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Ben White (rugby union, born 1998)

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Ben White
Full nameBenjamin James White
Date of birth (1998-05-27) 27 May 1998 (age 26)
Place of birthStoke-on-Trent, England
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight88 kg (194 lb; 13 st 12 lb)
SchoolDenstone College
Leicester Grammar School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half
Current team Toulon
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015–2021 Leicester Tigers 71 (30)
2016–2017 → Doncaster Knights (loan) 11 (30)
2021–2023 London Irish 44 (45)
2023– Toulon 26 (10)
Correct as of 16 March 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2018 England U20s 11 (20)
2022– Scotland 24 (20)
Correct as of 25 November 2024

Benjamin James White (born 27 May 1998) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Top 14 club Toulon. Born in England, he represents Scotland at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.[1][2]

Club career

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Leicester Tigers

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White made his first senior Tigers appearance aged 17, against Argentina at Welford Road in Marcos Ayerza's testimonial fixture in the build up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.[3]

White then made his Premiership debut against Harlequins on 25 October 2015; at the age of 17 years and 151 days White became the youngest player to play for Leicester in the Premiership.[4]

White, a member of the Tigers Academy, captained the Tigers U18 Academy League Team, the Premiership 7's team and ultimately captained the Tigers 1st 15 in the Premiership, aged 21.[5] On the 16 June 2021 Leicester Tigers announced his release.[6]

White is also the youngest professional player in Doncaster Knights history having made his debut against London Welsh on 23 April 2016, whilst on loan from Leicester.[7]

London Irish

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White joined Premiership Rugby side London Irish ahead of the 2021–22 season.[8]

Toulon

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On 2 July 2023, after London Irish entered administration, White signs for French giants Toulon in the Top 14 competition from the 2023-24 season.[9]

International career

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England U20 and England XV

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White, who represented England at U17's, featured for England U18-s in all of their 2016 Six Nations matches in 2016. On 3 January 2018 White was named in England under-20s squad for the 2018 U-20s Six Nations Championship,[10] and he captained England under-20s.[11]

White started for England under-20s in the 2018 Rugby World Cup Final against France, having started the semi-final against South Africa and being involved in every Pool game.

After a breakthrough year for Leicester in 2018-19, White was named in a squad for an uncapped England match against the Barbarians.[12]

Scotland

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White qualifies for Scotland through having a Scottish grandfather.[13] In January 2022 White was named in the Scotland squad for the 2022 6 Nations Championship.[14][15] White was named as a replacement for Scotland's opening game of the Six Nations against England.[16]

Due to his form with London Irish during the 2022/23 English Premiership, he was selected as starting scrum-half for the Scotland team which won a third consecutive Calcutta Cup and a second away win at Twickenham in the opening round of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations.

In 2023 White was selected in Scotland's 33 player squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.[17]

Personal life

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He is currently in a relationship with tennis player Jodie Burrage.[18][19]

Career statistics

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List of international tries

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No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 5 February 2022 Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland  England 5–3 20–17 2022 Six Nations Championship [20]
2 5 November 2022 Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland  Fiji 26–12 28–12 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals [21]
3 4 February 2023 Twickenham Stadium, London, England  England 24–20 29–23 2023 Six Nations Championship [22]

as of 5 February 2023[23]

References

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  1. ^ "Russell 'a fantastic leader' for Scotland - White". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Ben White". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Ben White Leicester Tigers player profile". Leicester Tigers.
  4. ^ "Leicester Tigers boss Richard Cockerill praises club's youngest-ever Premiership player Ben White". Leicester Mercury. 26 October 2015. Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  5. ^ "White leads Tigers on home turf". Leicester Tigers. 22 August 2020.
  6. ^ "The Leicester Tigers 'Class of 2021'". Leicester Tigers. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  7. ^ "A few new faces". Doncaster Knights. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Ben White pens London Irish deal | 24th June 2021 | News". London Irish. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Scotland international Ben White signs for Toulon". Rugby Pass. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  10. ^ "England U20 Elite Player Squad Announced". Premiership Rugby. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Leicester Tigers' Ben White to Captain England Under 20s". Leicester Mercury. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  12. ^ "Leicester Tigers duo Will Spencer and Ben White named in England XV squad to face Barbarians". Leicester Mercury. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  13. ^ Bean, Graham (23 January 2022). "Gregor Townsend flags key role 'ambassadors' can play in selling Scotland to the dual-qualified". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Scotland Six Nations squad named and there are five uncapped players". The Scotsman. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Gregor Townsend explains surprise selection of former England internationals in Scotland's Six Nations squad". The Scotsman. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Gray back in experienced Scotland team". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Scotland squad named for Rugby World Cup 2023". Scottish Rugby Union.
  18. ^ Parsons, Ben (3 February 2023). "Scottish Six Nations star is going out with British tennis ace who played at Wimbledon". Daily Star.com. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  19. ^ Rendell, Sarah (4 February 2022). "Ben White: Ten things you should know about the London Irish scrum-half". Rugby World.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  20. ^ Bennett, Charlie (5 February 2022). "SCOTLAND RETAIN THE CALCUTTA CUP WITH TENSE ENGLAND VICTORY". Six Nations Rugby. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Scotland battle past spirited Fiji". Autumn Nations Series. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  22. ^ Edison, Paul (4 February 2023). "VAN DER MERWE AT THE DOUBLE IN MEMORABLE SCOTLAND WIN". Six Nations Rugby. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Benjamin James White". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
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