David Flatman

Last updated

David Flatman
Birth nameDavid Luke Flatman
Date of birth (1980-01-21) 21 January 1980 (age 43)
Place of birth Ashford, Kent, England
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight120 kg (18 st 13 lb) [1]
School Maidstone Grammar School
Dulwich College
The Maplesden Noakes School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1998–2003
2003–2012
Saracens
Bath
109
156
(0)
(5)
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2000–2002 England 8 (0)

David Luke Flatman (born 21 January 1980) [2] is an English sports pundit and former rugby union player who played prop. Flatman represented England eight times between 2000 and 2002, playing club rugby for Saracens and Bath. Flatman is routinely referred to by his nickname Flats.

Contents

Career

Early life

Born in Maidstone he started playing rugby union at the age of eight at his local club, Maidstone FC, inspired by his father, who was a prop. A product of Maidstone Grammar School, he then transferred to Dulwich College, subsequently appearing in the same England Schools (18-group) squad as Steve Borthwick, Andrew Sheridan (also of Dulwich College), Alex Sanderson, Mike Tindall and Jonny Wilkinson.

Flatman toured Australia with England Schools in 1997 and the following year went to Argentina with England Colts. He represented London & South-West and England Under-21s against South Africa in the autumn of 1998.

Senior career

His senior club rugby began with Saracens in 1998. He won his first cap for England as a replacement against South Africa on 17 June 2000, England lost 1813; [3] he also appeared in the tour matches against North-West Leopards and Gauteng Falcons.

He made a second tour with the England side to North America in the summer of 2001, appearing as a replacement for Graham Rowntree in the Burnaby and San Francisco Tests against Canada and the United States respectively. He was a regular in the England A side since making his debut against France in Blagnac in 2000. He had a sequence of seven England A team games before being recalled to the senior squad for the final test of the 2000–1 season against France at Twickenham.

He moved to Bath in 2003.

Flatman announced his retirement from rugby in June 2012. In all he won eight England Caps [4]

Media career

Following the end of his playing career, he was Head of Communications at Bath Rugby for two years; he left this role in 2014. [5]

Flatman now works as a pundit for ITV, BT Sport and Amazon Prime often alongside Topsy Ojo. He presents a humorous and informative rugby podcast with his former Saracens teammate Tom Shanklin, called Flats and Shanks. In 2016 the Daily Telegraph named him as the fifth best sports pundit on British TV. [6]

Related Research Articles

Jason Leonard is an English former rugby union player. He won a then-record 114 caps for England men’s rugby team during a 14-year international career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Henson</span> Welsh international rugby union player

Gavin Lloyd Henson is a Welsh former professional rugby union player, who played as a fly-half, fullback and inside centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Hodgson</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Charles Christopher Hodgson is a retired English rugby union player, having previously been a player for Sale Sharks and Saracens. His position was fly-half and he is the leading Premiership points scorer of all time. Hodgson also played for England, until announcing his international retirement in 2012. Hodgson made 18 consecutive starts at fly half for England between 2004 and 2006.

Joseph Paul Richard Worsley, is a retired English rugby union player who played flanker for Wasps and England.

Andrew James Titterrell is a former rugby union player who played at hooker and previously for England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Stevens (rugby union)</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Matthew John Hamilton Stevens is a retired rugby union player who played club Rugby in England, South Africa and France and won 44 caps for England between 2004 and 2012. Born in Durban, South Africa, to English parents, he played both prop positions, and most of his England appearances were at tighthead. Now based in Cape Town, Stevens is a hospitality expert and property developer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Sheridan</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Andrew John Sheridan is a retired English rugby union player who played as a loosehead prop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Borthwick</span> England international rugby union player and head coach

Stephen William Borthwick is an English rugby union coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the England national team. As a player, he played as a lock for Bath and Saracens. At international level, he played for England 57 times from his debut in 2001; he served as captain from 2008 until he was dropped from the side in 2010.

The Old Alleynian Football Club is an open rugby union club founded as a team for the old boys of Dulwich College, themselves known as Old Alleynians. Founded in 1898, it is one of the oldest clubs in London and was the last of London's old boys clubs to become a fully open club. It is notable not only for its longevity, but also for the prominence it once attained on the club circuit and for the number of eminent players that have been members of the club, some of whom gained their international caps whilst at the club.

Kevin Yates is an English rugby union player who plays at Prop for Nice in the French Fédérale 1.

Paul Stephen Wallace is a former Irish rugby union player who played tight head prop for Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. Wallace was once regarded as the world's best tight-head prop, and was known as a very effective scrummager, and a player with good ball skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wilson (rugby union, born 1985)</span> England international rugby union player

David George Wilson is a former English rugby union player. A tighthead prop, he played for Newcastle Falcons and Bath and represented England at two World Cups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Cole (rugby union)</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Daniel Richard Cole is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the England national team.

Dave Hilton is an English-born former Scotland international rugby union player. He was capped 42 times for the Scotland national rugby union team. In his club career he played for Bath Rugby, Glasgow Warriors and Bristol. His position of choice is as a prop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Waller</span> English rugby union player

Alexander Marshall Waller is a rugby union player for Premiership side Northampton Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie George</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Jamie Edward George is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Premiership Rugby club Saracens and the England national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mako Vunipola</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Mako Vunipola is a professional rugby union player who plays as a loosehead prop for English club Saracens and the England national team. Born in New Zealand to Tongan parents, he qualified for England through residency having lived and been educated in Wales and then England since the age of 7.

In June 2012, the England national rugby union team went on a three-test tour against the South Africa national rugby union team, known colloquially and referred to hereafter as the Springboks. This was one of a series of mid-year tours in 2012 by northern teams to be hosted by southern hemisphere nations.

Ohwobeno Osemudiamen A.M. Obano is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Bath.

Beck Cutting is an English rugby union player. He plays for Ampthill in the RFU Championship.

References

  1. "Aviva Premiership Rugby - Bath Rugby". web page. Premier Rugby. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  2. "David Flatman". ESPN. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  3. "South Africa (15) 18 - 13 (10) England (FT)". ESPN. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  4. "David Flatman: Over and out". The Independent. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  5. Beck, Neil (23 June 2014). "David Flatman leaves role as Bath Rugby communications director". Bath Chronicle. Local World. Retrieved 5 November 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. "The 20 best sport pundits on television right now". Daily Telegraph. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2018.