Tarek Haffar (born 13 September 2001) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a loose-head prop for Premiership Rugby club Northampton Saints.
| Date of birth | 13 September 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Chelsea, London, England[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (18 st 2 lb; 254 lb)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Gunnersbury Boys' School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early life
editHaffar was born in West London to parents from Ghana and Lebanon.[3] He played much of his junior rugby as a back row forward before moving to loose-head prop in the front row.[4]
Haffar attended Gunnersbury Boys' School in Brentford, and played for club side Grasshoppers RFC. He joined the London Irish Academy set-up at the age of fourteen.[5]
Club career
editHaffar made his debut for London Irish against Harlequins in September 2022 and went on to make ten appearances in total during the 2022-23 season.[6][7] He scored his first try in the Premiership against Sale Sharks in March 2023.[8] A week later he was a second-half substitute as they lost to Exeter Chiefs after extra time in the final of the Premiership Rugby Cup.[9]
In the summer of 2023 London Irish encountered financial issues and it was announced that Haffar had joined Northampton Saints.[7][10] He made his debut for Northampton in the European Champions Cup against Glasgow Warriors in December 2023.[11]
International career
editIn August 2019 Haffar represented England under-18.[3] He was a member of the England U20 squad which completed a junior grand slam during the 2021 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[12][13] In February 2024 Haffar played for the England A side against Portugal.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Tarek Haffar". Northamptonsaints. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Tarek Haffar". All.Rugby. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ a b Harvey, Neale (31 March 2020). "Young Guns: London Irish prop Tarek Haffar". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Westerby, John (3 November 2023). "Prop idols: Meet the youngsters who can rebuild England's scrum". The Times. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ Vickers, Tom (14 June 2023). "Dowson finally gets his man as talented young prop Haffar signs for Saints". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Match report: Harlequins 26, London Irish 30". London Irish. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ a b Sansom, Tom (15 June 2023). ""England U20s Star" – Northampton Sign Another London Irish Player Following Exiles Collapse". Ruck. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Premiership: London Irish 36-18 Sale: Exiles stun Sharks to continue good form". BBC Sport. 12 March 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ Pilnick, Brent (19 March 2023). "Premiership Rugby Cup: London Irish 20-24 Exeter Chiefs (AET)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Vickers, Tom (14 June 2023). "Saints 'building up to something big', says new signing Haffar". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ Heagney, Liam (17 December 2023). "Where are they now? The last London Irish team before its collapse". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ "England U20 men announce team to fact Italy". England Rugby. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "England Under-20s 27-17 Italy Under-20s: England win Grand Slam in Cardiff". BBC Sport. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ "England A vs Portugal: Charlie Ewels to captain England A's first match since 2016". BBC Sport. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.