 Robson playing forWasps in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Daniel John Robson[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1992-03-14)14 March 1992 (age 33) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Stoke-on-Trent, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 82 kg (12 st 13 lb; 181 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Newcastle-under-Lyme School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dan Robson (born 14 March 1992) is an English professionalrugby union player forPau in the FrenchTop 14.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent,[1] Robson attendedNewcastle-under-Lyme School.[2] His father was also a rugby player forMoseley and was on the bench in five different games forEngland without winning acap.[3]
Since the age of about 18 years old he has had the nickname of 'Dobby', named after the character in theHarry Potter film series. He was given this during his time playing forGloucester Rugby and acquired this during the 'Milk Challenge'. The milk challenge is an initiation for new signings and graduates from the player academy and involves drinking 8 pinks of milk in 20 minutes. Whilst undertaking this challenge, he vomited and apparently "looked like Dobby the house elf". On his move toWasps Rugby he thought that he had 'gotten away with' no longer being called this as some of his new teammates did not know him by this name. However he feels that it was probablyJames Haskell who was responsible for the persistence of the nickname. He states that he has since "embraced" this and considers it "part of me".[4]
Robson first played rugby for his local club Stoke-on-Trent RUFC as a five-year-old and later had a season of men's rugby atLongton Rugby Club.[5] He began his senior career withGloucester in 2010[6] and in April 2013 it was announced that he had signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the club until the end of the 2014–15 season.[7] In his final season at the club Robson was on the bench for Gloucester as they defeatedEdinburgh in the final of theEuropean Rugby Challenge Cup.[8]
On 8 January 2015 it was announced that Robson would leave Gloucester at the end of the season to joinWasps on a long-term deal.[6] Robson started for the Wasps side that lost toExeter Chiefs in thePremiership finals of 2017[9] and 2019.[10]
Wasps entered administration on 17 October 2022 and Robson was made redundant along with all other players and coaching staff.[11] Following his release from Wasps, Robson signed for French sidePau in theTop 14 for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.[12]
Robson was a member of theEngland under-20 team that achieved a grand slam in the2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship[13][14] and later that year was part of the squad that finished runners up toNew Zealand at the2011 IRB Junior World Championship.[15][6] The following year saw Robson score a try againstIreland in the2012 Six Nations Under 20s Championship as England retained their title[16] and he was also a member of the squad that finished seventh at the2012 IRB Junior World Championship.[17]
On 31 January 2014, Robson made his debut forEngland Saxons when they drew 16–16 againstScotland A in an international friendly.[18] Robson was selected for the England squad to face theBarbarians in the summer of 2014[19] and on 1 June 2014 Robson made his debut for England in a non-cap friendly, losing to the Barbarians 39–29 atTwickenham Stadium.[20] In June 2016 Robson scored a try for theEngland Saxons as they defeatedSouth Africa A atFree State Stadium.[21]
Robson was called up to the seniorEngland squad by coachEddie Jones on 1 August 2016 for a pre-season training squad.[22] On 30 September 2016 he was subsequently named in the Test squad for the Autumn Internationals, however he remained an unused substitute.[23] On 10 February 2019, Robson made his internationaltest debut as a replacement forBen Youngs againstFrance in the2019 Six Nations Championship[24] and later during the tournament he also scored his first try in a game againstItaly.[25]
In November 2020 Robson scored another try againstGeorgia in their opening game of theAutumn Nations Cup[26] and also came off the bench in the final of the competition as England defeated France in extra-time to win the tournament.[27]
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Italy | London,England | Twickenham Stadium | 2019 Six Nations | 9 March 2019 | Win | 57 – 14[25] |
| 2 |  Georgia | London,England | Twickenham Stadium | Autumn Nations Cup | 14 November 2020 | Win | 40 – 0[26] |