| Birth name | Joshua Weru | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 16 st 3 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Loughborough University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Josh Weru is an international rugby union player, who plays for the Kenyan National Team as a Number 8. He plays for Dax in the Pro D2.[1]
Career
At 14 years old, Weru joined the Northampton Saints Academy.
On the 3 August 2022, Josh Weru signed a professional contract with Northampton Saints after graduating from their Under-18 set up. His main strength was his ball carrying ability with academy coach, Will Parkin saying: “His ball-carrying ability is amongst the very best we’ve seen at Under-18s level”.[2]
Unfortunately, late in 2022 he lost his contract with Northampton, before he managed to debut for the senior team, due to his aspirations to play for the Kenyan National Team.[3] Under the RFU’s eligibility criteria, to secure a working visa to play professional rugby, a player from a Tier 3 nation (such as Kenya) has to have a minimum of 10 international Test caps, of which three must be played during the previous 24 months.[4]
For the 2023/24 season Weru joined French Pro D2 side US Dax.[5]
International career
In 2020 at only 16 years old Weru was called up to the Kenya U20s squad by Simbas head coach Paul Odera.[6]
In 2022 Weru was called up to Kenyan National Team[7] for the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final Qualification Tournament, where he scored on debut. Coming of the bench to run a 60 metre try in Kenyas 68-14 loss to the USA.[8] Weru earned 2 more caps in the remaining matches in the tournament, against Portugal (in which he started at Number 8) and Hong Kong.[1]
International tries
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
Dubai, UAE | The Sevens Stadium | 2023 Rugby World Cup Repechage | 6 November 2022 | Loss | 68-14 |
References
- 1 2 "Josh WERU profile and stats". all.rugby. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ↑ "Saints sign Weru into Senior Academy set-up". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ↑ "News // Weru departs Northampton Saints". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ↑ "Weru situation explained after young forwards departure from saints sparks social media questions". Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
- ↑ "Rugby transfers for Dax for 2023/2024". all.rugby. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ↑ "Highly rated Kenyan youngster Joshua Weru loses pro-rugby contract with English side Northampton Saints | MozzartSportKe". www.mozzartsport.co.ke. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ↑ "Wamalwa, Weru called to Simbas squad for World Cup repechage".
- ↑ Rugby, Asia (10 November 2022). "Final Qualification Tournament players we'd love to see at Rugby World Cup 2023". Asia Rugby. Retrieved 21 January 2023.