Neil Back MBE is a former international rugby player, RWC & Lions Series winner, Elite coach and motivational speaker.
Born in Coventry, Back played for junior clubs Coventry, Earlsdon RFC and Barker’s Butts RFC.
Neil represented England at Schools, Colts, U21 and Saxons levels.
He began his senior playing career in 1988 for Nottingham RFC, before joining Leicester Tigers.
Neil stayed at Leicester Tigers for the entirety of his playing career, gaining 339 caps and scoring 125 tries (a club record for a forward).
He made his full England debut against Scotland in 1994. In 1997, he made his British and Irish Lions debut in South Africa.
Back subsequently became an integral part of Sir Clive Woodward’s England team, forming the famous back-row unit with Richard Hill MBE and Lawrence Dallaglio OBE.
Neil captained England on four occasions and took over the captaincy of Leicester for the 2003/4 season.
During the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Back was one of England’s outstanding players, scoring two tries in the tournament.
Back’s final appearance for England was their victory match over Australia in the World Cup Final.
He won a total of 66 England caps, scored 16 tries, 1 drop goal and played in three World Cups (1995, 1999 & 2003). He was also a team member on three British and Irish Lions tours (1997, 2001 & 2005).
Following the RWC, Neil Back’s coaching career started at Leicester Tigers, as player/defensive coach.
After 3 years of coaching at Leicester, Neil joined Leeds Carnegie as Head Coach, followed by spells at Rugby Lions and Edinburgh Rugby.
Neil Back MBE – Life after rugby…
Since retiring from rugby in 2013, Neil still remains incredibly passionate about the game that gave him so much.
Prior to playing professional rugby and coaching, he worked in the financial sector for 8 years – a position he has returned to. Neil is responsible for business development at a commercial insurance company and also a new field, visual communications/branding in the retail and construction sectors.
Furthermore, in December 2017 Neil co-founded a company specialising in wellness, exercise & nutrition programs.
After-Dinner & Motivational Speaker
A popular guest speaker, Neil can present entertaining anecdotal after-dinner speeches, as well as keynote motivational speeches.
A big part of Neil’s journey has been overcoming adversity & believing in his ability when others might not. As a motivational speaker, Neil shares his experience, helping delegates with their team-building & leadership development programmes, whilst including lots of amusing anecdotal rugby stories.
Career Stats:
Playing:
- Nottingham RFC 1988-90 38 caps | 10 tries | 40 points
- Leicester Tigers 1990-2005 339 caps | 125 tries | 615 points | 5 Premiership titles | 2 European titles
- England 1994-2003 66 caps (4 capt) | 16 tries | 1 drop goal | 83 points | Cook Cup 4 | Calcutta Cup 7 | Triple Crown 4 | Six Nations Winners 3 | Grand Slam Winners 2 | 3 RWC’s 1995, 1999 & 2003 Winners
- British & Irish Lions 1995-2005 5 caps | Series Winners SA1995 | AU2001 | NZ2005 (became the oldest Test Lion in history)
Coaching:
- Leicester Tigers 2003-2008 EDF Energy Cup & Premiership Winners 2006-07
- Leeds Carnegie 2008-2011 Championship Winners 2008-09
- Rugby Lions 2011-2012 National League Winners 2011-12
- Edinburgh Rugby 2012-2013
