England prop, 2003 World Cup winner, and the Raging Bull of Bude
RugbyPhil Vickery was a Cornish farmer's son who became one of the most respected tightheads the northern hemisphere has produced, and along the way he helped England win a Rugby World Cup.
Born in Barnstaple in 1976 and raised on a farm near Bude, Vickery made his Gloucester debut at 18 and his England debut at 22. He was the cornerstone of the scrum that went to Australia in 2003 and came home with the Webb Ellis Cup, anchoring the set-piece that gave Jonny Wilkinson the platform to win the final. He captained England at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, leading the side all the way to the final, and toured twice with the British and Irish Lions, in 2001 and 2009.
Injuries, particularly a persistent neck problem, shortened his career more than it should have. He retired in 2010 and moved into coaching, business, and broadcast work. He has also carved out an unlikely second career in food and television, including a MasterChef win in 2011 that surprised no one who had ever shared a dinner table with him.
At Steam his talks blend the scrum, the Cornish farm, the two World Cup campaigns, and the unexpected cookery. He is warm, properly funny, and completely unpretentious. Corporate audiences warm to him inside ninety seconds.
Two decades of world class speakers in the basement at EC3. Want to book Phil Vickery or someone like them? Tell us what you need and we will come back with a plan.
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