William St Lawrence Webb Collier (born 5 May 1991) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a tighthead prop for Top 14 club Castres Olympique.
| Birth name | William St Lawrence Webb Collier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 5 May 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hammersmith, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 116 kg (18 st 4 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Cranleigh School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
editCollier is a front row specialist who cites his interest in the 'dark arts' (of scrummaging) inspired in part by Chris Ritchie, a veteran London Welsh RFC player and Joe Launchbury, a former England Rugby international.[1] His first club was Rosslyn Park F.C. where he began at six years old and played in their mini, youth and First XV squads.[1]
Collier joined the Harlequins academy at the age of fourteen.[2] In January 2011 he made his club debut for Quins against Wasps RFC in a 2010–11 Anglo-Welsh Cup fixture.[3]
Collier represented England U20 during the 2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and appeared as a substitute in the last round as they defeated Ireland to complete a grand slam.[4] Later that year he was a member of their squad at the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship ands came off the bench in the final which England lost against New Zealand to finish runners up.[5]
Collier was on the substitutes bench when Harlequins overcame Leicester Tigers in the 2012 Premiership final to become league champions for the first time in their history.[6] In March 2013 Collier started for the side that defeated Sale Sharks to win the Anglo-Welsh Cup.[7] He scored his debut try for Harlequins in a European Rugby Champions Cup defeat to La Rochelle in the pool stage of the 2017–18 season.[8]
Collier was included in the senior England squad for their 2017 tour of Argentina.[9] On 10 June 2017 he made his Test debut as a substitute against Argentina.[10] A week later Collier scored a try as England won the series.[11] Ultimately these were his only two caps.[2]
In the 2020–21 season, Collier was a replacement in both the Premiership semi-final victory over Bristol Bears and the final against Exeter Chiefs on 26 June 2021, as Harlequins won the game 40–38 in the highest scoring Premiership final ever.[12][13] The following year saw Collier start for an England XV side in an uncapped match against the Barbarians.[14]
In his final season at Harlequins Collier started for the side that were eliminated by Toulouse in the semi-final of the 2024 Champions Cup.[15] After more than a decade with Harlequins making 240 club appearances, Collier joined Castres Olympique for the 2024–25 season.[2]
International career
editInternational tries
edit- As of 11 December 2023[16]
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Argentina |
Santa Fe, Argentina | Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López | 2017 Tour of Argentina | 17 June 2017 | Win | 35 – 25 |
Honours
editHarlequins
England U20
- 1× Six Nations Under 20s Championship: 2011[4]
- 1× World Rugby U20 Championship runner up: 2011[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Mairs, Gavin (27 May 2017). "How Will Collier's love of the scrum's dark was inspired by an unlikely mentor". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ a b c "Harlequins prop Collier to leave club for France". BBC Sport. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Treadwell, Matthew (31 August 2017). "Harlequins prop Will Collier signs new contract". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Ford drives England to overall glory". Irish Times. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b Mole, Giles (18 January 2019). "Dan Robson joins the club: How 2011 world junior final between England and New Zealand spawned 27 Test stars". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b Jones, Adam (26 May 2012). "Harlequins 30-23 Leicester". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Brendon (17 March 2013). "LV= Cup final: Sale Sharks 14-32 Harlequins". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Henson, Mike (14 October 2017). "European Rugby Champions Cup: Harlequins 27-34 La Rochelle". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "England v Argentina: Dylan Hartley, Joe Launchbury & George Ford in squad". BBC Sport. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Standley, James (10 June 2017). "England beat Argentina thanks to Denny Solomona's late try". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Aylwin, Michael (17 June 2017). "Will Collier try seals second Test and series win for England in Argentina". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- ^ Harby, Chris (19 June 2021). "Premiership semi-final: Bristol Bears 36-43 Harlequins (AET) - Quins reach Twickenham after stunning fightback". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ a b Pilnick, Brent (26 June 2021). "Premiership final: Exeter Chiefs 38-40 Harlequins - Louis Lynagh's late double clinches title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ "Match report England vs Barbarian F.C." All.Rugby. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ Mann, Mantej (5 May 2024). "Toulouse battle past Quins to reach Champions Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Will Collier". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 7 July 2019.