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Josh Canham
Australian rugby union player From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Josh Canham (born 1 February 2001) is an Australian rugby union player who plays for the Reds in Super Rugby. His playing position is lock in the forward-line. He was named in the Rebels wider training squad for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.[4] He made his Rebels debut in Round 3 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season against the Drua.[5] Canham has been labelled the "biggest success storiy of the Victorian Rugby system",[1] having played all his junior rugby in the state of Victoria before making his professional debut for the Victorian-based Melbourne Rebels.[1]
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Background and early career
Canham was born in Peoria, in the Midwestern American state of Illinois, in 2001.[1][2] He began his junior rugby career with the Harlequin Rugby Club in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.[1][2] Canham was educated at Brighton Grammar School, and was in the school's First XV for 2018 and was the schools First XV vice-captain in 2019.[6]
Career
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In mid-2020, Canham moved to Sydney to play for Eastwood in Sydney's Shute Shield club competition.[7] After arriving on 18 July 2020 Canham underwent two weeks of self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic before he began training.[7] In 2020 Canham had played for Eastwood's lower grades,[8] before getting promoted to the senior team for 2021, with head coach Ben Batger stating in an interview, "I've got a few really good, young locks I'm quite excited about that played lower grades last year. Charlie Cale, Jack Lafolafo and Josh Canham are all 198 centimetres – so they'll be playing Super Rugby next year as there's no locks anywhere! But it's good to have some height coming through."[8] Canham was called up in March to the first of two Australia U20 (Junior Wallabies) training camps for 2021, which took place on the Gold Coast, Queensland in preparation for the 2021 Oceania Rugby U20 Championship.[9] Canham eventually made two appearances for Eastwood[10] in the shortened Shute Shield season and was called-up to the second Australia U20 camp in May.[11] In June 2021, Canham was named in the Australia U20 squad ahead of the 2021 Oceania Rugby U20 Championship.[12] The team was based in the Gold Coast, Queensland until the start of the tournament in July, however the 2021 Oceania Rugby U20 Championship was subsequently cancelled due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] Instead of returning to Sydney, where lockdown restrictions were in place, Canham chose to remain on the Gold Coast, receiving a release from Eastwood to join the local side: Bond University.[14] Canham began playing for Bond University in July 2021, and made a total of three appearances for the club in Queensland's Hospital Cup competition.[15][16][17]
Super Rugby
Rebels
In February 2022 Canham was named in the Melbourne Rebels' wider training squad ahead of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season, having come through as an Academy product.[4] He played ten games for the Rebels in his breakout season, starting in six games and scoring a try in Round 12 against the Blues in a 71–28 defeat.[18][19] Originally being deployed as a loosehead lock, Canham made one substitution in the back row in 2022.[18][20] In 2023, Canham transitioned once again — this time to the tighthead lock position — where he started in nine of his ten appearances for the Rebels.[18]
Following consistent performances across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Canham featured in fifteen matches for the Rebels in 2024,[18] including a quarter-final knockout against the Hurricanes,[21] before receiving a call-up to the Wallabies squad.[22] In June 2024, The Sydney Morning Herald described Canham as 'terrific' and noted that his lineout work had reached the 'next level'.[23] This was, however, the final season for the Rebels. They were cut from the Super Rugby competition at the conclusion of the 2024 campaign.[24][25]
Reds
At the conclusion of the 2024 season, Canham was announced by the Queensland Reds as a new signing.[26][27] Canham signed a two-year deal with the Reds, and was joined by five former Rebels teammates (2025 Queensland Reds season § Transfers).
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International career
Being born in the United States, Canham was eligible to represent the United States or Australia at international level.
Canham began his international career in 2021 after being called-up to the Junior Wallabies camps for the 2021 Oceania Rugby U20 Championship.[9][11][12] Canham was not called-up at international level again until August 2024 for Australia's two-test tour of Argentina in the 2024 Rugby Championship.[22] Canham made his international debut for Australia on 7 September 2024, coming on as a substitute in the 66th minute for Nick Frost.[28] Australia lost 67–27 in Santa Fe.[29] Two months later, in November 2024, Canham represented Australia A on their Spring tour. Canham started at tighthead lock, however Australia A lost 17–38 against the England Saxons in Twickenham Stoop, London.[30][31]
Statistics
- As of 3 June 2023[32]
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References
External links
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