Raffi Quirke

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Raffi Quirke
Birth nameRaphael Quirke
Date of birth (2001-08-18) 18 August 2001 (age 22)
Place of birth Chorlton, England
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight85 kg (13 st 5 lb)
School St Ambrose College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2018– Sale Sharks 43 (35)
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2018–2019 England U18 8 (15)
2021– England 2 (5)
Correct as of 20 November 2021

Raffi Quirke (born 18 August 2001) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Sale Sharks in the Premiership. [1]

Contents

Early life

Raffi Quirke was born on 18 August 2001 in Chorlton. He started playing rugby when he was 5, inspired by his father Saul who coached him through his early years. He was part of a Broughton Park RFC side at U9s level, in which the side went unbeaten while scoring 267 tries. [2] [3] Quirke was also a triathlete, following in the footsteps of both of his parents, becoming North-West champion at triathlon when 12 or 13. However, it became increasingly difficult to consider pursuing both rugby and triathlons to a professional level, so he eventually decided to focus on rugby. [2]

He was educated at Saint Ambrose College. [4] [5] Quirke of Irish ancestry through a maternal grandparent. [6]

Club career

In 2019 Quirke spent a period on loan to Sale FC in National League One. [2] On 20 February 2021 Quirke made his professional club debut for Sale Sharks in a Premiership game against Harlequins [5] [7] and in April of that year he scored his first try for the club in a European Rugby Champions Cup game away to Scarlets. [8]

International career

Quirke represented England at both U16 and U18 level, scoring two tries against Wales for the under-16 squad. [4] In 2018 he toured South Africa with the under-18 squad [4] and scored a try in the defeat against France. [9] Quirke was subsequently selected for the under-20 squad although did not participate in any of their fixtures. [2]

In September 2021 coach Eddie Jones included Quirke in the senior England squad for a training camp. [10] On 13 November 2021 Quirke made his Test debut for England, coming on as a replacement for Ben Youngs in the 72nd minute against Australia in the Autumn Nations Series, a game which England won 32-15. [11] In doing so, he became England's youngest scrum-half since Nick Duncombe in 2002. Quirke then came off the bench in England's final test of the series against South Africa, scoring the winning try in England's 27-26 victory. [12]

Quirke was named in the initial training squad for the 2022 Six Nations Championship. [13]

International tries

As of 20 November 2021 [1]
TryOpposing teamLocationVenueCompetitionDateResultScore
1Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa London, England Twickenham Stadium 2021 Autumn Nations Series 20 November 2021Win27 – 26

Personal life

As a keen outdoors sports fan, Quirke also enjoys middle-distance running, cross country running, swimming, and cycling. In his music tastes, Raffi enjoys hip-hop, Rhythm and Blues, reggae and rock, with his favourite artist being Bob Marley. Raffi is also a fan of Manchester United. [3] He returns to Saint Ambrose to help coach the younger players.

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References

  1. 1 2 "ESPN profile:Raffi Quirke". ESPN. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Harvey, Neale (14 February 2020). "Young Guns: Sale Sharks scrum-half Raphael Quirke". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "SHARKS SECURE SIGNATURES OF 4 PROMISING YOUNGSTERS". Sale Sharks. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 Ostick, Chris (14 October 2021). "Rising star Raffi Quirke admits to big miss as Sale Sharks contend with injury absences". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  6. ↑ Richardson, Charles (6 April 2021). "England consider call-up for unknown Sale prop Bevan Rodd". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Diamond, Sam (20 February 2021). "Match Report: Harlequins 24 Sale Sharks 12". Sale Sharks. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "Heineken Champions Cup: Scarlets 14-57 Sale". BBC Sport. 4 April 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  9. ↑ Lawton, Andrew (11 August 2018). "England defeated by France in U18 International series opener". Premiership Rugby. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Jones, Chris (21 September 2021). "Louis Lynagh called up by England - Billy & Mako Vunipola plus George Ford left out". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  11. ↑ Latham-Coyle, Harry (13 November 2021). "England vs Australia LIVE: Rugby result, final score and reaction from 2021 Autumn internationals". The Independent. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  12. ↑ Henson, Mike (20 November 2021). "England clinch dramatic 27-26 win over South Africa at Twickenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
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