Ben Cohen (rugby union)

Ben Cohen

Personal information
Full name	Ben Christopher Cohen MBE
Date of birth	(1978-09-14) 14 September 1978 (age 38)
Place of birth	Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	227 lb (103 kg; 16.2 st)
Children	3
Relatives	George Cohen
Youth clubs
Years Club Northampton Old Scouts RFC
Senior clubs*
Years Club Apps (points) 1996–2007 2007–2009 2009–2011 Northampton Brive Sale Sharks 146 (320) 16 (25) 48 (55)
Representative teams
2000–2006 England 57 (155)
* Professional club appearances and points counted for domestic first grade only.

Ben Christopher Cohen,MBE (born 14 September 1978) is a former England rugby union player and activist. He began his professional career with Northampton Saints in 1996; in 2007 he moved to France to represent Brive before returning to England two years later to join Sale Sharks. Cohen was also a member of the England national team that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup. In May 2011, Cohen retired from professional rugby, and will focus on The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation he created to combat homophobia and bullying. His main position was winger.

Cohen was born in Northampton. He was educated at Kingsthorpe Upper School. (Kingsthorpe College as known today) This was not a rugby playing school and at age 12 he first started playing with Northampton Old Scouts RFC

Regarding his background, Cohen has stated, "My family's not Jewish, but a few generations back they used to be. I think it was my great-grandfather that married a non-Jewish girl and broke with tradition."

In November 2000, Cohen's father Peter Cohen, brother of English World Cup winning football player George Cohen, was fatally injured while protecting an attack victim at the Eternity nightclub in Northampton which Peter Cohen managed. He died a month later from head injuries sustained in the assault. Three men were found guilty of violent conduct.

Cohen was married to Abby Cohen (née Blayney), with twin daughters Harriette and Isabelle (born 2008). He is clinically deaf, with about 30 to 33 percent hearing loss in each ear, and has been involved in efforts to make rugby more accessible to the hard of hearing, especially young deaf players.

During March 2011 High and Mighty, the big and tall menswear specialist, appointed Cohen as the new face of the brand for 2011.

When he was 17 he joined Northampton Saints and made his first team debut against Treorchy in the 1996/97 season, following which his name was rarely left off the team sheet. Cohen had long been linked with a move away from the club. Whilst at Northampton he started in the victorious 2000 Heineken Cup Final as they defeated Munster.

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