Oscar Beard

Oscar Beard
Full nameOscar Charles Marston Beard
Date of birth (2001-11-20) 20 November 2001 (age 23)
Place of birthFrimley Park, England
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Weight101 kg (223 lb; 15 st 13 lb)
SchoolLord Wandsworth College
Cranleigh School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, Wing
Current team Harlequins
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2021– Harlequins 65 (30)
2022 London Scottish 1 (0)
Correct as of 9 May 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019 England U18 3 (0)
2024– England A 2 (5)
Correct as of 17 November 2024

Oscar Charles Beard (born 20 November 2001) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins and the England national team.

Early life

Beard was born at Frimley Park Hospital in Frimley, Surrey, the same hospital as Jonny Wilkinson.[2] Like Wilkinson, he started his rugby career at Alton Rugby Club playing tag rugby, then joining Farnham RUFC in the under-9’s. Beard was selected for the Harlequins academy at 12 years-old. [3] He attended Lord Wandsworth College until the age of 14, then moved to Cranleigh School where he was 1st XV captain during the 2018/19 unbeaten season, which saw Cranleigh School lift the Daily Mail Trophy. He was also part of the unbeaten team in 2016/17 and the Rosslyn Park Rugby Sevens cup runners-up the same year.[4]

Club career

In April 2021, Beard made his senior debut for Harlequins against Sale Sharks.[4][5] In January 2022, following fourteen appearances during the 2021-22 season, Beard signed a new long-term contract with Harlequins.[5] His appearances included two tries against London Irish in the Rugby Premiership in November 2021 and a European Champions Cup debut against Castres in December 2021.[5]

In April 2024, he was part of the side that defeated Glasgow Warriors 28-24 at home in the Round of 16, the first time the club had ever won a knockout game in the Champions Cup.[6] The following week, he made his 50th appearance for the club, beating Bordeaux Bègles 42-41 away in only the second knockout victory for in the competitions history for the club.[7][8]

International career

Beard has been a part of the England pathway since under-15’s and played for England South, England U17’s, England U18 on their tour to South Africa in 2019 and England U20 in 2021.[9][10]

In January 2024, Beard was called up by coach Steve Borthwick to the senior England squad for the 2024 Six Nations Championship.[11] Beard played at outside centre and scored a try on his England A debut against Portugal on 25 February 2024.[12] In October 2024, Oscar was selected in Steve Borthwick’s 36 man senior training squad in preparation for the 2024 Autumn Series International. In November 2024, he was called-up to the England A national rugby union team going on to beat Australia A 38-17 at The Stoop.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ "Oscar Beard". All.Rugby. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  2. ^ Godwin, Hugh (22 January 2022). "Oscar Beard interview: The Harlequins tyro on life as a ballboy, Marcus Smith's advice and 2003 World Cup DVDs". inews. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Oscar Beard". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b Jaycock, Ben (10 April 2022). "Young Guns: Harlequins centre Oscar Beard". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Harlequins: Oscar Beard and Will Evans agree 'long-term' contracts". BBC Sport. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Harlequins edge Glasgow in thriller to reach Champions Cup quarter-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  7. ^ "TEAM NEWS: HARLEQUINS SQUAD FOR BORDEAUX". Harlequins. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  8. ^ Kitson, Robert. "Harlequins edge out Bordeaux in thriller to reach Champions Cup semi-final". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  9. ^ Savage, Angus. "England U20: Stars to look out for as Dickens names 2020 EPS". nextgenxv. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  10. ^ Rees, Paul (21 January 2024). "Beard: To get the call was a dream come true". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  11. ^ "England Six Nations squad: Jamie George captain, Billy Vunipola & Kyle Sinckler dropped". BBC Sport. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  12. ^ "England A 91-5 Portugal". BBC Sport. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  13. ^ Morgan, Charlie (6 November 2024). "Gabriel Ibitoye called up to England A squad for Australia fixture". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  14. ^ Telfer, Alastair. "Murley scores twice as England A beat Australia A". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2024.