Josh Charnley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Josh Charnley

Personal information
Full name	Joshua Charnley
Born	(1991-06-26) 26 June 1991 (age 34) Chorley, Lancashire, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	16 st 3 lb (103 kg)
Playing information
Rugby league
Position	Wing, Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2010–16 Wigan Warriors 172 164 103 0 862 2010(loan) → Blackpool Panthers 3 5 10 0 40 2010(loan) → Hull Kingston Rovers 5 5 0 0 20 2018–22 Warrington Wolves 108 69 0 0 276 2022– Leigh Leopards 54 46 0 0 184 Total 342 289 113 0 1382 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2011 England Knights 1 2 4 0 16 2012–14 England 8 9 0 0 36
Rugby union
Position	Centre, Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2016–18 Sale Sharks 32 4 0 0 20
As of 26 August 2023

Joshua Charnley (born 26 June 1991) is an English professional rugby league player. He plays as a winger for the Leigh Leopards in the Super League.

Josh has had a very successful career. He won the Super League Grand Final twice with the Wigan Warriors in 2013 and 2016. He also won the Challenge Cup three times with Wigan and once with the Warrington Wolves. More recently, he won the Challenge Cup again with the Leigh Leopards in 2023.

He also played rugby union for the Sale Sharks for a short time. Josh has represented England at an international level.

Early Life and Start in Rugby

Josh Charnley was born in Chorley, Lancashire, England, on 26 June 1991. He started playing rugby at a young age.

He first played for local teams like Chorley Panthers. Later, he joined Wigan St Patricks, which helped him get noticed by the Super League club, Wigan Warriors.

Club Career Highlights

Early Opportunities and Debut

In 2010, Josh played many games for the Wigan Warriors' Under 20s team. He then joined Blackpool Panthers and Hull Kingston Rovers on loan. This gave him a chance to play in the first team.

He made his Super League debut for Hull Kingston Rovers. Josh showed great skill in his first game against Leeds Rhinos. He scored five tries in just five games, including three tries in one match against Castleford Tigers.

Time with Wigan Warriors

Josh made his first team debut for Wigan in August 2010. He scored a try in that game.

He played a key role in Wigan's success. In 2011, he helped Wigan win the 2011 Challenge Cup Final against Leeds Rhinos at Wembley Stadium. He even scored the first try in that final.

Charnley playing for Wigan in 2011

In the 2012 Super League season, Josh scored an amazing 31 tries. This helped Wigan win the League Leaders' Shield. He was one of the top try-scorers in the league's history for a regular season.

The 2013 season was even better for Josh. He helped Wigan win both the Challenge Cup and the Super League Grand Final. He scored a record-breaking 43 tries that season. He played in the 2013 Challenge Cup Final win over Hull F.C. and the 2013 Super League Grand Final win over the Warrington Wolves.

In 2014, Josh scored two tries in the 2014 World Club Challenge. He also scored five tries in one game against Widnes Vikings. Even with an injury, he scored 23 tries in 21 games that year.

He played in the 2014 Super League Grand Final, but Wigan lost that game. In 2016, Josh helped Wigan win the 2016 Super League Grand Final against Warrington. He scored the winning try in that exciting match.

Switch to Rugby Union

In 2016, Josh decided to try a different sport. He moved to rugby union and joined the Sale Sharks. They play in the Aviva Premiership.

He played 32 games for Sale Sharks, scoring four tries. After two seasons, he decided to return to rugby league.

Return to Rugby League with Warrington Wolves

In 2018, Josh came back to Super League and joined the Warrington Wolves. He played in two big finals that year: the 2018 Challenge Cup Final and the 2018 Super League Grand Final. Warrington lost both of these matches.

However, in 2019, Josh helped the Wolves win the 2019 Challenge Cup Final against St. Helens at Wembley Stadium.

Playing for Leigh Leopards

In June 2022, Josh joined the Leigh Leopards. He first joined on a loan deal, and then signed a permanent contract for 2023. He quickly made an impact, scoring a try in his debut game.

In 2023, Josh continued to score important tries for Leigh. He scored two tries in a win against Hull Kingston Rovers. He also scored three tries in a game against Hull F.C..

On 12 August 2023, Josh played a big part in Leigh's historic 2023 Challenge Cup final victory. They won a very close game against Hull Kingston Rovers. In the 2023 Super League season, he scored 27 tries in 26 games.

In May 2024, Josh reached a huge milestone. He scored his 300th career try in a game against Salford Red Devils. He continued to play well in the 2024 season, helping Leigh reach the playoffs.

International Career

England Knights

Josh first played for the England Knights team in 2011. He scored two tries and kicked four goals in a friendly game against France. He also scored in another game against Cumbria.

Senior England Team

In 2012, Josh made his debut for the senior England squad. He scored four tries in his first game against Wales.

He played for England in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. He scored a try against Australia and two tries against France in the quarter-final. In the 2014 Rugby League Four Nations, he scored a try against New Zealand.

Honours

Grand Final: 3

• 2010
• 2013
• 2016

League Leaders' Shield: 2

• 2010
• 2012

Challenge Cup: 4

• 2011
• 2013
• 2019
• 2023

Super League Top Try Scorer: 2

• 2012 (31 tries)
• 2013 (33 tries)