Jonah Holmes
Jonah Holmes (born 24 July 1992 in Stockport, England)[1] is a rugby union winger who currently plays for Dragons in the Pro14 and for Wales.
Birth name | Jonah Sherlock Holmes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 24 July 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Stockport, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft (183 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 14 st 4 lb (200 lb; 91 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Andy Holmes (uncle) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
Holmes was born in Stockport, England. He played junior rugby for London Scottish until the age of 16[2] but then left to only play with his school St Benedict's School, Ealing where he was considered a star in the making.[3]
Professional career
Holmes initially played scrum half but during a loan spell with Henley Hawks he switched to the back three playing wing and full back.[4] At the suggestion of Lyn Jones, who was his coach during a brief spell at London Welsh, he concentrated solely on the back three.[2]
In 2013 Holmes joined Leeds Carnegie, since renamed Yorkshire Carnegie, on loan from London Wasps.[5] Holmes scored six tries in his first six games for the Yorkshire side.[6] Holmes made the move permanent in the summer, as part of a swap deal with Glyn Hughes.[7] On 23 December 2013, after scoring 22 tries in 34 games, signed a new long term deal with Yorkshire.[8]
On 1 June 2017 it was announced that Holmes would join Leicester Tigers for the 2017–18 season.[9] Holmes scored 10 tries in 11 games during the 2017/18 season and provided a Man of the Match performance against Northampton Saints at Twickenham in October 2018, he was called up to the Wales squad on 16 October 2018.[10] He qualifies through his grandparents.[10] Holmes made his international debut for Wales on 17 November 2018 against Tonga at the Millennium Stadium. Holmes left Leicester at the end of the 2019–20 season, a year before his contract was due to end to join the Dragons, in Wales.[11] On 20 September 2020, Holmes made his debut against Bristol Bears in a Challenge Cup quarter final defeat.
Personal life
Holmes is the nephew of Olympic-gold medal winning rower Andy Holmes and is a graduate in Biomedical sciences from Birkbeck, University of London.[12]
References
- "Jonah Holmes". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- "20 Questions: Jonah Holmes – Yorkshire Carnegie wing". The Rugby Paper. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- "St Benedict's old boy Jonah Holmes has been named in Wales' autumn squad". chiswickherald.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- "Young Gun: Jonah Holmes – Wasps and Henley full-back". The Rugby Paper. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- "Jonah Holmes is ideal for Leeds Carnegie". Bradford Telegraph & Argus. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- "Holmes relishing his education at Leeds". 8 February 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- "Wasps swap Jonah Holmes for Yorkshire's Glyn Hughes". 26 September 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- "Future looks bright for Holmes with new deal". Yorkshire Post. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- "Tigers add duo to backline options" (Press release). Leicester Tigers. 1 June 2017.
- "Jonah Holmes: Leicester fullback included in Wales' Autumn Internationals squad". ESPN. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- "Tigers add international ahead of next season". Leicester Tigers. Leicester Football Club. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- "Championship Tales: Jonah Holmes". RFU.com. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.