Fin Baxter (born 12 February 2002) is an English professional rugby union player who plays for Premiership club Harlequins. His main position is loosehead prop but he can also play tighthead prop.[1]
| Date of birth | 12 February 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 116 kg (18 st 4 lb; 256 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Wellington College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life edit
Baxter was born in London Borough of Waltham Forest growing up in Cobham. Alongside rugby, he also grew up playing football and competing in Judo.[2] He attended Wellington College.[2]
Club career edit
In 2015 at the age of thirteen Baxter joined the Harlequins academy and in June 2020 upgraded to full-time basis as a tighthead prop.[1][2] He would later switch permanently to loosehead.[1][3] In December 2020, Baxter made his debut for the first team coming on as a replacement in a defeat against Racing 92 at the Stoop.[4]
In June 2021, Baxter won the Premiership title, with Harlequins beating Exeter Chiefs 40-38 in the highest scoring Premiership final ever. Although he did not play in the final, his appearances as part of the first team throughout the team meant he qualified as part of the squad.[5]
In December 2022, aged only 20 Baxter won Man of the Match for his performance against Racing 92 in the Champions Cup as Harlequins won the match 14-10.[6] In his post match interview, he cited the important roles club mate Joe Marler and scrum coach Adam Jones had on influencing his performance.[7]
During the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup, he beat Racing 92 again this time in at the La Défense Arena as Harlequins won 28-31 away.[8] In April 2024, he started for Harlequins as they beat Glasgow Warriors 28-24 at home in the Champions Cup Round of 16, the first time the club had ever won a knockout game in the competition. Despite the victory, he was replaced earlier than usual by Joe Marler after sustaining an injury to his arm.[9] The following week in the absence of Joe Marler, he started against Bordeaux Bègles, winning 42-41, making it only the second time the club had won in the knockout stages of the competition and the first away victory at this stage. His performance was highly praised having won multiple penalties at the scrum against international prop Ben Tameifuna.[10][11]
International career edit
In 2019 Baxter captained the England under-18 team.[2] He made his debut for the England under-20 side in the penultimate round of the 2021 Six Nations Under 20s Championship as they defeated Wales to secure the junior version of the Triple Crown.[12] He then started in the final round as England beat Italy at Cardiff Arms Park to achieve a Grand slam.[13][14] The following year saw Baxter Captain the side during the 2022 tournament.[15]
In February 2024 Baxter was called up to the England A team alongside Harlequins teammates Sam Riley, Oscar Beard and Cadan Murley and started in their victory over Portugal.[16]
Honours edit
Harlequins
England U20
- Six Nations Under 20s Championship: 2021
- U20s Grand Slam: 2021
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Fin Baxter Profile". Harlequins. Harlequins Rugby. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d Mockford, Sarah (3 November 2022). "Hotshot: Harlequins prop Fin Baxter". Rugby World. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Rees, Paul (23 December 2022). "Baxter enjoying life to the full after swapping sides". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Mairs, Gavin (20 December 2020). "Racing 92 put on a masterclass to thrash dismal Harlequins". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Pilnick, Brent (26 June 2021). "Premiership final: Exeter Chiefs 38-40 Harlequins". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ Morgan, Charlie (18 December 2022). "Fin Baxter impresses England scrum coach as Harlequins hang on over Racing 92". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Dylan, James. "20-year-old player's interview captures hearts of rugby fans as he thanks Adam Jones". Wales Online. Wales Online. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "Racing 92 28-31 Harlequins: Marcus Smith steers Quins to superb Investec Champions Cup win in Paris". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Harlequins edge Glasgow in thriller to reach Champions Cup quarter-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ Barnes, Stuart. "Fin Baxter is talent that England can build World Cup squad around". The Times. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ "Investec Champions Cup: Bordeaux 41-42 Harlequins - Quins win thriller to reach semi-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Orders, Mark (7 July 2021). "Wales U20s 3-45 England U20s: Welsh youngsters suffer seven-try hammering as visitors complete Triple Crown". Wales Online. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Jack van Poortvliet wins 2021 Six Nations Under-20s Player of the Championship". Six Nations. Six Nations. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "England Under-20s 27-17 Italy Under-20s: England win Grand Slam in Cardiff". BBC Sport. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "Under-20 Six Nations: England U20s 43-14 Wales U20s". BBC Sport. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "England A vs Portugal: Charlie Ewels to captain England A's first match since 2016". BBC Sport. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.