View source for Dan Luger

{{Short description|British Lions & England international rugby union player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{BLP sources|date=October 2011}}

{{Infobox rugby biography
| name           = Dan Luger <br/> [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
| image          =
| caption        = 
| birth_name     = Daniel Darko Luger
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1975|01|11|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Chiswick]], West London
| height         = 1.85 m
| weight         = {{convert|95|kg|stlb lb|0|abbr=on}}
| position       = Wing Three Quarter
| amatyears1     = 1991–1993
| amatteam1      = Richmond
| ru_amupdate    = 
| repteam1       = [[England national rugby union team|England]]
| repteam2       = [[British & Irish Lions]]
| repyears1      = 1998–2003
| repyears2      = 2001
| repcaps1       = 38
| reppoints1     = 120
| ru_ntupdate    = 2014-06-20
| years1         = 1993–1995
| years2         = 1995–1996
| years3         = 1996–1999
| years4         = 1999–2001
| years5         = 2001–2003
| years6         = 2003–2005
| years7         = 2005–2006
| years8         = 2006
| years9         = 2006–2010
| clubs1         = [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]]
| clubs2         = [[Orrell R.U.F.C.|Orrell]]
| clubs3         = [[Harlequin F.C.|Harlequins]]
| clubs4         = [[Saracens F.C.|Saracens]]
| clubs5         = [[Harlequin F.C.|Harlequins]]
| clubs6         = [[USA Perpignan|Perpignan]]
| clubs7         = [[RC Toulon]]
| clubs8         =  [[RK Nada]]
| clubs9         = [[Rugby Nice Côte d'Azur Université-Racing|Nice Côte d'Azur]]
| apps1          = 20
| apps2          = 5
| apps3          = 
| apps4          = 15
| apps5          = 59
| points1        = 25
| points2        = 5
| points3        = 
| points4        = 30
| points5        = 120
| ru_clubupdate  = 2014-06-20
| ru_currentclub = 
| coachteams1    = Rugby Nice Côte d'Azur
| coachyears1    = 2008–2010
| ru_coachupdate =  
}}

'''Daniel Darko Luger''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (born 11 January 1975) is a former English [[rugby union]] international who was a member of the squad that won the 2003 [[Rugby World Cup]].

== Rugby career ==

===Club career===

Dan Luger was born in [[Chiswick]] and is the son of a Croatian father (head of Croatia's rugby federation) and [[Czechs|Czech]] mother. Dan was firstly educated at Ashton House School, then moving on to [[Latymer Upper School]] in [[Hammersmith]] joining local club [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]] as a junior.

Dan Luger played top flight rugby as a left or right wing for a number of England Premiership clubs from 1994 to 2003. He began as a junior at Richmond graduating to the senior XV before his twentieth birthday. Then he went on to play for he play for Orrel where he was first selected for the national team at U-21 level. His blistering pace stopped Orrell being relegated that season and he moved on to his first spell at Harlequins where he prospered earning the first of his full England caps. Luger suffered a series of injuries but was harlequins highest try scorer. He left the club following 1998–99 season and the Rugby World Cup where England lost in the quarter final to South Africa. He made the second highest metres gained in the tournament behind [[Jonah Lomu]].

He joined London rivals [[Saracens F.C.|Saracens]] for two injury hit seasons before returning to [[Harlequin F.C.|Harlequins]] where he continued being one of England and the British and Irish Lions star players. In 2003 he began a three-season stint with [[USA Perpignan]] in [[Catalonia]] where he became a French top 14 champion.  On leaving Perpignan he played for [[RC Toulon]] where he went on to win the French pro D2 championship and was the club's highest try scorer and [[Rugby Nice Côte d'Azur Université-Racing|Rugby Nice Côte d'Azur]] where he combined playing with a coaching role.

===International career===

Although plagued by injury, his international record is exceptional: 24 tries in 38 matches. Only five players have scored more England tries having started his international career by scoring in both of his first two internationals against the Netherlands and Italy in [[1999 Rugby Union World Cup|World Cup]] qualifiers in 1998.

He made his first appearance for England A against Argentina at Northampton in December 1996 having played earlier that year in the World Students Cup in South Africa and for England U21s.

Luger made his international début in 1998, showing promise in the autumn 1999 World Cup qualification games, one against the Netherlands. He played in the [[1999 Rugby Union World Cup|1999 Rugby World Cup]], scoring a notable try against [[Fiji national rugby union team|Fiji]].

In November 2000, Luger scored a famous last minute match-winning try in an {{Nrut|England}} versus {{Nrut|Australia}} match. [[Iain Balshaw]] kicked ahead and he touched down in the corner, with eight minutes of injury time played.

During the [[2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia]], Luger scored a [[hat-trick]] of tries in the opening match against [[Western Australia RFC|Western Australia]]. However, an injury ended his tour, when he fractured a cheekbone in a training accident.

A try from him topped the 42-6 Grand Slam victory over [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]] at [[Lansdowne Road]] back in April 2003 and he was again on the score sheet in August when he touched down in England's 43-9 humbling of [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]] at the [[Millennium Stadium]] during the World Cup warm-up matches.

He came on as an illegal substitute during the England-[[Samoa national rugby union team|Samoa]] game at the [[2003 Rugby Union World Cup|2003 Rugby World Cup]], when the player he was intended to replace ([[Mike Tindall]]) hadn't left the field before Luger came on. Luger even made a tackle before being ordered off the field again. This led to a dispute over whether England should be fined, or perhaps even docked points as a penalty for having sixteen players on the field for a short period of time. Ultimately England were fined £10,000.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/team_pages/england/3226331.stm
|title=England fined over error
|publisher=BBC
|date=30 October 2003 |access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref> He did not receive a cap for this appearance, a decision made by Clive Woodward. He was an integral part of the world champion winning side.

Luger was also a notable England Sevens player playing at international level for a number of years to 2006.

==Bobsleigh==
In 2009, along with Olympic medalists, [[Jason Gardener]] and [[Craig MacLean]], and World Championship medal-winning [[decathlete]], [[Dean Macey]], he took part in the British Bobsleigh Championships at [[Cesana Pariol]] in Italy. He was given the position of driver and his brakeman was Craig. They qualified for the British championship. However, during their initial run Craig suffered several injuries after a collision on the track, and the duo were forced to withdraw from the competition on advice from medical specialists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/macleans_bobsleigh_experience_article_276748.html?aff=rss|title=MacLean's bobsleigh experience|last=Cleverly|first=Ian|date=10 February 2009|publisher=Cycling Weekly|access-date=22 February 2009}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Financial services career==
Luger has worked in financial sales, trading and hedge funds.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/unlike-rugby-you-really-can-t-wing-it-in-this-game-vpssm69zf|title = Unlike rugby, you really can't wing it in this game|last1 = Walsh|first1 = Dominic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloombergquint.com/amp/markets/england-rugby-world-cup-winner-luger-launching-equity-hedge-fund|title = England Rugby World Cup Winner Luger Launching Equity Hedge Fund}}</ref>

==Peace Commitment==
Dan Luger is a member of the 'Champions for Peace' club, a group of famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by [[Peace and Sport]], a [[Monaco]]-based international organization.<ref>[http://www.peace-sport.org/ Peace and Sport]</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of top English points scorers and try scorers]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229032651/http://www.nicerugbyclub.com/peoplepop.asp?ID=71 |title=Official RNCA page }}
* {{ESPNscrum|13040}}
* {{World Rugby Sevens Series profile|mens/1643}}

{{England 1999 Rugby World Cup squad}}
{{British and Irish Lions 2001}}
{{England 2003 Rugby World Cup squad}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luger, Dan}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England]]
[[Category:England international rugby union players]]
[[Category:English people of Croatian descent]]
[[Category:English people of Czech descent]]
[[Category:English rugby union players]]
[[Category:Harlequin F.C. players]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Orrell R.U.F.C. players]]
[[Category:People educated at Latymer Upper School]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from the London Borough of Hounslow]]
[[Category:Rugby union wings]]
[[Category:Saracens F.C. players]]
[[Category:USA Perpignan players]]
[[Category:People from Chiswick]]
[[Category:1999 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:2003 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:English expatriate rugby union players in France]]
[[Category:Rugby Nice Côte d'Azur players]]