Birkbeck student Alex Corbisiero dominates game as Lions triumph
Birkbeck student Alex Corbisiero scored a remarkable try after just 78 seconds in the British and Irish Lions’ victory on Saturday
Birkbeck student Alex Corbisiero scored a remarkable try after just 78 seconds in the British and Irish Lions’ victory on Saturday, helping them clinch the series against Australia. The 24-year-old prop and part-time BA History student played superbly during the game in Sydney when the Lions won their first Test series in 16 years.
Corbisiero hailed the win as the “best day of my life”, and the Lions’ head coach Warren Gatland said Corbisiero was his man of the match. The loose head prop ended the tour as the only forward from either side to score a try in the series.
Rugby star
Corbisiero had been called up to play for the Lions while on international duty with England in Argentina. After joining the Lions’ squad in Australia, he quickly made an impact, particularly in the scrum. Corbisiero played in the first match against Australia on 22 June, but was forced to miss the second because of a calf injury.
His international rugby career includes 18 England caps, being part of the winning Six Nations team in 2011 and playing in the Rugby World Cup in the same year. Corbisiero has played for London Irish since 2005. Next season he will play for Northampton Saints.
History student
Corbisiero started his part-time BA in History at Birkbeck in 2009. Sessional lecturer Mike Berlin, of Birkbeck’s Department of History, Classics and Archaeology, has taught Corbisiero during his university studies.
Berlin said: “Full praise is due to Alex and his team mates. It’s great to think of this friendly and modest history student, who turned up at classes during training and after his operation, scrummaging his way to victory with the Lions. It’s a real credit to him that he achieved this and has managed to make good progress with his degree.”
The rest of Corbisiero’s summer involves celebrations with his relatives in the US before some revision for his final year History exams at Birkbeck this September.