Alfie Barbeary
Alfie Barbeary (born 5 October 2000 in Banbury, England) is an English rugby union player for Wasps in the Premiership Rugby. His preferred position is back row, having previously focused on hooker. Early life. Born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, Alfie Barbeary grew up in Deddington, starting rugby practice at age eight with Banbury RUFC. Barbeary was educated at Bloxham School, and whilst winning several Oxfordshire cups at youth level with its rugby club, he started training with Wasps under-15. Career. Having already captained England under-18 team, he made his debut for the under-20 in the 2019 Six Nations game  against Scotland, scoring a try after coming on as a replacement hooker. He also made an appearance with England's youth in the World Rugby Championship later that year. Barbeary permanently entered Wasps’ Senior Academy squad for the 2019–20 season. After featuring in a Cup game with the senior team in 2018 as a substitute hooker, he spent some time in on loan with Nottingham R.F.C. during the 2019–20 RFU Championship, still being dually registered with Wasps. He made his first start with the Coventry club in the Premiership on the 9 September 2020, scoring a hat trick against Leicester , making a strong impression playing as a blindside flanker. He became only the second player to score a treble on his first Premiership debut, after former Kiwis' winger Lesley Vainikolo. Barbeary was called by Eddie Jones in the senior England team late November 2020 for the Autumn Nations Cup final. In the following December, Barbeary made his European debut with Wasps, starting as a number 8 in both fixtures against the Dragons and Montpellier. Already successful in Wales, he proved to be instrumental in the home performance against MHR, proving to be a decisive forward, breaking lines and scoring tries , but also showing his back skills with kicks, offloads and try assists, and eventually being named man of the match. He however ended the year with an ankle syndesmosis injury, only allowing him to get back on the fields in late March 2021, making the headlines as an early substitute against Newcastle Falcons, allowing his team to win the game after a come-back. Style of play. Alfie Barbeary was a centre through most of his youth career, naming Ma'a Nonu and Mathieu Bastareaud as his ultimate references. But since he entered the Wasps under-15 team he moved to the  front row, becoming a hooker both in club and national teams. Throughout his career he was also regularly used as a back row, either as a flanker or a number 8. Despite being viewed as a hooker in both England youth team and the senior one — as per Eddie Jones own sayings — it is in the back row that he first took the spotlight with Wasps. In November 2021 it was reported that he would focus on the backrow, with Jones's blessing.