Emeka Ilione
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| Birth name | Remigius Chukwuemeka Ilione | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 20 March 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mansfield, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 112 kg (247 lb; 17 st 9 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Nottingham High School Rugby School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Nottingham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Remigius Chukwuemeka Ilione, commonly known as Emeka (born 20 March 2002),[1] is an English professional rugby union player for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby, his preferred position is back row.[2]
Career
Ilione was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and attended Nottingham High School where he took up rugby at age 11,[3] before attending Rugby School where he was head boy.[4] He joined Leicester Tigers academy at under 13s.[3] In 2021 his potential was highlighted by Maro Itoje naming him in a theoretical British-Nigerians XV.[5]
In August 2019 Ilione scored a try for England under-18 in a defeat against South Africa.[6] He was a member of the squad that won the 2021 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and started in the fixture against Scotland.[5][7] The following year saw him score tries against Wales and Ireland during the 2022 U20 tournament.[8][9]
Ilione was offered a professional contract with Leicester in the summer of 2022,[10] making his club debut on 29 March 2022 in a Premiership Rugby Cup match against London Irish at Welford Road. He made his Premiership league debut- on 7 January 2023 as a 79th minute replacement against Newcastle Falcons, and a week later made his European Rugby Champions Cup debut on 13 January 2023 in a win at ASM Clermont Auvergne.[11]
Ilione balances his professional rugby career with studying medicine at the University of Nottingham.[12]
In May 2025 Ilione was called up to a training camp for the senior England squad by Steve Borthwick.[13] Ilione scored a 75th minute try in the 2025 Premiership Final to bring Leicester within 4 points, the subsequent conversion was the last score in Tigers 23–21 defeat.[14]
References
- ^ "Emeka Ilione profile". ItsRugby. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Emeka Ilione Leicester Tigers profile". Leicester Tigers. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ a b Mockford, Sarah (1 September 2020). "Hotshot: Leicester back-row Emeka Ilione". Rugby World. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ Savage, Angus. "This is the best schoolboy rugby XV in the World in 2020 - NextGenXV". RugbyPass. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ a b Morgan, Charlie (25 June 2021). "Four new faces of English rugby: A medical student, the son of an All Black, a code-hopping prop and Ben Youngs' understudy". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Tigers' England captain scores in final U18s match". Leicester Tigers. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ Barnes, David (25 June 2021). "England U20 31-12 Scotland U20". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "Under-20 Six Nations: England U20s 43-14 Wales U20s". BBC Sport. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ O'Sullivan, John (12 March 2022). "Ireland now one step from Under-20 Grand Slam after memorable win over England". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "Graham Rowntree's son among six academy players to move up the ranks at Leicester". RugbyPass. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Champions Cup: Handre Pollard starts at fly-half with Freddie Steward on the wing for injury-hit Leicester Tigers". Planet Rugby. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Leicester Tigers: Emeka Ilione 'passionate' about combining rugby with medical degree". BBC Sport. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Fit-again Feyi-Waboso named in England training camp". BBC. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Calvert, Lee (14 June 2025). "Bath hold off Leicester to win Premiership title after 23-21 victory – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2025.