 Thorley playing for Gloucester, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Oliver Andromeda Thorley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1996-09-11)11 September 1996 (age 28) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | London,United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 99 kg (15 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Cheltenham College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Martin Britt(uncle) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ollie Thorley (born 11 September 1996) is anEnglishrugby union player who plays forGloucester in thePremiership Rugby.
Thorley made his professional debut at age 17, becoming the youngest player to play for Gloucester in the professional era when he played the full 80 minutes, partnered with World Cup winnerMike Tindall in anAnglo-Welsh Cup match againstNorthampton Saints in November 2013.[1]Ollie became the club's youngest first team try scorer when he crossed against Ospreys in March 2015 in theAnglo-Welsh Cup and he marked his debut in the Aviva Premiership, from off the bench, with the game's only try against theExeter Chiefs in April 2016.[2][3]
In November 2017, he was awarded Try of the week for his week 8 try againstSaracens.[4]
Following a spate of tries and Man of the Match presentations, Thorley was awarded the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Player of the Month for November 2018.[5]
Ollie won the RPA Young Player of the Year Award for the 2018/2019 season and the Premiership Rugby Try of the Season Award.[6]
In the 2019/2020 season, Ollie Thorley was named the Gallagher Premiership top try scorer with a total of 11 tries. This was also the most number of tries scored by a Gloucester player in a Premiership season. In the same season Ollie Thorley also became one of only 3 players to have scored four first-half tries in a Gallagher Premiership game as Gloucester beat Leicester 46–30 at Kingsholm.[7]
Thorley was selected for theEngland U18s for the summer tour inSouth Africa after winning theFIRA/AER European Championship in April 2016 beatingIreland 30–14 in Poland.[8]
He was also selected for theEngland U20s, winning every cap and part of winning the2016 IRB Junior World Championship defeating Ireland 45–19 atCity of Manchester Stadium inManchester[9]
Thorley was selected for the Senior England squad for the first time when Eddie Jones announced his 2019 Six Nations squad after a string of impressive performances for his club, Gloucester.[10] He was called up again for the2020 Six Nations Championship.[11]
On 31 October 2020 he made his England debut from the bench in England's delayed final Six Nations match against Italy, to become the 2020 Six Nations champions.[12]
Thorley attendedSt Paul's Cathedral School until the age of seven, whereupon his family moved out of London and to theCotswolds. He then attendedCheltenham College Junior School andCheltenham College, respectively - the latter of which he was Deputy Head Boy. He captained the CC 1st XV in Upper Sixth, and the Athletics Team.
Upon moving to theCotswolds, Thorley also played club rugby forStow on the Wold RFC before being spotted as a rising star.
Thorley is the great nephew ofMartin Britt, a former football player who played as a striker forWest Ham United andBlackburn Rovers from 1961 to 1968. His aunt is the TV presenter and modelEku Edewor.