Underwood
Tony Underwood was one of the finest wings of his generation. Discover more about this ex-England star’s career with RugbyPass, your resident rugby gurus.
Tony Underwood Bio
Tony Underwood was one of the finest wings of his generation. After enjoying a stellar career with Leicester Tigers and Newcastle Falcons as well as the England national side, he retired in 1999 and became a commercial airline pilot.
On 17 February 1969, Tony Underwood was born into a rugby-playing family. His older brother Rory played for both Leicester and England, while his other brother Gary represented England at U21 level.
Tony Underwood first drew the attention of domestic and international selectors playing at Barnard Castle School. As a result, throughout his distinguished domestic career, Tony Underwood represented both Leicester Tigers and Newcastle Falcons with distinction.
Thanks in part to his success with his domestic sides, Tony Underwood was capped by England 27 times between 1992 and 1998. The high point of his international career undoubtedly came in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when he scored arguably one of the finest tries of all time in the quarter final against Australia. Sadly though, in the very next game, his opposite number Jonah Lomu got the better of him, scoring four tries as New Zealand handily defeated England.
Since retiring from the game in 1999, Tony Underwood has worked as a commercial airline pilot for various airlines and has been featured on British television. He now lives in Dubai, where he works for Emirates as an Airbus A380 captain.
