James Pritchard

Infobox Rugby biography
name = James Pritchard


caption =
birthname = James Gordon Pritchard
nickname = Skippy
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1979|07|21
placeofbirth = Flagicon|Australia Parkes, New South Wales, Australia
height = height|m=1.75
weight = convert|85|kg|lb|abbr=on|lk=on|
ru_position = Fullback, Center, Wing
ru_amateuryears = 1999 - 2006
2004
ru_amateurclubs = Flagicon|Australia Randwick Rugby
Flagicon|Australia Australian Barbarians
ru_amupdate =
ru_nationalteam = Flagicon|Canada Canada
ru_nationalyears = 2003 -
ru_nationalcaps = 19
ru_nationalpoints = (187)
ru_ntupdate = November 9, 2007
ru_clubyears = 2001 - 2003
2004 - 2005
2005
2006
2006 -
ru_proclubs = Flagicon|England Bedford Blues
Flagicon|England Plymouth Albion
Flagicon|France Perpignan
Flagicon|England Northampton Saints
Flagicon|England Bedford Blues
ru_clubcaps =
ru_clubpoints =
ru_clubupdate =
super14 =
super14years =
super14caps =
super14points =
ru_currentclub = Bedford Blues
super14update =
ru_province =
ru_provinceyears =
ru_provincecaps =
ru_provincepoints =
ru_provinceupdate =
rl_amateuryears = 1996 - 97
rl_amateurclubs = Parkes Spacemen
rl_amupdate =
rl_clubyears = 1998
rl_proclubs = Parramatta Eels
rl_clubcaps =
rl_clubpoints =
rl_clubupdate =

James Pritchard (born 21 July 1979 in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian - Canadian Rugby Union player, who currently plays his club rugby in the UK for the Bedford Blues, and internationally for nrut|Canada. He plays as a fullback.

Pritchard started in Rugby League as a youngster at the age of 13 and eventually went on to play for the Australian side the Parramatta Eels at the U/19 level when he left school, before converting to Rugby Union and joining the Randwick District Rugby Union Club and winning the Citibank/Mastercard Cup with them in 2000. In his first year of First grade with the club he also picked up the Ron Don Trophy for Most Improved as well as being runner-up in the Sydney Morning Herald Rookie of The Year Awards. He also finished the top pointscorer in the competition with 183 points from just 10 games.

He then made the move to the UK in 2001 to pursue a rugby career with the Bedford Blues in Englands National Division One competition. In his second year with the club he set a new National Division One record with 374 points and also picked up the clubs Player Of The Year honours.

With a grandfather from Ruthilda, Saskatchewan, Pritchard came to Canada to play for the Rugby Canada Super League side the Prairie Fire in 2003, to pursue a Rugby World Cup place with Canada. Pritchard made his debut a few months later for Canada in a match against the New Zealand Maori, and later that year was selected for the 2003 World Cup, where he scored conversions against nrut|Wales and nrut|Tonga.

Recalled for Canada in 2006, Pritchard set a new Canadian scoring record of 29 points in the game against Barbados. He then surpassed that against the USA, in Canada’s RWC qualifying game in Newfoundland in August 2006, with 36 points from three tries, three penalties and six conversions.

Pritchard was also selected for the Canadian squad for the 2007 World Cup, and was Canada's main kicker for the tournament, in which he played in all four of Canada's pool games against nrut|Wales, nrut|Fiji, nrut|Japan and nrut|Australia.

James actually wrote this page himself. He has also set up a Fan Group on Facebook dedicated to himself. He's crazy like that !

References

* [http://www.scrum.com/1200_1205.php?player=8095&includeref=dynamic scrum.com stats]
* [http://www.rugbycanada.ca/index.php?lang=en&page_id=112 rugbycanada profile]

External links

* [http://www.rftguk.co.uk/content/view/254/ James Pritchard at Rugby For The Girls.com]