Philip John Vickery MBE (born 14 March 1976) is an English rugby union footballer who plays prop for Wasps and England, and was part of the England side that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these... March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... A rugby union team is made up of 15 players: eight forwards, numbered from 1 to 8; and seven backs, numbered from 9 to 15. ... London Wasps is an English rugby union team. ... England Rugby is the name of the English national rugby union team. ... The 2003 Rugby Union World Cup was the fifth world cup in rugby history. ...

The son of a farmer, Vickery was born in Barnstaple, Devon. Working on his father's cattle farm, he developed strength and became qualified as an artificial inseminator. He is 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) and weighs 18 st 5 lb (117 kg). Arms of Barnstaple Town Council Barnstaple Clock Tower, erected in 1862 as a memorial to Prince Albert (the husband of Queen Victoria) A view of Barnstaple Long Bridge Location within the British Isles Barnstaple is a town in the county of Devon in the South West of England. ... The inner harbour, Brixham, south Devon, at low tide Devon is a large county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Artificial insemination (AI) is when sperm is placed into a females vagina, uterus or fallopian tubes using artificial means rather than by sexual intercourse. ...

He started with the Cornish club Bude, then moved to Redruth, from where he first appeared in an England Colts side. He graduated to Gloucester, where he became known as "The Raging Bull". Gloucester RFC is an English rugby union team which plays in the Zurich Premiership. ...

He made his England debut against Wales aged 21 on 21 February 1998, replacing Darren Garforth. It was the completion of a rapid rise to prominence after only 34 first team games for his club and just 81 days after his England A debut. February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Darren Garforth (born 9 April 1966) is a former international rugby union footballer who played tighthead prop for Leicester Tigers and England. ...

He recovered from a neck injury in April 1999 and played in that year’s Rugby World Cup. A shoulder injury however kept him out of the 2000 South Africa tour. Vickery toured Australia with the British and Irish Lions in 2001 and played in all three tests. The official 2005 Lions logo The British and Irish Lions (formerly British Isles and then the British Lions; commonly the Lions) is a Rugby Union side comprising a pick of the best players from the British Isles international teams - ( England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales). ...

Vickery was appointed captain of the England squad that toured Argentina in 2002. With many of the top players rested, Vickery led his side to victory against The Pumas in Buenos Aires. The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed los Pumas, is currently the top rugby union team in the Americas. ... Buenos Aires (English: Fair Winds, originally Ciudad de la Santísima Trinidad y Puerto de Santa María de los Buenos Aires, City of the Holy Trinity and Port of Saint Mary of the Fair Winds) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as...

Vickery missed the 2003 Six Nations tournament because of a back injury. but having returned to the team was a rock for England on the road to 2003 World Cup success. He played in all seven games in the tournament and captained the side against Uruguay. He scored his first try in international rugby union when he came off the bench against Samoa in England’s third game of the 2003 World Cup.

He was forced to miss the entire 2002-03 6 Nations Championship after sustaining a back injury in training that needed an operation. A rib injury prevented him from captaining the non capped match against the New Zealand Barbarians in December 2003. Although he took a full part in the 2004 6 Nations, another back operation in May ruled him out of the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia. He returned to rugby union only in late October 2004. The New Zealand Barbarians, nicknamed the Little Baa-Baas, are an invitational rugby union team. ...

In April 2006 he announced he was quitting Gloucester after an 11 year association with the cherry and whites and sign for Wasps in a 3 year deal. Gloucester RFC is an English rugby union team which plays in the Zurich Premiership. ... London Wasps is an English rugby union team. ...

External links

• Planet-rugby
• sporting heroes 1
• sporting heroes 2