Hugh Donnithorne Vyvyan was born in 08.08.76 in Guildford

The former England fullback Jon Callard heavily influenced Hugh's early career while at Downside School, moving him from fly-half to number 8. Brother Charlie, was a number 8 for Sale Sharks, and was another big influence on his career. He also plays lock.

He opted to take a year out after Downside School and played in South Africa for the Villagers club in Cape Town. Back in England he played briefly for Penryn before starting a successful theology degree at Newcastle University, where he caught the eye of the Falcons and eventually made his debut against Moseley, when the club were in National Division 2.

In 2001 he was an important member of Falcons’ Powergen Cup winning side at Twickenham, a feat he repeated in 2004.

In 2002 he toured with the full England side and was an unused bench replacement against Argentina. In that same 2002-03 season he played for England A against Scotland A and Ireland A and, in December 2003, also helped an England XV beat the New Zealand Barbarians.

As well as leading both Newcastle Falcons and now Saracens, he has captained the England squad on two Churchill Cup tours. The first in 2003 saw England A take the Cup and the second, in 2004, saw England A losing to New Zealand Maori only in extra time. He won a deserved first cap against Canada in the Investec Challenge match in 2004 and scored a try.

In 2004 he joined Saracens where he was made captain before even having played a game.