Josh Weru is an international rugby union player, who plays for the Kenyan National Team as a Number 8. He plays for Dax in the Pro D2.[1]
| Birth name | Joshua Weru | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 16 st 3 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Loughborough University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
editAt 14 years old, Weru joined the Northampton Saints Academy.
On the 3 August 2022, Josh Weru signed a professional contract with Northampton Saints after graduating from their Under-18 set up. His main strength was his ball carrying ability with academy coach, Will Parkin saying: “His ball-carrying ability is amongst the very best we've seen at Under-18s level”.[2]
Unfortunately, late in 2022 he lost his contract with Northampton, before he managed to debut for the senior team, due to his aspirations to play for the Kenyan National Team.[3] Under the RFU's eligibility criteria, to secure a working visa to play professional rugby, a player from a Tier 3 nation (such as Kenya) has to have a minimum of 10 international Test caps, of which three must be played during the previous 24 months.[4]
For the 2023/24 season Weru joined French Pro D2 side US Dax.[5]
International career
editIn 2020 at only 16 years old Weru was called up to the Kenya U20s squad by Simbas head coach Paul Odera.[6]
In 2022 Weru was called up to Kenyan National Team[7] for the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final Qualification Tournament, where he scored on debut. Coming off the bench to run a 60 metre try in Kenyas 68-14 loss to the USA.[8] Weru earned 2 more caps in the remaining matches in the tournament, against Portugal (in which he started at Number 8) and Hong Kong.[1]
International tries
edit| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States
|
Dubai, UAE | The Sevens Stadium | 2023 Rugby World Cup Repechage | 6 November 2022 | Loss | 68-14 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Josh WERU profile and stats". all.rugby. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Saints sign Weru into Senior Academy set-up". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "News // Weru departs Northampton Saints". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Weru situation explained after young forwards departure from saints sparks social media questions". Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
- ^ "Rugby transfers for Dax for 2023/2024". all.rugby. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Highly rated Kenyan youngster Joshua Weru loses pro-rugby contract with English side Northampton Saints | MozzartSportKe". www.mozzartsport.co.ke. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Wamalwa, Weru called to Simbas squad for World Cup repechage".
- ^ Rugby, Asia (10 November 2022). "Final Qualification Tournament players we'd love to see at Rugby World Cup 2023". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
This article needs additional or more specific categories. (January 2023) |