Lyon No. 8 · England
Sam Simmonds
- Position
- No. 8
- Country
- England
- Age
- 31
- Born
- 10 Nov 1994
- Height
- 1.84 m
- Weight
- not available
- Caps
- not available
- Test tries · pts
- not available
Season by season
— means no data from the provider| Season | App | St | T | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026–27 Top 14 · Lyon | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2025–26 Top 14 · Lyon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Minutes are not recorded in the match feed for these matches.
Last five matches
Match by match
3 tracked matches| Attack | Total |
|---|---|
| Running metres | 258 |
| Carries | 44 |
| Clean breaks | 2 |
| Offloads | 4 |
| Try assists | 1 |
| Passes | 25 |
| Defence | Total |
|---|---|
| Tackles made | 25 |
| Tackles missed | 4 |
| Tackle success | 86% |
Top 14 3 apps · 1 try
| Match | Car | M | Tkl | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v Pau 19 Sep 2026 · W 51–25 | 17 | 82 | 12 | 1 |
| v Racing 92 12 Sep 2026 · W 48–31 | 13 | 86 | 4 | 0 |
| v Montpellier 6 Jun 2026 · L 25–28 | 14 | 90 | 9 | 0 |
| Totals 3 apps · 1 try | 44 | 258 | 25 | 1 |
About Sam Simmonds
He holds the record for tries in a Premiership season with 21, and gave up his England career to move to France.
Sam Simmonds scored 21 tries in 23 Premiership matches in 2020-21. The previous record was 16, held jointly by Christian Wade and Dominic Chapman, both wings. Simmonds is a back-row forward.
He plays at No. 8 and flanker for Lyon, is 1.84m and 108kg, and was born in Torquay on 10 November 1994.
His father David is a fisherman and his mother Nicola a hairdresser. He grew up in Teignmouth and started at the town club, wanting to be a footballer until Devon selected him at fourteen. Exeter took him into the academy at seventeen, where he weighed 85kg and did twice the weight training of everyone else. His younger brother Joe plays for Pau.
Exeter loaned him to Plymouth Albion and then to the Cornish Pirates for two seasons. He came back mid-2016-17, made his Premiership debut against Wasps in February and was man of the match, scored the winning try off the bench in the semi-final against Saracens, and came on in the final Exeter won.
England capped him against Argentina on 11 November 2017. He scored twice against Italy in the 2018 Six Nations. A knee ligament injury took six months out of 2018-19 and he was left out of the World Cup squad.
The 2019-20 season was the peak. He started and scored in the European Cup final Exeter won 31-27 against Racing 92, finished the competition as its leading try-scorer with eight, and was named European Player of the Year. Joe was the tournament’s leading points scorer. Exeter completed the double.
The Lions took him to South Africa in 2021 and he played once against the Springboks, replacing Jack Conan. England recalled him that autumn after three years away, and he played the whole of the 2022 Six Nations.
Montpellier signed him in 2023 to replace Zach Mercer. It made him ineligible for England, and he turned down Steve Borthwick’s World Cup selection to go. He joined Lyon this season.
He is Exeter’s leading try-scorer of all time, with 85.
Lyon teammates
Full squad
Frequently asked questions
What position does Sam Simmonds play?
Sam Simmonds plays as a number 8 for Lyon Olympique Universitaire.
Which team does Sam Simmonds play for?
Sam Simmonds currently plays for Lyon Olympique Universitaire.
How old is Sam Simmonds?
Sam Simmonds is 31 years old (born 10 November 1994).
How tall is Sam Simmonds?
Sam Simmonds stands 1.84m tall.
What nationality is Sam Simmonds?
Sam Simmonds is from England.
How many tries has Sam Simmonds scored?
Sam Simmonds has scored 1 tries and 5 points across 3 tracked matches.