Roger Uttley is a former rugby player that played 23 games for England both in the second row and the back row. Uttley also captained his nation on 5 occasions in addition to playing 4 tests in the British & Irish Lions back row on the undefeated and historic 1974 tour to South Africa. Born in Blackpool, Roger first played his rugby for Fylde then Gosforth before finishing his career at the Wasps. A former England XV rugby coach and now retired teacher, Roger Uttley has had a wonderful life and career within the game and now works extensively as a rugby speaker across the nation.
Following his prolific career as a player, Roger Uttley turned his attention to coaching and coached the successful London and South East Divisional side in the mid to late 80´s before working with Geoff Cooke to coach and guide the England XV captained by Will Carling to the final of the 1991 Rugby World Cup. He was also assistant coach to the 1987 British & Irish Lions side that historically won the test series against Australia. An unforgettable and staggering achievement, Uttley fondly reminisces on this wonderful accomplishment during his work as a rugby speaker while sharing hilarious tales and anecdotes from the tour.
In 1997, Roger was asked to manage the England XV, a job he enjoyed doing despite it coinciding with the infamous tour to hell. Due to cutbacks within the RFU the post of manager became financially unviable and he lost his position along with 30 other RFU employees. A difficult challenge and change of circumstance, Uttley shares how the drive and determination he drew upon as a player also helped him in this life problem, showcasing to guests that the lessons and teachings from sport are applicable to all walks of life. His day job has always been in teaching physical education and for the last 19 years he has been Director of that subject at the famous independent boarding school at Harrow.
An experienced and popular rugby speaker, Roger Uttley particularly enjoys using his considerable and unique experience of playing, coaching and managing sporting teams at the highest levels to help others maximise their performance in all areas of leadership, training and team building. He is a former President of Sparks and a current council member of the same charity. An incredibly well respected and revered figure within the world of rugby, Uttley expertly combines his knowledge and expertise with fascinating stories to provide incredibly entertaining performances as a rugby speaker. The engaging and captivating Roger Uttley is available to hire as a rugby speaker for any event, dinner or function across the UK.
