk, 30 March 2018
- ^ a b "Will Addison: Ulster sign Irish-qualified Sale Sharks centre". BBC Sport. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "U20 Six Nations". ESPN Scrum. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Ireland U20 27-12 England U20". World Rugby. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ Emma Flanagan, "Sale Sharks star graduates from university with top degree", Manchester Evening News, 9 July 2014
- ^ Matthew Wood, "Sale Sharks announce Will Addison as captain for upcoming season", Talking Rugby Union, 9 August 2017
- ^ Will Addison profile, RTÉ Sport, 13 September 2021
- ^ Gareth Hanna, "Will Addison: I liked to stand out by supporting Ireland while growing up in England", Belfast Telegraph, 7 November 2018
- ^ Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh, Owen Slot, Irish option was in deal, says Will Addison", The Times, 25 July 2018
- ^ a b "Making an impact at Ulster Rugby", The Front Row Union, 23 May 2019
- ^ "Schmidt includes uncapped Addison as Murray misses out on Ireland squad". The 42. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
- ^ "Will Addison hungers for more on international stage after Ireland debut", News Letter, 4 November 2018
- ^ "Will Addison: Ulster back's season over after receiving four-match ban", BBC Sport, 13 May 2021
- ^ Playing statistics at ItsRugby.co.uk
- ^ Jonathan Bradley, "Ulster’s luckless Will Addison sustains broken leg", Belfast Telegraph, 18 October 2021
- ^ Neil Treacey, "Ulster's Will Addison confirms Sale Sharks return", RTÉ, 28 May 2024