Ben Foden

Ben Foden is one of the finest players to ever wear a rugby shirt. Traditionally a fullback or a wing, Foden is a versatile and exciting talent who is capable of playing scintillating rugby. Although his professional career is now winding down at Rugby United New York, Ben Foden has been a giant of rugby union for almost two decades.

Born on 22 July 1985, Ben Foden took an interest in rugby at an early age. Foden began playing rugby at school and one of his former teachers remains a big influence on his career to this day. From a young age, Foden excelled and represented England at under 16, under 19 and under 21 level.

Ben Foden’s professional career began in 2004 when he joined the Sale Sharks. However, after making more than 50 appearances for the club, he left to join Northampton Saints in 2008, stating a desire to play at scrum half. However, he was unable to dislodge Lee Dickson, meaning he largely played at fullback until 2016, when he switched to the wing.

During his decade with Northampton, Ben Foden regularly made huge contributions to the side and he was pivotal to the team’s successes in both the European Rugby Challenge Cup and the Premiership. Although he left to join Rugby United New York in 2019, he made 250 appearances for Northampton and is widely viewed as a club legend.

As well as being a distinguished player at club level, Ben Foden is an established international with 34 caps for England. However, he earnt the last of these in 2013.

Off the field, Ben Foden has a passion for singing. In his early days at Sale, he was nicknamed ‘Pop Idol’ by his teammates after he missed a day of pre-season training to audition for the show. Then in 2019, he appeared on a celebrity edition of the X Factor in a band with fellow rugby players Levi Davis and Thom Evans