Will Skelton

Will Skelton
Will Skelton in Sydney Stars kit.
Full name William Skelton
Date of birth (1992-05-03) 3 May 1992
Place of birth Auckland, New Zealand
Height 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight 140 kg (22 st 1 lb)[1]
School The Hills Sports High School
University Australian Catholic University
Notable relative(s) Cameron Skelton (brother)
Brad Mika (cousin)
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position Lock
Professional / senior clubs
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2014- Sydney Stars 5 (10)
correct as of 24 October 2014.
Super Rugby
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2013– Waratahs 52 (5)
Current local club Sydney University
correct as of 21 July 2016.
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2014– Australia 18 (10)
correct as of 19 November 2016.

Will Skelton (born 3 May 1992) is an Australian rugby union footballer of Samoan descent.He currently plays for the Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition, and his regular playing position is lock.[2]

Family and early life

Skelton was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and moved with his family to Sydney at the age of 10.[2] He is the cousin of former All Black lock Brad Mika.[2][3] and is the older brother of Cameron Skelton. Though smaller than his younger brother, Skelton weighed 150 kg while still a teenager (his playing weight is now 140 kg or under),[1] and he wears a size 18 to 19 (UK) boot.[4][5][6][7]

He played junior rugby league for the Wentworthville Magpies before taking up rugby union at age 15 at The Hills Sports High School in Seven Hills.[3]

Skelton joined the Sydney University rugby club in 2010.[8] In 2011, he was invited into the Waratahs Academy and the ARU's National Academy in Sydney. After a promising first year, a fractured foot sustained in February 2012 prevented him from playing for the remainder of the year.[8]

Rugby career

In March 2013, Skelton was signed to the Waratahs' Extended Player Squad by coach Michael Cheika.[2][8] He made his Super Rugby debut against the Stormers,[4] and was selected to play for the Waratahs against the British and Irish Lions in June of that year.[3]

Skelton playing for Sydney Stars in the NRC.

In 2014, Skelton was approached by Graham Henry to join the Blues in Auckland, but turned him down.[9] He was named in the Wallabies squad for the June tests in 2014.[10]

Skelton made his test debut for Australia against France on 21 June 2014, starting as the right lock and scoring the first try for the Wallabies in their 39–13 win.[11] His offload game has been compared to Auckland-born rugby footballer Sonny Bill Williams.[12]

The Waratahs made the Super Rugby semi-finals in 2015. Skelton was included in the Wallabies squad for The Rugby Championship and he started against the Springboks in the 24-20 win at Suncorp Stadium.

Skelton's inclusion in the Wallabies squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup was cut short after he sustained a shoulder injury during the tournament.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Will Skelton". Waratahs Rugby. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Towering young Skelton joins Waratahs". ABC. 21 Mar 2013. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Robinson, Georgina (15 June 2013). "Slimming down and stepping up: Tahs' big bopper faces toughest test". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  4. 1 2 Guinness, Rupert (15 March 2014). "Rugby World Cup 2015: Will Skelton says set piece not size is key". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Dutton, Chris. "Michael Cheika flags plans to lure Will Skelton's super-sized brother Cameron back to Australia". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "Meet Cameron: Chiefs sign 145kg younger brother of Will Skelton". allblacks.com. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Chiefs sign Will Skelton's younger, bigger brother". ESPN Scrum. ESPN. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "National Academy Player Will Skelton signs with NSW Waratahs". ARU Media Unit. 21 March 2013. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Payten, Iain (15 March 2014). "NSW big man Will Skelton turned down Sir Graham Henry and All Blacks chance to become a giant for the Waratahs". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Robinson, Georgina (22 May 2014). "Will Skelton one of 11 Waratahs in Wallabies squad". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Skelton debut impresses McKenzie". Planet Rugby. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  12. ↑ CHRIS BARCLAY (2014-07-27). "Similarities between Will Skelton and SBW". Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand. Retrieved 27 July 2014.

External links

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