Kieran Brookes
Birth nameKieran Brookes[1]
Birth date29 August 1990 (age 36)[2]
Birth placeStoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England[2]
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Weight129 kg (20 st 4 lb)[2]
SchoolLytham St Annes High School[3]
Kirkham Grammar School[3]
Amatyears 11999–2009
Amatteam 1Fylde
Years 12008–2009
Clubs 1Fylde
Apps 18
Points 15
Years 22009–2011
Clubs 2Newcastle Falcons
Apps 241
Points 20
Years 32009–2010
Clubs 3→ Tynedale
Apps 35
Points 310
Years 42011–2013
Clubs 4Leicester Tigers
Apps 46
Points 40
Years 52012–2013
Clubs 5→ Loughborough Students
Apps 53
Points 55
Years 62012–2013
Clubs 6→ Doncaster Knights
Apps 64
Points 60
Years 72013–2015
Clubs 7Newcastle Falcons
Apps 743
Points 70
Years 82015–2018
Clubs 8Northampton Saints
Apps 874
Points 80
Years 92018–2021
Clubs 9Wasps
Apps 955
Points 95
Years 102021–2024
Clubs 10Toulon
Apps 1070
Points 105
Years 112024–
Clubs 11Perpignan
Apps 1128
Points 110
Clubupdate10 January 2021
Repyears 12010
Repteam 1England U20
Repcaps 11
Reppoints 10
Repteam 2England Saxons
Repyears 22011
Repcaps 22
Reppoints 210
Repyears 32014–2016
Repcaps 316
Reppoints 30
Repupdate10 March 2017

Kieran Brookes (born 29 August 1990) is an English rugby union player who plays for Perpignan and played for England. He usually plays as a tighthead prop, but can also cover as a loosehead prop. He was educated at Kirkham Grammar School.[4]

Club career

Brookes made almost 40 senior appearances for Newcastle but only started 1 game in the 2009–2010 season.[5]

Brookes moved to Leicester Tigers for the 2011–12 season.[6]

Having returned to the Newcastle Falcons on loan from Leicester Tigers in March 2013, he signed a two-year contract to stay with the Falcons in April 2013.[7]

On 13 January 2015, it was announced that Brookes would be joining Northampton Saints at the end of the 2014–15 season.[8]

Brookes became a regular starter for the East Midlands side and racked up numerous appearances at his time at Saints.

The prop helped Saints to secure European Champions Cup rugby for the 2017/18 season, featuring in both play-off games as Saints beat Connacht Rugby and Stade Francais to seal the last spot in the top tier of European rugby for the following season.[9][10]

On 13 June 2018, Brookes signed for Premiership rivals Wasps from the 2018–19 season.[11]

On 9 June 2021, it was widely confirmed that Brookes would leave Wasps at the end of the season to join top French side Toulon in the Top 14 competition ahead of the 2021–22 season.[12] On 19 January 2024, Brookes would sign a two-year deal for French rivals Perpignan from the 2024–25 season.[13]

International career

Although born in England, Brookes played at many underage levels for , including U-18, U-19 and U-20.[14]

Brookes has committed himself to the rugby team, playing for England in an uncapped match against the Barbarians and for the England Saxons in their successful Churchill Cup campaign in the summer of 2011. In May 2014 he was called up to England's training squad for the tour of New Zealand, where he earned himself his first two caps for his country.[15]

Since making his senior debut for England in that tour, Brookes has taken to the field for England 16 times. He was a member of the 2015 Rugby World Cup squad and was included in the squad for the 2016 Six Nations and after joining the squad on 1 February, coming back from an injury, helped his country to a Grand Slam victory.[16][17]

The summer of 2016 saw Brookes become part of the England Saxons squad once more where he travelled to South Africa to face South Africa 'A' where the men in white secured a 2–0 series win.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Kieran Brookes". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Kieran Brookes". Newcastle Falcons. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Kieran Brookes". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Kieran Brookes - Official RFU England Profile". 2014-07-12. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  5. ^ "James Hall joins Newcastle Falcons | Rugby | Stoke and Staffordshire sport". This is Staffordshire. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  6. ^ "Rugby Union News". Planet Rugby. 2011-06-09. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  7. ^ "Error404 - Newcastle Falcons"
  8. ^ "Saints to sign England prop Brookes". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  9. ^ "16/17 Northampton Saints v Connacht | European Cup". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  10. ^ "16/17 Northampton Saints v Stade Francais | European Cup". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  11. ^ "Kieran Brookes: Wasps sign Northampton Saints tight-head prop". BBC Sport. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Kieran Brookes' Toulon switch confirmed by Wasps legend". Coventry Telegraph. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Transferts : Kieran Brookes deux ans à Perpignan (Rugby)" (in French). L'Équipe. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
  14. ^ Thornley, Gerry. "Leicester prop in Ireland frame". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  15. ^ "RFU". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 2021-09-13.[dead link]
  16. ^ world.rugby. "Burgess and Slade get the nod for England | Rugby World Cup". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  17. ^ "Prop Brookes back in England squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  18. ^ "Guinness Six Nations Rugby News". Six Nations Rugby. Retrieved 2021-09-13.